PopCap can't wait for Peggle on DS either

Some would call it returning to the scene of the crime. Others might prefer a more brutal form of retribution but if PopCap's John Vechey (pictured) was habouring ill feelings towards us, he was hiding them well.

Yes, after our somewhat premature announcement of Peggle DS, we thought it only proper to gain some clarification from the company's co-founder about its exact plans.

"We're exploring the possibilities for all our games on as many platforms as possible," Vechey says. "Our challenge is we want our games to be everywhere but only when it's the coolest thing for that particular platform."

So what's the status of Peggle DS then? Does such a thing even exist?

"Peggle DS is the coolest thing I can think of, but I don't know what it is," Vechey enthuses.

"It took us nine months to get Peggle out of Peggle in the first place. We tried all sorts of modes and mechanics before we refined it. So in terms of a DS version, it would be more like making Peggle 2. It would still have to be the game, but moreso."

Indeed, to stress the point about the company's desire to get its games out as widely as possible, he jokes, "If we could do a good version of Peggle for a fridge, we'd do it," - at least we assume it was a joke.

One successfully completed case however was the iPod version of Peggle, which came together quickly. "We immediately knew how it would work," Vechey says. "Compared to that, on DS, you've got two, bigger, screens not to mention the control options. How would the core mechanic work? I don't know but it doesn't mean we're not trying. Only that we haven't figured it out."

So the bottomline is PopCap wants to do Peggle DS as much as everyone wants to play it, but it's not in production, let alone firmed up for a 2008 retail release, as we erroneously suggested.

"We will have Peggle everywhere," Vechey ends. "Only not just yet."