INTERVIEW: PopCap on DS

CasualGaming.biz recently caught up with PopCap’s VP of video game platforms Greg Canessa to talk about Nintendo’s machine, and about its wider aspirations in the console space.

CG.biz: PopCap has made increased movement into the console sector of late. How much of your total revenue is now generated from console sales?

GC: The casual games industry as a whole is pretty quiet in respect of revenues – perhaps because with all the partnerships, platforms and revenue streams, it is actually difficult to make these calculations at a given moment in time. PopCap doesn’t disclose revenue figures for a number of reasons – first, we are a private company and second, the casual market is in constant flux. Console games sales are definitely a growth area for us, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

CG.biz: How has Peggle Dual Shot performed for you so far?

GC: Both in terms of content and in the sense that the DS version is truly tailored to (and optimised for) the device and the audience for that device, Peggle DS just makes sense. Peggle is the most popular of our games among hardcore gamers, and the DS has a solid base of hardcore fans while also appealing to many casual gamers as a great on-the-go device. Peggle Dual Shot has been extremely well received by both the critics and consumers, and is doing very well at retail in its first few weeks of availability. It’s worth noting that unlike most new titles, our retail offerings tend to sell a bit more slowly initially but remain popular for long periods – Bejeweled 2, Zuma, Chuzzle and others of our franchises have been steady sellers at retail year after year. We expect the same from Peggle DS in terms of prolonged shelf life.

CG.biz: Why was Q Entertainment selected as partner, and what was it like to work with such a highly regarded studio?

GC: We saw the DS as a really ideal platform for Peggle, and once we had an agreement in place with Nintendo we went looking for a dev partner who could take Peggle to new heights on the DS. Q was the perfect fit. The new features and special bonus levels in Peggle/DS come primarily from Q, and are geared to the capabilities of the DS and the sensibilities of the DS audience. Q has done a marvellous job of maintaining the fundamental mechanics and gameplay of Peggle while also extending the gameplay and feature set to effectively make a DS optimised adaptation.

CG.biz: Is there potential for more development partnerships for future console releases?

GC: Absolutely. We at PopCap know that everyone is a potential player of casual games. We make games that appeal to everyone and anyone – from mothers to their renowned nemesis’, hardcore gamers. To reach these diverse audiences, our overriding mission at PopCap has to be to have our games in as many different places, and on as many platforms, as possible – to make them accessible to this audience of everyone. So every platform is beneficial and important. But we realise we’re not THE experts when it comes to consoles – indeed, we’re still learning the ropes – so finding experienced, like-minded outfits with which to partner is always something in which we’re interested.

CG.biz: Why has PopCap left it so long to make its move into the DS market?

GC: PopCap has a multi-platform strategy – we try to reach as many customers as possible by making our games available across platforms but without compromising on quality or the game experience. Our priority is building games that leverage the characteristics and capabilities of each platform. And the PopCap studio lives by the mantra that we never release a game until it’s ready so we came to market when we were confident that Peggle DS was ready. We believe our timing is good in terms of both our own and partners’ development capabilities and the expansion of the handheld gaming market to include a broader swath of consumers.

CG.biz: What are your aspirations on DS?

GC: We try to bring our games to new devices as thoughtfully as possible, and take into consideration things like how a given game has fared on PC or other platforms, who the primary audience is for that game, etc. Most importantly, we consider whether bringing a game to DS will enable us to create a fun experience, and ideally, a somewhat new experience with respect to the game in question – e.g. can Bookworm Adventures or Zuma or Bejeweled Twist be even cooler on the DS? Ultimately we want to make games for the DS that are as well-adapted to the DS as possible and really take advantage of the DS’s strengths.

CG.biz: What do you think of the DSi? Do you think it will expand the DS category?

GC: The DSi opens some potentially very interesting doors that should definitely expand the appeal of, and audience for, handheld gaming consoles. The cameras alone will drive new categories of games and other entertainment and communications applications, while the expanded memory and storage capacity of the DSi will enable larger, more robust games of every kind. We’re looking forward to its arrival in the US next month.

CG.biz: Do you have any plans for the upcoming DSiWare online store?

GC: We’re not prepared to disclose our plans in this regard at this time. Stay tuned.

CG.biz: Do you believe that outlets such as DSiWare, WiiWare, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network will evolve to be the primary outlets for casual games instead of High Street retail?

GC: PopCap prioritise being as accessible to the casual audience of everyone as possible so while a platform such as Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Network gives us an opportunity to reach the Xbox 360 customer or the PlayStation customer and digitally distribute PopCap games, there will be another type of customer who will always be motivated to purchase in store. Our retail sales climbed by 85 per cent in 2008, so the end of retail distribution of games is still a long ways off as far as we’re concerned.

CG.biz: How has the Xbox Live version of Peggle performed for you?

GC: Peggle XBLA is doing really well – it launched just over a week ago and we have been staggered by the number and quality of positive reviews to date. Two weeks after launch, Peggle remains number one among XBLA titles and we’re hopeful that its popularity on the Live Arcade service is really just beginning.

CG.biz: Do you envisage further console download releases in the future?

GC: Absolutely. We pioneered the downloadable sales model on PC five years before console downloadable content was available and understand that comparatively speaking our games are often impulse purchases. So having our games available for essentially instant acquisition on devices favoured by consumers who purchase a lot of game content makes a lot of sense for our business.