Electronic Arts acquiring Seattle’s PopCap Games
By Seattle Business Magazine July 12, 2011
After weeks of rumors, Electronic Arts Inc. of Redwood City, California, today said it will acquire Seattle-based PopCap Games, a leading provider of games for mobile phones,
tablets, PCs and social network sites.
With titles like Plants
vs. Zombies, Bejeweled and Zuma, PopCap is a leader in the fast-growing market for
casual digital games.
EA and PopCap are a compelling combination, said EA CEO John
Riccitiello. PopCaps great studio talent and powerful IP add to EAs
momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business.
EAs global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly
expand their business to more digital devices, more countries and more
channels.
We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great
digital games, said David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. By working with EA,
we’ll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile,
casual fun to an even bigger, global audience.
According to GeekWire, EA will pay $650 million in cash and $100 million in EA stock
up front, with the possibility of up to $550 million in additional cash
if PopCaps operations produce $343 million or more in cumulative
operating profits over the next two years.