What’s up with PopCap?

PopCap Games makes life fun! We’re the leading

creators of easy-to-learn, irresistible games everyone
can enjoy. Years in the making, our games are
sprinkled with a whirlwind of smile-inducing
awesomeness and polished to a timeless sheen that
keeps the world coming back for more. And people
do — time and again, everyone’s playing award-winning
PopCap® games. They can’t stop — and they love it!

For 10 years now, PopCap has led the way in casual

gaming — starting from a little Java game called
Bejeweled® that sparked an entire industry, to smash
hits like Zuma®, Peggle™ and Plants vs. Zombies™ that
have exceeded our wildest expectations.

Read on to learn how we’ve journeyed from humble

origins to amazing global success… and catch a
glimpse of our plot to take over the world!*

*And now, a word from our lawyers: Currently we have no plans to take
over the world.

2 3
Where we’re comin’ from...
It all started about ten years ago, in an attic with three
beta-testing moms and $30K worth of credit card
debt. Casual games were barely a blip on the gaming
map when PopCap’s three founders, John Vechey,
Jason Kapalka and Brian Fiete, decided to combine
their experience from other game companies with
their passion for simple, fun games.
The plan was to make cool little Java games supported
by online advertising, so customers could play for free,
and the trio could afford to move out of their attic and
get a real office. But when the Internet bubble burst,
ad income dried up, and they were left holding their
first great online hit — Bejeweled — with no way to
profit from it. (In fact, a few prospective buyers said,
“It’s not even a game!”)
S
Sexy Action
A Cool
PopCap’s founders originally dubbed their
company Sexy Action Cool (inspired by a
bus ad for the film Desperado). Fortunately,
they soon realized they’d need a name
Sweet success
It’s been a decade since Bejeweled arrived on the Did you know?
scene. Since then, the game has appeared nearly • Every 4.3 seconds another copy of Bejeweled
everywhere — from computers, to iPhones, to lottery is purchased somewhere in the world!
tickets… and just beyond Saturn! • The Bejeweled franchise has sold more than
50 million units across all platforms.
The success of Bejeweled empowered PopCap • Bejeweled has been played by more than half
to experiment. As a small game studio in the early a billion people worldwide!
2000s, PopCap dreamed up a bunch of different
ideas, and eventually created a bevy of other great
games — like Bookworm™ and Zuma. People all over
the world were playing PopCap games, and they
were amazed that a small Seattle game studio with
a fraction of a big studio’s budget could create hit
after hit. (Of course, we must admit we got a little
lucky… everyone that played a PopCap game told
their friends!)

!
that could appeal to the masses. They
liked the word “pop” — because it

That’s when the radical idea struck like a lightning
gem at midnight: “Why not let people try a basic
version of Bejeweled online for free, and entice them
to buy a deluxe version with better graphics, more
levels and other awesome additions?”
l l e nt
exce
suggested games that are “popular” for
everyone. Leafing through a battered
dictionary, they stopped at “popcap” —
the top to a soda bottle, something that
evoked refreshing fun and childhood play!

Peers thought the idea was cracked, but the intrepid

threesome forged ahead. Soon after posting their first
downloadable game, Bejeweled Deluxe, in October
2001, orders began rolling in. By the hundreds…
every hour… day after day… from all over the world.

The rest is… well, the #1 puzzle series of the 21st

century, PopCap’s top franchise, and the world’s
greatest gain in the land of relaxing fun!

“PopCap’s ult
imate achiev
taking simple ement is in
elements tha
can learn and t anyone
turning them
overwhelmin into raging,
g obsessions
commercial g . It’s somethin
ames with 50 g
budget often times the
can’t match.”
— Computer G
aming World

4 5
 “Creatin
g ca
The PopCap way differen sual games tha
wirl t than w t are
Fancy S previou hat ha s
sly relea
Shortly after PopCap came into existence, we became importa sed is ha been
nt and it rd, but it
known as the leaders of the casual games industry, h ’s worth ’s
Stomac Not Su
re — Jason d oin
not just because we pioneered the try-before-you-buy Kapalka
,P
g.”
business model, but also because we consistently Eyeball opCap fo
under
made the most captivating and memorable games
around. Games like Chuzzle™, Bookworm Adventures, Toe
Feeding Frenzy™, Peggle, Plants vs. Zombies, and
Zuma’s Revenge!™

Cheek
We’ve often been asked about our secret to success.
Well, here it is: Once upon a time, we found an
abandoned oil lamp. When you rub it three… okay,
never mind that. Actually, PopCap’s success has
always hinged on three basics: hard work; attention
to detail; and a fearless passion for making simple,
fun games that are… well… simply fun!
Tongue
The anatomy of a PopCap game
There’s no one-size-fits-all definition of
a PopCap Game, but they do share a few
common genes. They’re easy to learn, but
tough to master. They may grow more
complex as you play and you may suddenly

infinite dedication
discover winning new strategies. PopCap
(simple gameplay + games don’t require specialized knowledge

esome2 = FUN! or high-powered systems. Our games are

+ great value) x Aw
y th e 2.)
(Don’t forget to carr
While our games seem simple on the surface, they’re
anything but! That’s why a game like Bejeweled has
been played by hundreds of millions of people for
more than 7 billion hours. It’s why some of our newer
games (like Plants vs. Zombies) are nominated for
game of the year awards in the same categories as
mega-budget hardcore games.
forgiving, encouraging and rewarding.
We often spend years developing, honing
and perfecting a game. And all the small
touches, polish and refinement help deliver
a timeless and irresistible experience. We
think about the value of the game – how
does it play after four hours, 40 hours, or
400 hours? It begins with fun and ends with
— you guessed it! — fun.

t
h d if feren
it
e rim ent w lways to
m a y exp r g o al is a anyone
“We s
u
, but o at literall o best.”
y
gen re th d
k e g ames ’s what we r
ma y. That ap fo
unde
l a p C
can p Po
alka,
n Kap
o
— Jas

6 7
 Growing up fast
As PopCap continued to find success, so did Did you know?
the casual games industry itself. And with that With annual revenue overver
$3 billion in 2009, the casual
popularity came lots of other opportunities — like
games sector is growingng faster
expanding from just online and PC games to a
than the video games industry
ndustry
variety of new platforms. as a whole.

PopCap prides itself on staying on top of the latest

trends. And when you have a multi-gazillion-player hit
like Bejeweled, it’s fun to tinker and explore. So most
of the time, when we’re looking to adapt a game for
a new platform, Bejeweled is our litmus test. When
our games debuted on mobile phones, Bejeweled led
the way. When we went to iPod and Xbox, Bejeweled
paved the road. Same goes for iPhone, Facebook,
and much more.

And once we proved Bejeweled could be successful

on more than just PCs, we adapted other hit
games, from Feeding Frenzy on Xbox, to Peggle
on PlayStation 3, Bookworm on Nintendo DS,
and Plants vs. Zombies on iPhone.*
zed a trail
pCap ’s Bejeweled bla
“Po ames.”
for casual g
— BBC
Global gaming goodness!
Not only can you find PopCap’s games
everywhere, you can find our 270+
employees all around the world too!

A new record!
Plants vs. Zombies for iPhone had the best
iPhone product launch in history — selling
over 300,000 units in the first 10 days!

In 2004 PopCap was one of the very first

game developers on Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE
Arcade – and we’re still one of the top-
earning XBLA developers.

8 * Company and product names used above may be trademarks of their

respective owners and are used for the benefit of those owners.
9
 while FOR
flying! WAITING E!
Everybody’s playin’
AT A DAT
SENIOR THE
With PopCap games appearing all over the world,
CENTER
you know there’s a huge audience. But what makes !
PopCap so special? Our games transcend gender and
age — from kids playing Bookworm at school to elderly
women playing Bejeweled to keep their minds sharp
and hardcore gamers spurred by the challenging fun Did you know?
of Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies. Our games appeal PopCap games consistently rank in the top
to everyone — from 6 to 106.* five family games among major retailers.
In 2009, PopCap made NPD’s list of the
ten biggest video game publishers at retail.
Who’s playing, by age
25–34 (18%)
35–44 (18%)

T H E
AT IES!
MOV m y t r ip
13–24 (8%)
on I S !
45–54 (19%) ON
t o P A R
65+ (14%)
FACEBOOK!
55–64 (23%)

Source: International Data Corporation, 2009

Our widespread audience allure is bolstered by

the ever-expanding ways we deliver games. At first,
you could only find our games at PopCap.com. Now,
you can find PopCap games online at a huge number
of partners’ game sites, and at all major retailers
including Walmart, Target and Best Buy in the US;
PC World, Currys, Morrisons and ASDA in the UK;
Auchan and Carrefour in France; as well as Media
Markt and Saturn in Germany. They’re sold in the
iPhone App store, the drugstore, the supermarket
and more!

* That’s a conservative estimate.

on the
school bus!
10 11
Always changing,
always the same
No matter how many different types of customers we
find, we’re always careful to stay true to the PopCap
way. We still do “Mom Tests” to make sure our games
are easy to pick up and play. We don’t build games for
demographics — we build games for people. As our
founder Jason Kapalka says, “We’re willing to kill a
game at any point if it’s not fun.” Above all, everything
we do is in the name of fun.

Oh, and we’re not stopping anytime soon. Our

audience is growing all the time. For example, take
Bejeweled Blitz on our newest platform, Facebook.
The game started in early 2009 with a handful of
PopCap employees and their friends (who shared
the game with a friend who then shared the game
with another friend) and now it’s exploded to over
3.5 million players every day and over 10 million
monthly unique users. Now that’s word-of-mouth
marketing at its best.

1 Gar th
525,0
00
2 Paula
405,
000 Hello from the future!
3 Ben
If you read this far, thanks! We hope you enjoyed
395,0
0 0 learning more about PopCap. After 10 years at the
4 Cathy
top, we’re still going strong. We’re excited about all
of the new games and fun changes we’re working
325,0 Bejeweled Blitz is the only branded
on for the new decade… so stay tuned!
0 0 game to rank in the top 10 Facebook
5 Yvet applications. It’s also the only game
te to earn a high ranking on Facebook and And now, there’s just one more thing to do: Go play
200, social networking sites in Korea, China our games! Hey, the only way we’re gonna take over
0 00 and Japan. And in 2010, we’re building the world is if everybody plays!
6 Eric on that success by launching localized
services for many Asian markets.
185,0
12 7 Amy
0 0
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 ™

™ ™
™ Notable Computer Software for Children ™

Association for Library Service to Children Casual Game of the Year People’s Choice Award
Best Facebook Game Awards (2007) BREW 2006 Developer Awards (2006)
Digital Entertainment Media & Marketing
IGN.com (2009)
Top 49 Greatest Developers of PC Games Silver Award Excellence (DEMMX) Awards (2006) Editor’s Choice Award Runner-Up, Game of the Year
PC Gamer Magazine (2009) Top 20 Downloadable Games Pocketgamer.co.uk (2007) Mac Life Magazine (2009) IGN.com (2005)
CNET (2009)
Trailblazer Award (to Jason Kapalka) Puzzle Game of the Year Editor’s Choice Award Wireless Puzzle Game of the Year
Game Developer Magazine (2008) Nominee, Best New Social Game Computer Gaming World (2003) IGN.com (2009) IGN.com (2005)
Game Developers Choice Awards (2009) ™
Lifetime Achievement Award Top 5 PC Games of 2008 Nominee, Best Game (UK)
Nominee, Social Networking Game Top Shareware Games WIRED.com
(to Jason Kapalka) 5th Annual Mobile Choice Consumer
of the Year Adrenaline Vault (2004)
from the CGA Amsterdam Zeeby Awards Top 3 Finalist, Casual Game of the Year Awards (2005)
(2007) Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences ™
(2009) Yahoo! Games (2008) Game of the Year
Maverick Award Staff Pick of the Year – Best Casual Game RealArcade (2004)
IGDA (inaugural award, 2004) Best Word & Trivia Game (People’s Choice Shockwave.com (2008) Top Shareware Games
Award), Best Game Design (Craft Award), Adrenaline Vault (2004)
Best Story/Narrative (Craft Award) ™ Nominee, Best PC Game of the Year
CGA Amsterdam Zeeby Awards (2007) 1up.com (2008)
™ Editor’s Choice Award
™
Notable Computer Software for Children IGN.com (2009)
Association for Library Service to Children
Editor’s Choice Award Awards (2007) Top 5 Most Addictive Games of All Time
Editor’s Choice Award, Best New PDA Game MSNBC.com (2007)
PC Magazine 2004 GamePro.com (2008)
Downloadable Game of the Year
Casual Game of the Year Top 10 Video Games of 2007 (#9) Editor’s Choice Award
AIAS Interactive Achievement ™
Yahoo! Games (2008) Games for Windows Magazine IGN.com (2009)
Awards (2006)
Top-Selling Software
Top 10 Video Games of 2007 (#8) Puzzle Game of the Year
Editor’s Choice Award Playhard.ru (2009)
™ PC Magazine (2008) Joystiq.com PC Gamer (2009)
Recommended – Score 82
Best Puzzle Game Top 100 Video Games of All Time (#40) Strategy Game of the Year
Top 10 Casual Games of 2008 (#5) PC Zone (2009)
PocketPC Magazine (2005) CasualInsider.com PC Gamer Magazine (UK) USAToday.com (2009)
™
Hall of Fame Inductee Nominee, Best Innovation in Game Design
Computer Gaming World (2004, first/only Gold Award Game Developers Choice Awards (2009)
puzzle game inducted since Tetris in 1988) Pocketgamer.co.uk (2007)
Nominee, Outstanding Achievement
Best Mobile Phone Game Casual Game of the Year in Game Design
G-Phoria (2004) Digital Entertainment & Media Excellence Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
(DEMX) Awards (2005) (2009)
Puzzle Game of the Year
Computer Gaming World (2001) Entertainment Product of the Year
Washington Software Alliance (2005)
Nominee, Best Strategy Game
BAFTA (2009)
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 PopCap.com

©2010 PopCap Games, Inc. All rights reserved. The PopCap logo and all other trademarks used herein
that are listed at www.popcap.com/trademarks are owned by PopCap Games, Inc. or its licensors
and may be registered in some countries. Other company and product names used herein may be
trademarks of their respective owners and are used for the benefit of those owners.