PopCap Games, the makers of gaming favorites like Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies, is in the process of being acquired, according to TechCrunch [1]. The gaming company is reportedly being sold for more than $1 billion to Electronic Arts, the multiconsole gaming powerhouse.
According to insiders, the pricey deal is likely an aggressive move by EA to break into the mobile and social gaming markets. EA’s strengths have always been console-bound, offering best-sellers for Wii, PlayStation, and Xbox systems. PopCap offers the opportunity to enter an already crowded market using an established and trusted brand.
The PopCap acquisition could also be an effort by EA to tap a previously elusive gaming demographic, the casual user. EA has had some successes, such as The Sims, in this area, but its bread-and-butter customers are of the hard-core gaming variety. PopCap, on the other hand, has mastered entertainment for the casual user, proving invaluable in the mobile realm where casual gamers propel apps like Angry Birds and Pocket Gems to top-seller status.
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[1] http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/22/sources-popcap-buyer-is-ea/