Joystiq

Unpleasant Horse trots, nay, prances onto App Store

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST

Unpleasant Horse, the first title from PopCap Games' edgier 4th and Battery division, is available now for free on the iOS App Store. Bouncing back from an Apple rejection earlier this month, the game made its intended April launch in a photo-finish.

In Unpleasant Horse, players tap the angry winged bronco from cloud to cloud, tearing small birds apart and dropping more pleasant horses into the meat grinder below. Also, once down there, little meaty bits pop out. Yuuup, Peggle it ain't.

Unpleasant Horse trots, nay, prances onto App Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unpleasant Horse rejected by Apple, 4th & Battery appealing

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST

PopCap subsidiary 4th & Battery is so edgy its first game, Unpleasant Horse, has been rejected by Apple. On its official Twitter account, the company stated that the game was rejected for "mature content." Shortly thereafter, 4th & Battery said it was appealing the decision, and promptly deleted its initial Tweet announcing the rejection.

A studio rep tried to smooth things over by tweeting: "Anyhoo, we still love Apple. Honest. We even had (and liked!) a Newton back in the day. Hope we get an appropriate rating for the game!"

The game was intended to be available for free on iOS devices later this month. We've contacted PopCap for a statement on whether plans have changed, and will update when we hear back.

Update: A PopCap representative tells Joystiq that it is "not issuing any statement at this time." We've been told that 4th & Battery may make an official statement soon.

Unpleasant Horse rejected by Apple, 4th & Battery appealing originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PopCap launches edgy '4th & Battery' label

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST

Say "hello" to PopCap Games' little friend: 4th & Battery. The "experimental" label was created to give PopCap's designers and developers a sandbox to create the games that don't fit into the casual game studio's image. Essentially, 4th & Battery is the Touchstone Pictures to PopCap's Disney-esque public persona.

The new label is expected to produce several games per year, with Unpleasant Horse being the first out of the stable. The game will have players taking on the role of a winged horse who destroys small birds and knocks more pleasant horses out of the sky -- into a meat grinder. The game will be available for free on iOS devices later this month.

So, yeah, 4th & Battery is totally what a mid-life crisis manifests as when you've made a fortune off games like Bejeweled and Peggle.

PopCap launches edgy '4th & Battery' label originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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