This has become very old hat for us. Another rumor was just declared fact (sans Albatross this time). PopCap Games has announced their very own retail release of their popular XBLA games.

Not content to be the "#1 developer on XBLA", PopCap Games will be bringing PopCap Arcade Vol. 1 to stores on November 15th. What you need to know is that the disc will include Bejeweled 2, Feeding Frenzy, Astropop, and Zuma -- all for the low price of $29.95.

Since the combined price of all four games is essentially $40 (3200MSP) this seems like a decent deal, but only if you don't own any of these games and want all of them. Otherwise, the a la carte menu of XBLA can serve you just what you want without extra baggage or cost.

Of course, didn't everyone that wanted Zuma get it when it was on sale (thus making this retail release of limited value)? Then again, I doubt PopCap is shooting for the XBLA-fiend demographic. Surely they're thinking soccer moms and people without broadband (gasp).

(And yes, I ganked that image from GameFly, where the rumor originated.)

Full Press Release after the break.

PopCap's Casual Video Game Hits Coming Soon for PlayStation ^® 2, Xbox 360^®

PopCap^® Arcade Vol. 1 and PopCap^® Hits Vol. 1 Arrive at Stores November 15

Seattle, Washington – October 9, 2007 – PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of "casual" video games, today announced the upcoming retail launch of two new "greatest hits" compilations featuring many of the company's biggest-selling puzzle and "retro action" games. PopCap^® Arcade Volume 1, available for Xbox 360^® , features Bejeweled^® 2, AstroPop^™, Feeding Frenzy^™ and Zuma^™ and carries an SRP of US$29.95. PopCap^® Hits Volume 1, available for PlayStation^® 2, features Bejeweled 2 and AstroPop and carries an SRP of US$19.95. This marks the first time that PopCap games have been available for Xbox 360 at retail, and the first time that any of the company's games have been available for PlayStation 2.

"We're very excited to be bringing some of our top million-selling casual games to consoles via retail shelves, and eager to see how consumers respond," said Glenn Drover, Director of Retail Sales at PopCap. "We've had tremendous success at retail with the PC versions of many of our games, and these new collections for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2 are priced even more aggressively, so they should be a hit with holiday shoppers."

The Bejeweled franchise alone has placed PopCap at the forefront of the burgeoning casual games industry. Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 have collectively sold more than 10 million units across numerous platforms, and have been downloaded more than 300 million times in the past six years. AstroPop, Feeding Frenzy and Zuma have also enjoyed considerable commercial and critical success on numerous devices ranging from PCs and Macs to PocketPCs, PDAs, and mobile phones, as well as on the Xbox LIVE ^® Arcade online service.

About PopCap

PopCap Games ( www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of "casual games" — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106 . Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 160 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C. and Dublin. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled ^®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap's games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.