[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]
Tuesday 14th September 2010 - PopCap Games,
worldwide leader in casual games, today announced a deal with
NCsoft, leading provider of online & MMO games to bring
PopCap's first online multiplayer social game service to Korea
later this year.
The new platform, PopCap
®
World, is the first product to be developed and released by
PopCap's Shanghai game studio and marks a major milestone for the
company in terms of its global online and social strategies.
PopCap World, operated by NCsoft, will launch with 13 of
PopCap’s award-winning games such as Bejeweled
®
, Plants vs. Zombies
TM
and Zuma
®
as well as an all-new multiplayer game, Super Zuma
TM
, built exclusively for Korean players. All of the games are
free to play, with optional, premium paid elements to be added
later.
James Gwertzman, PopCap's Vice President for Asia/Pacific,
said:
“When Disneyland first opened, it revolutionized the
amusement park industry and ushered in the era of the modern theme
park. In the same way, we believe PopCap World has the potential to
redefine casual games in Korea and beyond by offering players the
most immersive PopCap experience yet.
“Our announcement today is just the beginning. We are very
excited about our partnership with NCsoft – their formidable
presence in the online market combined with PopCap’s
leadership in the casual and social spaces makes for an interesting
recipe that we look forward to serving up to players in Korea
– and beyond.”
PopCap - and flagship franchise, Bejeweled - is widely regarded
as a founding father of the casual games industry. Over the past 10
years, the company has solidified its reputation as a games pioneer
by innovating new games genres exemplified in games such as the
BAFTA-nominated, Plants vs. Zombies. PopCap is one of the few game
developers/publishers that has successfully adapted itself to an
ever-increasing variety of new gaming platforms and
technologies.
Most recently, the company has gained notoriety for its success
in the mobile and social spaces: it’s first iPhone game,
Bejeweled 2, has been in the top 20 apps since it’s July 2008
launch; while the company’s first social game, Bejeweled
Blitz, launched in December 2008, is one of the top games on
Facebook with over 4 million daily active users (DAU). As PopCap
prepares to launch its second social game, Zuma Blitz, on Facebook
later this month, there is palpable excitement surrounding projects
on both sides of the world – and how these might eventually
inform each other.
Mr. Whang, NCsoft’s Vice President for Web Business
Center, said
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with PopCap Games on
this new project. PopCap is famous not only for the high quality of
their games – they are a very talented developer – but
also for appealing to an extremely wide audience. We look forward
to a successful launch, and to opening up this new world of fun to
both our existing Korean users, as well as a whole new audience for
whom this may well be their first online game.”
PopCap games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by
players worldwide; its flagship title, Bejeweled, has sold more
than 50 million units across all platforms. PopCap World will
launch later in 2010 with all games localized in Korean.
About PopCap
PopCap Games (
www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform
provider of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating
games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106 and are available
anytime, anywhere. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded
in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of more than 300 people in
Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul,
and Shanghai. Its games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times
by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled, has sold
more than 50 million units across all platforms. Constantly
acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played
on the Web, social platforms, desktop computers, myriad mobile
devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone,
iPad and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and
in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap has been one of the most
innovative companies in the video industry since its inception a
decade ago. Pioneering new game mechanics, sales models, and
platforms ranging from mobile devices to online and location-based
games of chance, PopCap is the only video game provider in the
world with leading market share across the entire spectrum.
# # #
The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein that are
listed at
www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap
Games, Inc. or its licensors and may be registered in some
countries. Other company and product names used herein may be
trademarks of their respective owners and are used for the benefit
of those owners.
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