PopCap has announced a new label called 4th and Battery that will create more “experimental” games that do not fit the company”s more casual gaming image. In other words, 4th and Battery is an outlet for the designers who want to spread their more edgy and violent wings.

“4th & Battery is a pressure valve intended to keep our heads from exploding,” explained Ed Allard, Executive Vice President of Studios at PopCap. “The PopCap brand has become closely associated with ultra-high quality, polish and attention to detail — which is a great thing. But our standard game development process is therefore long and involved, and doesn”t really accommodate all of the creativity pumping through our collective veins. 4th & Battery gives us a way to quickly try really strange or marginal ideas, and to give our designers a safe area to hone their best online casino chops.”

“4th & Battery is a purely experimental, creative label with none of the typical concerns like schedules, profitability, or even target audience. It”s kind of the video game equivalent of B-sides or short films,” explained Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at PopCap. “Expect weirdness.”

4th and Battery”s first game will be called Unpleasant Horse. It will feature the titular unpleasant horse, who sports wings and advances through the levels by destroying birds and landing on top of other horses, sending them into a perpetual meat grinder below for points and special bonuses. Unpleasant Horse will be available later this month for free through the App Store.