I’m sure we have plenty of “Facebook is killing gaming” threads around here, but it’s interesting (horrifying) to see that even “casual” games are being shunted aside because of Facebookmania. RPS reports that “Plants vs Zombies’ team was 3 people. There are 20 people working on Bejewelled Blitz.”
Facebook is killing gaming.
First!
Also this thread is stupid.
Second!
Third?
So I kinda missed the part where Popcap said they had shunted aside development on other platforms and making rainbows and had instead decided to devote 100% of their resources to making Facebook games and torturing kittens.
How is facebook killing gaming exactly? Is Bejeweled Blitz not a game? Did I miss something somewhere?
— Alan
That was the Bejeweled Blitz part. Every gem in Bejeweled is the tortured soul of a kitten crystallized by sheer misery and pain.
Popcap has always been about games like Bejeweled and Peggle. Games which are closer to what we consider games have always been a sideline at most. Popcap is what popcap is.
Upvoted!
What is going on in this thread?
20 people vs 3? Doesn’t that mean that Bejewelled Blitz will end up almost 7 times better than Plants vs. Zombies?? Mindblowing!!! I can’t wait for the 30 pages of proposed Blitz changes to dominate the gaming industry…
Gaming is dead. Long live gaming.
They’ll probably still make non-Facebook games. They’ll just get one-sixth of the development resources.
It’s not a good game.
But Plants vs Zombies was great, right? So apparently having three people on it was okay after all.
I just want to say how much I enjoyed their game, X-Com.
But maybe the three people who would otherwise be making their next super-masterpiece are stuck on Bejeweled Blitz.
Anyway this thread is only half-serious. These threads are always about people bitching that they might not be the target market for every single game out there, and this one is too. I’m aware of that. But I’m still mad!
Seriously, a 60-second timed game? HATE IT SO MUCH.
It may be only half serious, but it’s also half true. The bottom’s fallen out of the traditional casual downloadable market on the PC - despite the quality of Popcap, once the big portals get a hold of their download, it’s just another release at 6 or 7 dollars to feature until another game gets launched the next day. Race to the bottom indeed.
And yes, the indie market on the PC survives; just not the casual shareware market, unless you’re very cheap or well marketed.
So I’m a product manager for Bejeweled Blitz. Thought I’d give my take for whatever it’s worth.
Let me be crystal clear: Development of PopCap’s traditional games is in no way affected by our reach into social, I assure you. PopCap’s core studio is going to keep doing what it’s always done.
We’ve got some really good people working on the same platforms and products we’ve always made, and no bullshit: They care deeply about making really fun games that anyone can enjoy. I know that sounds lame, but it’s true. It’s what seperates where I work now from the pits I used to work in.
The reason PvZ was such a good game was because it had 3 folks on it for 3 years. That worked for that game, and Blitz’s success (or failure) has no impact on core studio development.
As for Bejeweled Blitz, if you don’t like it, we’re sorry you didn’t like this particular free game. We’ll try again, and we really hope you like the next one more.
But if you think Bejeweled Blitz heralds the PopCap apocolypse, then this will surely rend your soul: Zuma Blitz is coming soon. (And it’s pretty damn cool.)
All this OMG FACEBOOK IS KILLING GAMES nonsense is absurd. Especially in PopCap’s case.
Just sayin’.
Games are gay anyway
Slantz -
I know you’re somewhat obliged to respond in a thread like this on a respected board like this, but I wouldn’t lose too much sleep over it: these guys love your games (well, with an exception here or there). It’s just that someone has to pick up the flag/shotgun and lead the charge against the incursion of social games on our sacred turf/tell those crazy kids to get off our lawns.
Oh, and Facebook is killing games ;)