PopCap Games continues expansion plans

Casual games publisher and developer PopCap Games has announced further company expansion details, with the formation of a new development studio in the heart of San Francisco's bay area.

Serving as a regional hub for the company's increasing design and development activities in the casual games market, the new studio will focus on all stages of game development from concept to launch, and the company is actively seeking enquiries from game design and development professionals in the area, in an effort to rapidly grow its initial workforce at the new location.

The new studio will be led by Dave Rohrl, former senior producer at EA's casual games service, Pogo.com. Rohrl brings more than a dozen years experience in professional game development to the role, having joined PopCap in late 2005 after spending five years at Pogo.com where he helped conceive and launch the downloadable games channel and managed content selection and game development.

David Roberts, PopCap CEO, commented: "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."

"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," Roberts added.

The new studio will compliment the activities of PopCap's Washington headquarters, and marks the second recent expansion for the company, following the creation of its international division in Dublin, Ireland. The company has grown from a workforce of just three employees to more than forty-five since its inception in 2000, and is expected to expand further to around seventy staff over the coming twelve months.