PopCap: iPad will "kickstart" creativity

Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies mastermind PopCap reckons Apple's new iPad could "kickstart" a creative revolution.

"PopCap loves to see devices that offer new experiences and force us to look at our games and rethink how we can make the best game using those new features," Andrew Stein, PopCap bigwig, told Destructoid.

"As a developer, the iPad offers the same easy development environment as the iPhone but amps that up with tremendous technical specs and a potential whole new way for somebody to interact with a game.

"As a consumer," he added, "the iPad has the potential to kickstart a whole new wave of creative innovation similar to the wave kicked off by the launch of the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch."

Stein promised that iPad games by PopCap won't be iPhone ports. "As we're fond of saying, we don't port, we adapt – we keep the essence of what makes our games and then rebuild them to take best advantage of the features offered by the specific device," he said.

As such, the delay to the iPhone version of Plants vs Zombies is unrelated to the iPad. "It will be launched on the iPhone before the release of the iPad [in March]," said Stein. It just needed more time.