Some neat news is spilling from PopCap Games this morning. The publisher and creator of titles such as Plants vs. Zombies [$2.99 / HD] and Bejeweled [$.99] has announced the launch of a brand new label called “4th & Battery,” an eclectic name brought about by the actual position of its offices in Seattle, Washington. The mission of 4th & Battery is simple: to put out smaller, much more adventurous titles to handhelds and the social web without concern for business stuff like, say, profit.
In a press release announcing the formation of the label, PopCap takes great care in positioning 4th & Battery as an edgier development house, home to games that are targeted to adults and combine interesting and experimental components. Here’s what PopCap Games’ CCO Jason Kapalka had to say about in a statement:
“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,” Kapalka said. “Expect weirdness.”
The first game, dubbed Unpleasant Horse, is a curious one indeed. In it, you’ll play as a radical horse that shreds flying animals and hops on more… pleasant horses. Right below is your first taste of the game, which will launch for free on the App Store for the iPhone and the iPod Touch a little later this month.
Looks great, right? This reminds me of Telltale Games’ Pilot Program, which gave us Puzzle Agent [$4.99 / HD / Lite] last year. In 4th & Battery’s case, though, the designers are taken from PopCap Games’ own stock, which will probably bode well for the company as these guys earn experience and try to flesh out unusual ideas.
