EA acquires PopCap for $750m

[retroed]

Well, it's happened.

Electronic Arts Purchases PopCap, Jeff Green for $750 Million

Plants vs. Zombies and Peggle are now under the EA roof. And Jeff Green. Again.

The rumors are true: Electronic Arts has purchased PopCap Games and former games editor turned director of editorial and social media Jeff Green for $750 million.

Based on reaching certain financial milestones, the deal could reach as high as $1.3 billion, which jives with the original $1 billion number that was floating around not too long ago.

It's unclear how much Green, whose last name is quite a convenient coincidence, will make out of this.

The deal means EA now adds Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, Peggle and other lucrative franchises into the company's lineup. EA has been aggressively moving into the mobile and social space in recent years, acquiring one of the biggest developers, PlayFish, for $300 million in 2009.

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/electronic-arts-purchases-popcap-jeff-green-for-750-million/3476/

I love the response on popcap.com

As some of you may have heard, we recently announced that PopCap Games is being acquired by Electronic Arts, a small mom-and-pop boutique software publisher. What does this mean for the future? It’s simple:

1. EA is being rebranded to Poptronic Arts

2. Sim Zuma: The SwampLife Edition

3. Peggle: Dead Space – Bjorn’s Breakfast

4. Bejeweled Battlefield Blitz

5. Plants vs. ZombEAz: NFL Lockout Edition

Wow!

Ok, not really.

[illdog]

Yea, that Popcap response is great.

Sooo... EA own everything now, right?

[Hendo]

I thought PopCap were rolling in cash, I'm surprised they sold themselves as the current trend is for publishers buying up developers and then closing them down. It's a shit ton of cash but I'd keep my company free rather than tied to the whims of a dinosaur, but that's just me.