14 DAY TRIAL // PopCap Games, a company which defines itself as being the worldwide leader when it comes to casual games (Zynga would probably dispute that fact), has announced that it is launching a new brand for video games, called 4th & Battery, which will focus on smaller and weirder games, testing ideas that could then be incorporated in other offerings from the publisher.
PopCap says the name of the new division comes from the Washington intersection where the headquarters of the company are located and that most of the titles that will be launched by it will be aimed at more mature audiences.
Jason Kapalka, who is a co-founder and the chief creative officer at PopCap, said when the announcement was made, “4th & Battery is a purely experimental, creative label with none of the typical concerns like schedules, profitability, or even target audience. It’s kind of the video game equivalent of B-sides or short films. Expect weirdness.”
Ed Allard, the executive vice president of studio activity at PopCap, added, “4th & Battery is a pressure valve intended to keep our heads from exploding. The PopCap brand has become closely associated with ultra-high quality, polish and attention to detail - which is a great thing. But our standard game development process is therefore long and involved, and doesn’t really accommodate all of the creativity pumping through our collective veins.”
The first game to be launched by 4th & Battery has the rather unexpected name of Unpleasant Horse.
The game will have the player inhabit the habit of this rather unruly animal that suddenly sprouts wings and is able to progress through the game world by destroying birds and by landing atop other pleasant horses, forcing them to the ground to get more points and bonuses.
The game is set to be launched on using the Apple App Store on the iPhone and the iPod and will be available for free, with PopCap presumably aiming to see whether the new brand has an audience.