PopCap: iPad will "kickstart" creativity

By Robert Purchese Published 3 February, 2010

"Tremendous" specs excite Bejeweled maker.

Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies mastermind PopCap reckons Apple's new iPad could "kickstart" a creative revolution.

"PopCap loves to see devices that offer new experiences and force us to look at our games and rethink how we can make the best game using those new features," Andrew Stein, PopCap bigwig, told Destructoid.

"As a developer, the iPad offers the same easy development environment as the iPhone but amps that up with tremendous technical specs and a potential whole new way for somebody to interact with a game.

"As a consumer," he added, "the iPad has the potential to kickstart a whole new wave of creative innovation similar to the wave kicked off by the launch of the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch."

Stein promised that iPad games by PopCap won't be iPhone ports. "As we're fond of saying, we don't port, we adapt – we keep the essence of what makes our games and then rebuild them to take best advantage of the features offered by the specific device," he said.

As such, the delay to the iPhone version of Plants vs Zombies is unrelated to the iPad. "It will be launched on the iPhone before the release of the iPad [in March]," said Stein. It just needed more time.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (58) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • chukcyQ #1 2 years ago

    Bollocks. iPad is just the same thing as iPod Touch. Making it just bigger doesn't make the UI different.

  • OnlyMe #2 2 years ago

    I was sceptical about Nintendo DS before it arrived. I was sceptical about the iPhone's gaming ability. Seeing as how that turned out, I will not make the same mistake again. I believe iPad can be a fantastic gaming platform. But obviously it will not be marketed as one.

  • Doctor_What #3 2 years ago

    I've heard dedicated iPhone fans saying 'I don't see the point' about the iPad. If even they think it's not a great idea then Apple will need incredible marketing to convince everyone else too.

    Then again, Apple *do* have incredible marketing usually. Ho hum.

  • LHH #4 2 years ago

    O_o

    Not really related but goddamn I just have this irrational hatred of all things Apple. Not sure why but it's something to do with white earphones and silhouetted adverts. Also the ipad, man, it looks a bit cut down when you look at the specs but the closer we get to those star trek pads the better I guess.
    I just don't want Bono preaching to me about the 3rd world whilst jerking off over one.

    Back on topic though, popcap, creativity!? I liked Heavy Weapon.
    Edited by LHH at 03/02/10 @ 11:33

  • ram #5 2 years ago

    "Making it just bigger doesn't make the UI different"

    Of course making it bigger makes the UI different.

  • menage #6 2 years ago

    I would expect them to be all over this. Seems it would be ideal to have their puzzle games with touch on a bigger screen.

    Not for me. My GF would love it though. Not 400 bucks (or whatever) worth of loving off course.
    Edited by menage at 03/02/10 @ 11:35

  • Emmit_Assassin #7 2 years ago

    So I assume they believe that at the moment there is no creativity in gaming, and Apple has saved us all with the iPad?

    Fuck off.

  • Phishfood #8 2 years ago

    I very much doubt this will reach out to core gamers, I'm not holding my breath. As far as I'm conerned hardware specs don't kickstart creativity, imagination and ingenuity kickstarts creativity.

    The hundreds of rubbish DS games is evidence of that.

  • mingster #9 2 years ago

    So we can expect to see some more match 3 puzzle games then.

  • Spanky #10 2 years ago

    I thought popcap were reknowned for just reskinning gamings staple game types. Pong with penguins, bust a move with pandas and parrots? Creativity doesn't factor into popcap as far as i can see.

  • MyPointIs #11 2 years ago

    "Tremendous" specs excite Bejeweled maker.

    What's "tremendous" to a japanese girl, might be "funny" to a black one.

  • Bremenacht #12 2 years ago

    Nintendo and Sony should be concerned.

  • Malek86 #13 2 years ago

    Slightly OT, but... hey Popcap, before thinking about the iPad which isn't even out yet, where are those Android games you promised us, like, a year ago? kthx.

  • Murton #14 2 years ago

    "we don't port, we adapt" okay then PopCap, what "adaptations" were made to each of the dozen versions of Bejewelled that took advantage of the individual platforms. I'll give you Bejewelled Blast on Facebook as a genuinely unique adaptation of the original game but every other platform has the exact same game as the original that was released on PC nigh on ten years ago.

    I also find it funny that PopCap sees itself as an innovator when arguably it dominated and closed off a sector of the market (casual/puzzle games) that was traditionally used as an entry point for independent studios, who are usually the more innovative creators in the games industry.

  • metalmike25 #15 2 years ago

    They made Peggle probably the greatest peg based game ever created so i for one salute them

  • Monkey_Puncher #16 2 years ago

    Popcap are hardly creative geniuses...

  • abigsmurf #17 2 years ago

    iPad: either you'll game one handed or you'll strain your fingers holding it like a gamepad (not only is it heavier than a DS or PSP, it has a much higher center of gavity).

    We keep hearing from Apple and the developers Apple are using to cross promote with how the ipad will add a huge amount to gaming. Balls it will. It is bigger and heavier than an iphone and has the majority of the iphone's control flaws.

  • MiniAmin #18 2 years ago

    The iPod Touch has been marketed as a gaming device recently; it's price point justifies that type of marketing. I don't think Apple will have that prerogative with the iPad because it's price point is prohibitive when compared to the Touch. Also it's size - too small to be portable, too big to be a "full" games console.

    I reckon it'll have a few decent games but it'll appeal more to the Kindle/E-Reader market.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #19 2 years ago

    Someone help me out here...

    'a potential whole new way for somebody to interact with a game'

    Surely we have touchscreen gaming devices already?
    What is so different about the iPad that could provide this 'whole new way for somebody to interact with a game'?

    And

    'As a consumer, the iPad has the potential to kickstart a whole new wave of creative innovation'

    I don't think consumers using the iPad will be getting too creative or innovating much at all. Its a portable screen ffs. The only creativity and innovation will be coming from those with proper computers and a compiler. The consumers will be sat there fumbling with the on screen keyboard and wishing for a joypad ;)

  • MORZTAN #20 2 years ago

    I was one of the biggest skeptics of the iPad, and then last night when I grabbed my laptop and started it up to check my email, it hit me: "If I had an iPad, THAT would be what I would fire up, and then maybe game a little after checking my mail".

    A laptop is actually rather clumsy when sitting in a sofa, an iPad would be ideal. It was just a thougt, but I could suddenly see myself buying one.... Weird... H.A.A.R.P at work, maybe :)

  • Gastrian #21 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • space_ace #22 2 years ago

    @MORZTAN same here. since they announced it, i've been looking at my macbook strangely. ipad to notebook is what a notebook is to a desktop.

    @devs in the ideal ipad genre, graphic adventures, any ideas how to overcome the problem that you can't see what you touch? some magnifying glass maybe?

  • penhalion #23 2 years ago

    No no...let's give popcap their due. The iPad is kickstarting creativity. If most developers are like me, then we're all thinking "What the f&^k am I going to do with this stupid thing!"

  • swissorc #24 2 years ago

    ipad sounds like a female hygiene product. Go rot in a ditch and die Apple your not getting my money no matter how many half baked ideas of others you have. No matter how white or shiny your casing. The public can only be distracted by shininess for so long after a while they want some substance. For example, PSP was super cool when it launched making the DS look toy like and out of step with the public. However, fast forward the DS is the better selling and dare I say more "Hardcore" ( excuse me while I take a shower for using that awful term) orientated device.

    In terms of the iPhone or Touch (which I bought for my GF for xmas) Im saying they are too much flare and no substance. If I want to play games I use a DS if I want to listen to music I use an MP3 player. Not a poor immitation of either in a shiny case.
    Edited by swissorc at 03/02/10 @ 12:49

  • twoism #25 2 years ago

    Here we go again...

  • moggsy #26 2 years ago

    @swissorc

    'The public can only be distracted by shininess for so long after a while they want some substance.'

    Are you saying that the iPhone/iPod Touch offer no substance?

  • YogiTah #27 2 years ago

    The hate machine is up in full gear again …

  • YogiTah #28 2 years ago

    … it's so annoying – if you don't like it don't buy it …

  • ronuds #29 2 years ago

    iMeh

  • drxym #30 2 years ago

    The only thing iPad will kickstart is the likes of PopCap releasing yet another warmed over version of the games they already sell on umpteen platforms.

  • Gastrian #31 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • riz23 #32 2 years ago

    For a start you could stick your entire hand on or have five digits touching the screen easily. That's certainly opening up new creative opportunties for UI right there.

  • Dylbot #33 2 years ago

    PopCap loves to see devices that offer them the opportunity to sell even more copies of Bejeweled and Peggle.

  • mowgli #34 2 years ago

    Christ for a bunch of gaming nerds I can't believe you can't see the added gaming potential in a 10 inch screen as opposed to a three inch screen. I understand that Apple is considered a threat because it allows normal people to appreciate and enjoy technology without having to spend their teenage years locked in their mum's basement. But give it a rest. There is a reason the iPhone is so popular and the likes of the Hero and Android phones aren't in the same league when it comes to gaming, and that reason isn't white headphones. And thus there is a reason why those in the industry are getting excited about the iPad.

  • YogiTah #35 2 years ago

    THANK YOU mowgli you spoke true words. The Ipad is what you make out of it. For a DJ it might be a scratching and mixing device, for me it is an presentation and scribble device (with the fabulous brushes), for my kids its a gaming device, for my wife an E-reader – it's what you make it. And its accessible for "normal" people. The Iphone was the first cellphone that i actually used for more than just making a call …

  • Syrette #36 2 years ago

    They would say that, wouldn't they?

  • Murton #37 2 years ago

    Forgetting the style over substance argument for just a second, the success of the iPad outside of the legions of foaming mouth Apple fans will be totally dependent on the price. Most Apple products are priced insanely high, well above other similar and superior products. iPods are more expensive, more limited and more prone to breaking than any Archos or Creative media player for example. But sell in higher numbers because Apple's marketing campaign has made the iPod and the iconic white earphones a fashion accessory that people just have to have, personally I prefer to have a better product than something that strangers can recognise, I'm just weird like that.

    For me and a few people I know this will likely not be used for gaming but as a web browser. It's going to a great little device to have at hand when you need to the internet quickly, unfortunately there dozens of devices already available now at much lower prices that suit such a purpose and the Sony Dash will be released later this year with very similar features to the iPad and at half the price. It's going to need some hellish marketing if it's to see of all that competition while maintaining such a high price point.

  • Doctor_What #38 2 years ago

    Mowg and Yogi: It might be what I make out of it, but there are a lot more things I can make out of something with a keyboard. Sorry, but the appeal is lost on me. It's nice enough but I can't see why I would want one - I really, really like USB ports for a start!

  • space_ace #39 2 years ago

    comparison with other products remind me that i once owned a creative zen mp3 player... now that was hideous

  • DrDamn #40 2 years ago

    What does the iPad offer more than the DSi? A multitouch screen. More than the iPhone? A bigger screen. So what? Well actually that is quite a big thing. For example the FPS demoed at the announcement added a hell of a lot of interesting features in just a couple of weeks they had to adapt the iPhone version. Innovation is not just limited to what you can think of surprisingly enough.

  • Bremenacht #41 2 years ago

    I'm not convinced by the iPad, but if PopCap are a success and other publishers decide to go with iPhone/iTouch, then the DS and PSP have convincing competition. And a bigger adult market.

    That doesn't make me an Applie fanboy btw, Karma Nazis - it's an O P I N I O N.

  • crazyhorse174 #42 2 years ago

    What does the iPad offer more than the DSi? A multitouch screen. More than the iPhone? A bigger screen. So what? Well actually that is quite a big thing. For example the FPS demoed at the announcement added a hell of a lot of interesting features in just a couple of weeks they had to adapt the iPhone version. Innovation is not just limited to what you can think of surprisingly enough.

    How can you play an FPS on it with one hand? Or are you planning on laying on something to use both hands, like say your lap, like a ...laptop... thus defeating the whole purpose of the thing?!

  • DrDamn #43 2 years ago

    @crazyhorse
    It used configurable controls for your thumbs at the edge of the screen. A perfect example of why the bigger screen opens up more possibilities than the iPhone. A similar set-up on a smaller screen would be unusable due to thumb-getting-in-the-wayage. You could also move and shift these controls where you wanted them to get comfortable. I presume looking up and down and moving left and right were on the accelerometers.

    This is something which they came up with in a couple of weeks. Not meant to be an example of greatness, just simply an example of something made possible by a bigger screen and multi-touch.

  • Les #44 2 years ago

    "Bollocks. iPad is just the same thing as iPod Touch. Making it just bigger doesn't make the UI different."

    Exactly. If your screen is your control device, then a much bigger screen has of course no influence whatsoever on how you can use said screen for controls... I mean, it's not as if the finger size to screen ratio changes or anything... Oh, wait, it does!

    Of course there's a limit to where a bigger screen can take you touch control-wise. The difference between a 15" screen's potential and that of a 40" screen will probably be close to irrelevant. But when you start with iPod/iPhone size (roughly 3 fingers wide in upright position) the move to iPad size is significant.
    Edited by Les at 03/02/10 @ 16:43

  • Les #45 2 years ago

    "Innovation is not just limited to what you can think of surprisingly enough."

    LOL and +1000 :)

  • Les #46 2 years ago

    "If most developers are like me, then we're all thinking "What the f&^k am I going to do with this stupid thing!" "

    Then I seriously hope they're not all like you. Don't know what you do exactly, but sure hope it's nothing too creative... :p

  • Rezident #47 2 years ago

    Any Eurogamer article mentioning the iPad == legions of foul mouthing Apple haters in the forum. Just incredible...

  • YogiTah #48 2 years ago

    Yeah – Apple bashing is in fashion this spring –THINK DIFFERENT!

  • Les #49 2 years ago

    "its all a bit meh which for an Apple product is potentially disastrous as a lot of people share that opinion."

    Well, it's primarily all the people that shared a similar opinion when the iPhone was first introduced...

    "I'm just waiting for someone to cut through all the PR speak and the nonsense and the Anti-Apple opinions and tell me why I should be excited about this product."

    Why? Maybe the iPad simply doesn't have the ability to make you specifically want it. Would that be a bad thing? The majority of products in the world fail to do make me want them and I couldn't care less. Is the Fiat Panda bad/meh in general because I don't want one? I'd say no: It's not being designed for me as an audience.

    Just like the iPad isn't designed for people that hate Apple, don't like closed software (which always surprises me around here as there's not that many good free games available on Linux nor do they get much coverage on EG), don't like simple (and therefore restrictive) interfaces and/or don't want to pay a premium for good looks and a brand name.

  • Gastrian #50 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • Les #51 2 years ago

    "Quite simply multi-touch on the viewable screen doesn't sound all that good or practical even in theory. When using five fingers on one hand your hand is physically going to take up a lot of the screen space"

    Multi-touch on the viewable screen doesn't need to 'sound' all that good or practical, even in theory. It has proven to be superior to other, existing, control alternatives in practice via iPhone and all the other touch phones it inspired.

    But I guess you haven't ever played a game on iPhone or iPod Touch. It turns out that our brain is quite good in filling in the gaps when our limbs temporarily obscure parts of the screen.

    "Now you could use two hands but to use five fingers over two hands you are going to need to prop it up, you physically cannot hold the iPad and use five fingers over two hands."

    Ever played Monster Hunter? One can do more with one's hands than one thinks...

    "something the size and weight of an iPad is not"

    Aren't you clutching at straws here?! The basic model weighs about as much as my Dombey & Son paperback and the heavier model with 3G weighs less than half as much as my Lord of the Rings hardcover...
    Edited by Les at 03/02/10 @ 20:01

  • penhalion #52 2 years ago

    The reality of the iPad, even if I don't much like it, is that ordinary people i.e. non techies will absolutely love it. I can even see why. It's as simple to use as the iphone or ipod touch. It does exactly one thing at a time so you don't have any worries about surfing while writing a document. It's easy to switch between tasks and it's not that big (the screen is only 9 inches just like the kindle DX).

    This is the device that get's your mum, dad or gran off your case. Mum, Dad or Gran wants to email someone? Just use the mail app at the touch of a button. Stuck in an app they don't recognise? Just press the home button. Want to surf the web? Just hit the browser button. It's all visual and that's how we humans interact with things.

    There's a reason that sci-fi programs always show the crews of ships using tablets instead of keybaords. They are portable and they have a touchscreen. It's all we really need. Imagine going to a garage and having the guy book your car in with the press of a few buttons and tapping some details into a field on his iPad form. A restaraunt where the waitress takes your order by letting you tap her touchscreen on a tablet. Suddenly technology starts to speed things up instead of requiring an army of tech support to explain how the bloody stuff works.

    A lot of people will be scared by the iPad, especially if your job was explaing to muppets how to run their word processor or how to reboot their pc, get their email etc. etc. Give these people iPads with the appropriate apps on it and your tech support worries almost vanish. You'll still get the odd muppet who forgest to charge the thing and can't get it to switch on but, odds are it will just plain work and do exactly what they want it to do, when they want it to!

    Of course someone will need to develope all the new touch enabled, user friendly apps out there ;)

  • AOFanboi #53 2 years ago

    "Bollocks. iPad is just the same thing as iPod Touch. Making it just bigger doesn't make the UI different."

    Of course it does since they also up the resolution: I mean just looking at the new mail app defeats your "argument". Add to that the extensions in the iPad-only OS 3.2 and you are proven wrong again.

  • hahayou #54 2 years ago

    @Gastrian:

    The ergonomics of an iPad are pretty much those of a normal paper pad/clipboard.

  • Les #55 2 years ago

    "A lot of people will be scared by the iPad, especially if your job was explaing to muppets how to run their word processor or how to reboot their pc, get their email etc. etc. Give these people iPads with the appropriate apps on it and your tech support worries almost vanish."

    You hit the nail on the head.

  • Gastrian #56 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • CHAZBIGPOTATO #57 2 years ago

    Popcap made peggle. I like peggle, so they are cool

  • UncleLou #58 2 years ago

    Any Eurogamer article mentioning the iPad == legions of foul mouthing Apple haters in the forum. Just incredible...

    Hehe, yes. Pure tech-spec nerds with no eye for design and usability and low disposable income. :)

    Don't need an iPad myself, but it might just be the perfect thing for the parents. Instantly on, intuitive internet/email device where nothing can go wrong, really.
    Edited by UncleLou at 04/02/10 @ 13:55