He may not seem the most likely source, but former 3D Realms co-owner George Broussard is a reliable figure for insider industry news. Yesterday, he was spreading whispers about possible layoffs at PopCap. Today, it appears those layoffs have happened. These details follow further rumours that PopCap has been “quietly” laying people off for “several months”.
According to Broussard, PopCap’s Dublin studio has been shut down, one in Shanghai has been “shrunk” and around 50 employees have lost their jobs in Seattle. It’s not clear how many employees this affects in total.
So, just over one year after EA paid a reported $750 million USD to acquire the casual gaming giant, PopCap appears to be suffering. The developers will be hoping they’re not the latest in a long line of studios (Bullfrog, Pandemic, Westwood) to be taken over by EA and ultimately shut down.
Let’s flash back to the words of EA CEO John Riccitiello when that $750 million USD deal was done: “EA’s global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly expand their business to more digital devices, more countries, and more channels.”
At the cost of steady employment for many, it seems.
Source: George Broussard
