Video game developer · United States · Active
PopCap Games
Founded in 2000
- 76
- games developed
- 19
- games published
- 0
- in development
History of PopCap Games
PopCap Games was founded in Seattle in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka. It was first incorporated as Sexy Action Cool, a phrase lifted from a Desperado poster, and its first release was a strip poker game, Foxy Poker, meant to fund later projects. Its first game as PopCap was Bejeweled (2000), a gem-swapping puzzle that launched in browsers, reached every major platform and was inducted into the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame in 2002.
It began expanding in 2005 by buying Sprout Games, another Seattle casual developer, founded by James Gwertzman and known for Feeding Frenzy; together they made Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown. In early 2006 it opened PopCap International in Dublin, and in July 2007 it bought SpinTop Games of Vancouver and Retro64 of Chicago, after which it dropped 'Games' from its logo. Those years produced Peggle (2007), Bejeweled Twist (2008) and Plants vs. Zombies (2009), a tower defence game for Windows and OS X.
In February 2009 it acquired Gastronaut Studios, which had ported Peggle and Feeding Frenzy 2 to Xbox Live Arcade. Zuma's Revenge!, the sequel to Zuma, also came out that year. In 2011 it set up the subsidiary 4th and Battery to make edgier games and bought ZipZapPlay of San Francisco to grow in social games on Facebook. On 12 July 2011 Electronic Arts announced it was acquiring PopCap, which has been an EA subsidiary ever since. Brian Fiete had left in 2010, before the deal.
Life under EA brought cuts: in August 2012 there were layoffs in North America as the company shifted towards mobile and free-to-play, and the Dublin studio closed that September. In 2014 Kapalka left, followed by Vechey, the last of the founders, and PopCap stopped offering games on its own site. It remains an EA studio based in Seattle; its more recent releases include Peggle 2 (2013), Peggle Blast (2014) and Bejeweled Stars (2016).
Milestones
2000
John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka found the company; Bejeweled is released.
2005
Buys Sprout Games, maker of Feeding Frenzy.
2007
Peggle.
2009
Plants vs. Zombies.
2011
Electronic Arts acquires PopCap.
2012
The Dublin studio closes.
2014
John Vechey, the last founder, leaves.
2016
Bejeweled Stars.
Its best-known games
Plants vs. Zombies
2009 · PS3 · Win Phone · Android
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
2014 · PS3 · PS4 · PC
Peggle
2007 · blackberry · PS3 · Android
Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
2013 · Android · iOS
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
2016 · PS4 · PC · XONE
Zuma
2003 · XBOX · browser · PC
Bejeweled 3
2010 · PC · Mac
Zuma Deluxe
2003 · XBOX · PS3 · PC
Zuma's Revenge!
2009 · PS3 · Win Phone · PC
Peggle 2
2013 · PS4 · X360 · XONE
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
2019 · PS4 · PC · XONE
Peggle Nights
2008 · PC · Mac
Every game it has developed (76)
2025
- Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted Series X|S, PS4, Switch 2, PC
2024
- Plants vs. Zombies 3: Welcome to Zomburbia Android, iOS
2019
- Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville PS4, PC, XONE, Switch
2016
- Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes Android, iOS
- Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 PS4, PC, XONE
2014
- Peggle Blast Android, iOS
- Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare PS3, PS4, PC, X360
2013
- Plants vs. Zombies: The Last Stand Arcade
- Bejeweled Arcade
- Peggle 2 PS4, X360, XONE
- Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time Android, iOS
- Plants vs. Zombies 2: A Journey Through Time and Space Android, iOS
- Plants vs. Zombies Adventures browser
- Bejeweled Live + Win Phone
- Plants vs. Zombies: Endless Edition Android
2012
- Plants vs. Zombies Mobile
- The Game of Life Win Phone, PC
- Risk PS3, PS4, Win Phone, PC
- Bejeweled Legend Android, iOS
2011
- Bejeweled Classic HD Android, iOS
- Bejeweled Classic Android, iOS
- Bejeweled 3 browser, PS3, X360, NDS
- Plants vs. Zombies NDS
2010
- Bejeweled 3 PC, Mac
- Bejeweled Live Win Phone, PC
- Banana Bugs PC
- Bejeweled Blitz browser, Android, PC, iOS
2009
- Heavy Weapon Mobile
- Gyromancer PC, X360
- Zuma's Revenge!: Adventure PC
- Zuma's Revenge! PS3, Win Phone, PC, iOS
- Mystery P.I. - Lost in Los Angeles PC
- Bookworm Adventures Volume 2 PC
- Plants vs. Zombies PS3, Win Phone, Android, PC
- Amazing Adventures Around the World PC
- Mystery P.I. - The New York Fortune PC
2008
- Bejeweled
- Bejeweled Twist PC, NDS, Mobile
- Peggle Nights PC, Mac
- Mystery P.I. - The Vegas Heist PC
2007
- Amazing Adventures: The Lost Tomb PC
- Peggle Extreme PC
- Mystery P.I.: The Lottery Ticket PC
- Venice PC
- Peggle blackberry, PS3, Android, PC
- Heavy Weapon PS3, X360
2006
- Bookworm Adventures Deluxe PC
- Bookworm Adventures PC
- Talismania Deluxe browser, PC
- Dynomite Deluxe PC
- Heavy Weapon Deluxe PC
- Iggle Pop! Deluxe PC
- Chuzzle Deluxe PC, Mac
- Hammer Heads Deluxe PC
- Bejeweled Deluxe PC
- Typer Shark! Deluxe PC
- AstroPop Deluxe XBOX, PC, X360
- Rocket Mania Deluxe PC
- Bookworm Deluxe PC
- Bejeweled 2 Deluxe PC, Mac
2005
- Chuzzle Android, PC, iOS, Mac
- Heavy Weapon PC
2004
- Bejeweled 2 browser, PS3, Wii, Android
- AstroPop PC, X360, Mobile
2003
- Zuma XBOX, browser, PC, iOS
- Zuma Deluxe XBOX, PS3, PC, iOS
- Sweet Tooth to Go PC
- Bookworm PC, iOS, Mac, X360
2002
- Noah's Ark PC
- Mummy Maze Deluxe PC
- Big Money! PC
- Dynomite! PC
2001
- Alchemy PC
- Bejeweled blackberry, XBOX, PC, iOS
2000
- Diamond Mine browser
- Seven Seas PC
Games it has published without developing them (19)
- Insaniquarium! 2001
- TipTop 2002
- Atomica 2002
- Feeding Frenzy 2004
- Insaniquarium! Deluxe 2004
- Cosmic Bugs 2004
- Bonnie's Bookstore 2005
- Bonnie's Bookstore 2005
- Bejeweled 2 Arcade 2005
- Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown 2006
- Pizza Frenzy Deluxe 2006
- Mystery PI: The Vegas Heist 2008
- The Wizard's Pen 2008
- Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins 2008
- Mystery P.I.: Portrait of a Thief 2009
- Escape Rosecliff Island 2009
- Risk: The Official Game 2010
- Vacation Quest Australia 2012
- Monopoly 2012