Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle developer PopCap Games today announced it has raised $22.5 million in funding, money that it will use to expand its growing casual game development machine. "We're excited to have additional working capital that lets us be more aggressive with our expansion into social media and reaching new geographies," said PopCap CEO David Roberts.

The investment, lead by Meritech Capital Partners, represents the first... Read more

PopCap's quest to take over the world with addictive casual gaming reaches insidious new depths with the release of a cut-down version of Zuma's Revenge for a mere $9.99.

Zuma's Revenge - Adventure contains only the froggy sequel's 'Adventure' mode, which offers sixty levels of ball-blasting action with six boss battle minigames.

You can give Adventure mode a shot in the timed demo to judge whether its updated gameplay and high-res graphics mode are worth one of your crisp Hamiltons.

PopCap says Adventure is out now on digital platforms including Steam, though it does not seem to be available yet. The complete $20 version of Zuma's Revenge was released only this month, with further modes including challenge and gauntlet levels.

Peggle and Plants vs. Zombie maker PopCap has paired with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest publisher Square Enix to craft Gyromancer, a new puzzle-RPG.

Coming to Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade download and PC via Steam, the game is said to feature PopCap's addictive color-matching puzzler Bejeweled Twist "at its core."

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

Shackvideo users can use the HD Stream.

"We've always enjoyed a strong partnership with PopCap Games and Gyromancer represents our goal of developing unique gaming experiences... Read more

PopCap today detailed the Nintendo DS versions of Bookworm and Bejeweled Twist--announced in passing earlier this year--as well as announcing DSiWare releases.

While the downloadable DSiWare titles will have modes trimmed out, the DS cartridge releases offer the full shebang--and Bookworm further receives new modes and features. Interestingly, Bejeweled Twist offers multiplayer across the two versions.

Bejeweled Twist arrives on DSiWare this month--which must mean next Monday--with the DS version hitting retail on December 1. Bookworm DSiWare will be released in mid-October, while the DS version isn't due until the first quarter of 2010. Keep on reading for the word from PopCap on which version contains what... Read more

The 60 levels of PopCap's peg-busting, ball-bouncing sequel Peggle Nights (PC) are coming to the Xbox 360 iteration of Peggle in the form of downloadable content.

The expansion pack is due out this fall, developer PopCap announced today, noting that it "includes all the levels and challenges from the PC and Mac versions of Peggle Nights" and has been "tuned specifically for the [Xbox Live Arcade] player." No price was given.

"Peggle Nights essentially doubles the size of the Peggle XBLA universe," boasted Peggle co-creator Sukhbir Sidhu. A breakdown of the pack follows... Read more

Peggle maker PopCap's addictive ball-blasting game Zuma is receiving a sequel in the form of Zuma's Revenge, hopping onto a PC dangerously near you on September 15.

Zuma's Revenge updates the frenetic colour matcher with new power-ups, multiple lily pads to perch upon, boss battles and a shiny new tiki motif.

Please install Flash to view this Shackvideo

In a move that will leave some awestruck and others wondering what the big deal is, casual developer PopCap today announced that a sequel to its extremely addictive word-forming RPG Bookworm Adventures will arrive July 30, 2009 in PC form.

Bookworm Adventures 2 brings new mini-games and three new ten-chapter books to the mix while retaining the core challenge of trying to assemble the longest word, as quickly as possible, with the provided letters and tiles.

Priced at $20, Bookworm Adventures 2 will initially be sold as a downloadable game through PopCap's official website. An eventual release on digital distribution platform Steam seems likely, as PopCap's past few releases Peggle and Plants... Read more

PopCap today announced the release of its popular casual game Peggle as free add-on for World of Warcraft.

Strangely enough, the Peggle port is rather impressive, including WoW-themed backgrounds and a custom "talent tree" to spec out your Peggle skills.

Also provided is a new "/peggleloot" option, which allows players to "roll" for loot based on the best Peggle shot--a feature truly reinforcing the random nature of Peggle.

Both the Peggle and Bejeweled World of Warcraft add-ons can be grabbed from FileShack.

A pilot study by PopCap's UK division into the use of casual gaming to stave off snack cravings has yielded promising results, according to a report issued today.

The numbers are more than a little iffy--of the mere 30 participants who started the trial, a scant 10 finished--but playing PopCap's Bejeweled Twist apparently had a 100% success rate at beating cravings and lifting mood. Encouraged by these results, PopCap plans to fund nore research into the health benefits of casual gaming this year.

A number of the participants were non-gamers, including 39 year old Debbie Hodgson who said, "My cravings have noticeably reduced since I started this trial and I lost 7 lbs over 4 weeks." Casual gaming might benefit hardcore gamers too, as a study last year revealed EverQuest II players, while not fat, are sad.

While PopCap are naturally reluctant to draw firm conclusions on the results, we here at Shacknews have no qualms about risking our Internet doctors' licenses. Our snappy, quotable advice is "Don't pig: Peggle!" and "Bejeweled those blues away!", though we stray away from recommending Feeding Frenzy 2.

Causal game publisher PopCap today kicked off Peggle Fever, a three-month long "pronounced period of peg-popping pervasiveness."

The promotion is meant to celebrate the different kinds of "pure Peggle pleasure" that players can experience on a variety of platforms.

The Nintendo DS version of the physics-based ball bouncing game officially arrives at reatilers today, in the form of Peggle: Dual Shot, with PopCap confirming that the long-awaited Xbox Live Arcade and iPhone iterations will arrive within March. Furthermore, Peggle will be available for mobile phones running Android come May.

Today will also see the debut of the second free level pack for Peggle Nights (PC), and the launch of PopCap's Peggle Art Contest, which concludes on June 3. Over $10,000 in prizes are up for grabs, including trips to PopCap's Seattle headquarters, limited edition Peggle merchandise, and iPhones and Xbox 360s packed with Peggle.

"To date, Peggle and Peggle Nights combined have been downloaded more than 45 million times--yet the games remain modest commercial successes by PopCap standards," the company said today.

Next week's release of Peggle: Dual Shot won't be the only PopCap game to hit Nintendo DS this year, as the casual publisher told Forbes that it's planning to bring perennial time wasters Bookworm and Bejeweled Twist to to the portable soon.

Bookworm challenges players to find words in a randomized tablet of letters, while Bejeweled Twist has players matching three or more blocks of the same color.

In addition, PopCap VP Greg Canessa teased the company's new original PC game, Plants vs. Zombies, describing it as a combination of "the real-time strategy genre, the tower defense games and collectible card games--but in a casual context."

Plants vs. Zombies is due out later this year. And while the description may sound a little confusing, to say the least, Forbes writer Chris Morris points out PopCap has a knack for such things. After all, the ball-bouncing bliss of Peggle could be described as a combination of "pachinko, gravitational physics, pinball, geometry and cartoon animals."

Casual games developer and publisher PopCap Games today announced its acquisition of Xbox Live Arcade developer Gastronaut Studios, which has previously worked with PopCap in bringing Feeding Frenzy 2 and Peggle to the Xbox 360.

Gastronaut is now working on several "undisclosed projects," with its founders retaining their rights to the studio's original properties, such as the Xbox Live Arcade side-scrolling combat game Small Arms and the upcoming puzzle game Gel.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not provided.

"We've enjoyed a fantastic working relationship with PopCap on their XBLA titles and we're thrilled to be joining their team to create exciting titles that players of all stripes will love." said Gastronaut co-founder Jacob Van Wingen.

Casual game developer PopCap and publisher Sony Online Entertainment have partnered to release five of PopCap's PC titles as downloadable PlayStation 3 games.

The first effort, the color-matching puzzler Bejeweled 2, will hit the North American PlayStation Store later today for $9.99. Zuma, Heavy Weapon, Feeding Frenzy and the beloved ball-bouncing, peg-busting game Peggle will follow in the future.

A downloadable version of Peggle is also slated to hit Xbox 360 at some point this year, with iPhone and Nintendo DS editions due out in early March.

Update: Peggle will hit iPhone and iPod Touch in early March, PopCap tells Joystiq.

Original: PopCap's deviously addictive ball-bouncing peg-busting joytastic game Peggle will finally make its iPhone debut this year, going by a now-removed PopCap Twitter.

"peggle for iphone planned for this year as well," read the update to official PopCap Twitter, which was archived by Joystiq after Wired reported the news.

An iPhone release was no-so-subtly suggested in March 2008, when Apple sent out a press release about the iPhone SDK. Within, PopCap said the SDK would provide "the tools to innovate and reinvent games like Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle [on iPhone]."

This year should also see the oft-delayed Xbox Live Arcade version of Peggle, with a Nintendo DS edition, Peggle: Dual Shot, due in early March. They'll join the PC and iPod versions that are already available, along with last year's PC sequel Peggle Nights.

Here at Shacknews, we have just received the most delicious piece of game-related promotional material yet--well, apart from that case of Mountain Dew Halo 3 Game Fuel.

In an effort to promote its upcoming revelation of Bejeweled Twist, PopCap sent over a batch of Bejeweled-styled cookies. Sure, they probably won't disappear when I line up three of more of the same color, but so long as they sit on my desk, their existence is in danger.

A note to PR folk: air fresheners and foam fingers are great and certainly grab our attention, but when you really want to win our affection, there's nothing better than yummy consumables. Now I just have to hope that a Peggle cake is in the cards...

Seeking to further its grasp on the hearts and minds of millions, casual game developer PopCap Games today released a sequel to its unicorn-centric and rainbow-tastic PC bouncing ball effort Peggle.

Dubbed Peggle Nights, the sequel features "a dreamtime adventure of alter egos and peg-tastic action," and once again requires players to eliminate colored pegs within a certain number of shots. According to PopCap, Nights is more focused on skill than the original, with more levels set to be released as downloadable content.

A free demo is currently available on the game's official site, with the full version priced at $19.95. "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!," exclaimed beloved Shacknews community member dognose.

Much like the original Peggle, Nights will soon appear on Valve's digital distribution platform Steam, with its Steam debut slated for the nebulous "next month." A list of the sequel's key improvements, as highlighted by PopCap, follow below... Read more

More than 20% of those that play casual games like Peggle and Bejeweled have some sort of "physical, mental or developmental disability," according to an Information Solutions Group survey commissioned by casual game developer PopCap Games.

The survey encompassed a total of 13,296 casual gamers--a market that, mostly driven by web-based applications, is estimated to have between 300 and 400 million players worldwide. The latest U.S. Census states 15.1% of the American population is disabled.

Depression, ADD / ADHA and Rheumatoid Arthritis / Osteoarthritis respectively ranked as the most common types of mental, developmental and physical conditions. Only 26% of disabled casual gamers were said to play traditional video games.

The study notes that those with disabilities typically play casual games more frequently and longer than the non-disabled, and find the benefits to include stress... Read more

While some get annoyed when their significant other is addicted to a video game, New Jersey resident Bernie Peng saw an opportunity to take things to the next level.

That's why he spent a month coding a custom DS version of his girlfriend Tammy Li's favorite game, the color- and shape-matching puzzle title Bejeweled. Once she hit a certain score in his homebrew effort, a marriage proposal would appear on-screen.

Not only did she achieve the score, but, much to Peng's relief, she said yes. "I thought it was pretty cool, in a nerdy way," he said, according to The Associated Press.

After Peng posted on his blog about the proposal in December, it eventually came to the attention of Bejeweled and Peggle creator PopCap Games. The company has since committed to flying the couple out to Seattle for their honeymoon and providing copies of Bejeweled for wedding guests.

"Most video game companies would frown on people manipulating their games," explained PopCap representative Garth Chouteau. "But it won him a woman. As a bunch of geeks, we have to say, 'Bernie, hats off to you.'"

Addressing recent reports, casual developer PopCap has denied that a Nintendo DS version of Peggle is currently in development, though it hopes to eventually bring the beloved ball-shooter to more platforms.

"We have ambitious plans for many of our titles including Peggle, and are eager to bring its peg-popping pleasures to as many appropriate platforms and devices as possible," said PopCap video game platform VP Greg Canessa. "But Nintendo has not approved this product, we have not signed a developer to port Peggle to DS, and we have not green lighted this project."

Earlier this year, PopCap confirmed than an Xbox Live Arcade edition of Peggle was tentatively slated to arrive in Q2 2008. A sequel, dubbed Peggle Nights, is also known to be in the works.

Previously released on PC, Mac, and the iPod, the Pachinko-like offerings of Peggle have won over many a cold-hearted gamer despite its use of unicorns... Read more

Update: Peggle is indeed headed to Xbox Live Arcade and is tentatively slated for a Q2 release, a PopCap representative has confirmed to Shacknews.

Original Story: PopCap's ultra-addictive and mega-colorful casual gaming sensation Peggle is on its way to the Xbox 360, according a listing on the Entertainment Software Rating Board web site.

Though not officially confirmed, the title is expected to be a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game, as past PopCap Xbox 360 releases, such as Zuma, have been. It has been assigned an "E for Everyone" rating.

Previously released on PC, Mac, and the iPod, the Pachinko-like skill-based offerings of Peggle have won over many a cold-hearted gamer despite its... Read more