LEADING CASUAL games specialist Popcap is to bring its hit titles to the High Street, having signed a significant new agreement with UK value specialist Focus Multimedia.

PopCap enters the retail market with a range of well-known titles including Bejeweled 2, Chuzzle and Zuma, which are set to hit shelves this week. The company’s Bookworm, Insaniquarium and Mystery PI titles are due to follow suit in February 2008.

"Focus Multimedia is a clear industry leader at selling PC product and, with their extensive retail relationships and permanent racking infrastructure, we believe they have the capability to put the PopCap product in front of the right consumer demographics,” explained PopCap’s European business development director Mark Cochrane.

“On the flipside, the quality, popularity and price point of PopCap games offer outstanding value to the consumer and should drive the necessary volumes that will fuel long-term demand.”

Focus Multimedia’s managing director Craig Johnson added: “We are delighted to team up with the world’s leading developer and publisher of casual games.

“The gaming landscape is experiencing a seismic shift towards accessible, fun content with cross-gender and mass market appeal. PopCap’s products tick all the right boxes and are the perfect fit with Focus Multimedia’s ethos of quality, value and choice.

“We’re looking forward to working closely with PopCap Games to ensure that this acclaimed brand makes a highly successful transition to UK retail.”