Electronic Arts confirmed on Wednesday that it is, in fact, buying Mac and iOS game maker PopCap for US$750 million. Rumors surfaced in June that a buyout was in the works, although at the time EA was expected to shell out $1 billion for the deal.
EA said it will pay $650 million in cash along with $100 million in common stock shares “to be issued to certain stockholders of PopCap.”
PopCap is known for popular iPhone and iPad games such as Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, and Peggle. EA offers titles for the iPad and iPhone such as Madden NFL 11, Dead Space, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and SimCity Deluxe.
PopCap reassured its customers that the deal won’t change the games they already enjoy. “[The deal] doesn’t mean that PopCap is going away or changing what we do or how we do it,” the company said. “On the contrary, PopCap’s creative culture is the main reason EA was interested in us.”
The deal will help EA move into the mobile social gaming market — an area where it hasn’t been able to get a strong foothold. PopCap, on the other hand, has been successful in that market.
EA plans to expand PopCap’s game catalog to more platforms once they complete the buyout deal. The company expects to finish the deal once it has gained standard regulatory approval.