The game is afoot in Seattle this week as the video and mobile gaming spheres reverberate with the news that Electronic Arts will purchase hometown PopCap, the creative force behind Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, and Bejeweled, in exchange for $650 million in cash, $100 million in EA stock, and up to $550 million on performance based bonuses over the first two years after completion of the deal, for a potential payout of $1.3 billion. That’s a truly high score!
However, PopCap opted for potential over price as, rumor has it, Zynga was willing to pay a $1 billion up front.
PopCap was courted by Microsoft for a possible marriage in 2002 at the then-fledgling price of $5 million, but a ring never materialized. PopCap creative director Jason Kapalka has been quoted that the company was receiving investment offers on a monthly basis.
EA doubled down on its push to enter other gaming realms in 2009 when it acquired social-gaming company Playfish for $275 million in cash and $25 million in stock. Like the PopCap acquisition, EA offered Playfish earnouts if it met certain performance milestones.
While EA has produced a few casual gamin hits, most notably The Sims, its most popular properties appeal to the hardcore crowd. PopCap could be a way back into the more social, casual game stylings of Zynga and Rovio among others.
And Netflix will soon have Puget Sounders seeing double. Double the movie renter’s monthly service fee for one thing. Besides hiking up its subscription rates for those who want BOTH streaming and DVDs in the mail, Netflix is betting double, or should we say triple, (as in 3D), that streaming on the Nintendo 3DS will be an exciting new platform for their movies !
Nintendo honcho Reggie Fils-Aime resounds, “The new Netflix application looks great, plays great and is a fantastic consumer experience. It gives Nintendo 3DS owners access to an amazing wealth of movies and TV shows, which they can watch conveniently from thousands of free Wi-Fi access points across the country. Nintendo 3DS truly offers something for everyone.”
3D video recording is also on the drawing board for the 3DS. Details are scant, but it looks like the system will have the ability to record 3D video, as well as take 3D photos. [24×7]
