PopCap predicts "a better landscape for gamers on Facebook"

PopCap CCO Jason Kapalka has elaborated on comments made to GamesIndustry.biz concerning the future of Facebook gaming, following misinterpretation by other sites.

"When I said the 'Golden Age' of social gaming might be over, I certainly wasn't predicting a dot-com-style collapse," he said, "so it's been odd to see some of the press running with that angle.

"It might've been more accurate to say the gold rush for social games is ending. What we're seeing is a general increase in the quality of social games, where due to competition, higher production values, and better spam filters, it's getting harder and harder to put out a shoddy or invasive app and hope to make a quick buck.

"Yes, that will hurt some of the more fly-by-night outfits, but it means a better landscape for gamers on Facebook going forward."

Claiming that PopCap itself was pledged to making high-quality titles rather than "exercises in viral marketing", Kapalka pointed out that Bejewelled Blitz on Facebook had been highly successful for the firm, and thus he was similarly positive about the forthcoming Zuma Blitz.