Rightly regarded as one of the best games companies in the world, 2010 has seen PopCap expand its mobile business significantly.
But even with massively successful titles such as Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies on iOS, not to mention the addition of support for Android and Windows Phone 7, and great distribution on Java and Brew thanks to its EA deal, it was still a surprise when its CEO revealed around a quarter of its revenues now come from mobile.
But where next for PopCap?
David Bishop, a senior game designer at its European HQ in Ireland lets us know.
PocketGamer: What was the most significant event of 2010?
David Bishop: There's some debate as to whether this can or cannot be counted as mobile gaming but the first event that springs to mind is the launch of the iPad and the dawn of the tablet.
We at PopCap are very excited to see what possibilities this presents for mobile game design in the future.
What was the most significant event for PopCap?
In the mobile space, one of the more significant events for PopCap is the increased use of smartphones for accessing Facebook.
More and more people are playing social games via their phones so that gave us a lot to think about with regards Bejeweled Blitz. Going forward, it also presents all sorts of new opportunities including possibilities for location-based gaming.
What was your favourite mobile game of the year?
Apart from my unrelenting compulsion to play Bejeweled Blitz off the clock (in order to beat my wife's score!), another game I'm really enjoying at the moment is Cut the Rope.
What do you predict will be the most important trends in 2011?
The freemium model is one to watch, I think will become more prevalent and see people releasing versions of games at no cost and then finding more creative ways to monetise in game features.
If you could enforce one New Year's resolution, what would it be?
It would centre around quality. The quality of mobile games is undoubtedly getting better but, given the levels of clutter, there is still a discovery issue and some real gems can get lost within that.
My resolution would see Pocket Gamer reviewing games prior to release and deciding whether or not a game is good enough for your pocket.
Thanks to David for his time.
You can keep up-to-date with PopCap's doings at its website.
Interview
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
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