PopCap Adds San Francisco Development Office

Casual game publisher and developer PopCap Games (Zuma, Bejeweled) has announced the opening of a new game development studio in San Francisco, California, to complement the company’s existing game development facilities in Dublin, Ireland and its Seattle, Washington headquarters. According to the company, the new San Francisco studio will serve as a regional hub for PopCap’s growing game design and development activities, tapping the wealth of software engineering and artistic talent found in the area. Dave Rohrl, former Senior Producer at pogo.com, Electronic Arts’ casual games service, will serve as general manager of the new PopCap San Francisco studio. “We’re excited to be opening our latest design and development studio in the long-time heart of the game industry’s stomping grounds, and are already tapping the tremendous talent base in the area to staff the new facility,” stated David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. “And we’re very pleased to have Dave Rohrl, an established industry veteran and very active member of the casual games development community, overseeing the new studio. Dave’s vision and management style are very much in line with PopCap’s, and we expect great things from the San Francisco team.” The San Francisco studio will focus on all stages of game development from concept to launch, and is expected to grow from 5 initial staffers to approximately 15 in the coming months. PopCap’s workforce, which has grown from three to more than 45 employees since the company’s founding in 2000, is expected to expand to more than 70 over the next twelve months.