Skip to main content
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

PopCap's Ed Allard

PopCap's Seattle studio head on casual versus core, new business models and Unpleasant Horse

Dan Pearson avatar
Feature by Dan Pearson Contributor
Published on
GamesIndustry.bizThere are a few PopCap games, like Plants Vs. Zombies, which look like they might be the sort of thing which would come under 4th & Battery's remit these days.
Ed Allard

I think for sure that we want to have the freedom to make something like Plants Vs. Zombies and call it a PopCap game. We're playing with finding where that line is, but I sure hope that we can keep making games like Plants Vs. Zombies. The game that the creator of Plants Vs. Zombies is working on right now is pretty out there but will absolutely be a PopCap title.

GamesIndustry.bizYour model in the past seems to be that you'll bring a game out on a single platform then follow a staggered porting process to others - is that something you're sticking to?
Ed Allard

Well the rolling platform release strategy has been something that's evolved out of, not out of a business plan - although it turned out to be pretty good from a business perspective - but it's more about being able to approach these platforms with such individual care and attention. Releasing them all simultaneously, well, we worry about that forcing us into a kind of lowest common denominator thinking.

When the console industry started hitting a point where everything was coming out multiplatform, you started feeling that. If you've got Wii, 360 and PS3 day and date, you kind of end up playing a Wii game on your PS3 as opposed to playing a great PS3 game, because that's sort of what it takes from a development perspective.

So instead of taking that approach we'd rather, if you're playing a PopCap game on 360, it feels like a great 360 game, you've got to assume that you'll never play that game anywhere else, as opposed to you playing a great Xbox version of a PC game.

So that sort of lead to the staggered release schedules, taking the time that each platform needs. That's one end of the spectrum, I expect that will continue. The other end is that, if there's a good reason to make a simultaneous release, just to reach more people, then we may end up holding back one platform's release.

I really fear the lowest common denominator approach.

I really fear the lowest common denominator approach.

GamesIndustry.bizYou've signed an exclusive content deal with Amazon for some content on its App Store - do you share any of the concerns of the IGDA about the terms and conditions which Amazon enforces or do you think it's being a little over-protective?
Ed Allard

I absolutely understand. I understand. My general approach on that, and I certainly don't represent the business side of the company that really approached that and signed that deal, is that... my view is that anyone who wants to be successful in the Android marketplace needs to solve some of the handset marketplace fragmentation problems. And they need to be open and fair to the developers who are making great content.

If you look at what's been successful on the iPhone App Store, it's not just all the big boys that are being successful there - it's the small out of nowhere developers that have the massive hits. So wherever they're starting, I think any successful marketplace has to evolve to be supportive of, and not take advantage of, the little guy.

So I certainly get the concern, and I hope to see the entire Android marketplace, whether it's Amazon or others, evolve to a place that's a little more sane and well-understood for developers to navigate.

In general, PopCap is really excited about the Android platform. Despite the challenges that we discussed around navigating space, Android is going to be a great way to reach a lot of people with our games. That's what we do this for, so we're committed to figuring out how to be there in the right way for our games and our customers as the platform evolves.

We're really excited about the Amazon marketplace opportunity. Ultimately, we're there because we think that it's going to be a great experience for customers, and a great way to find and buy games that they love that they can be sure will work on their devices.