Big News: PopCap CEO to retire

PLZ fans had better do something now. Buying some typical and classic Plants vs. Zombies toys or T-shirts or recording the record of your game might be useful to mark an event of Dave Roberts' retirement.


Dave Roberts, chief executive of Electronic Arts' PopCap Games division, is retiring from the game studio that he joined almost nine years ago. Cofounder John Vechey will take over the job of running the Seattle-based studio that created hits like Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled.


EA, which is one of the largest video game publishers, has been trying to get its mojo back by focusing on big new games for the digital era. EA bought PopCap for $750 million-plus in 2011 under the stewardship of previous chief executive John Riccitiello. With the appointment of new CEO Andrew Wilson in September, the management structure of EA and its various studios has been in flux.


The news will be effective Wednesday, Jan. 8.


This makes Vechey the last remaining cofounder, as Jason Kapalka will leave PopCap at the same time that Roberts does. Kapalka will remain a creative consultant for PopCap.


Vichy, 35, is taking over the leadership at a time when PopCap steps down on the publishing side and goes back to being its own development studio, supplying games that EA's larger organization will publish. The shift suggests that creativity is a bigger priority for PopCap now than dealing with business matters. The change is consistent with EA's appointment of Wilson, a studio creative leader, as its top boss.

This disproportionate channeling of funds accounts for vast amounts of monetary wealth around the world. I don't consider myself a socialist for pointing out how the law should not allow corporations to fail, causing grief to working families while the Executive Officers sail away on yachts.

Thanks for pointing this out.