Popped cap

It looks like yesterday’s hastily prepared Plants vs. Zombies 2 announcement may have been cover for some more sinister happenings at PopCap Games. The Bejeweled developer has been struck by a series of international layoffs, according to comments made by Duke Nukem creator George Broussard. Apparently, the company's entire Dublin studio has been shut down, with other redundancies taking place in Seattle and Shanghai. Meanwhile, VG247 reports that the developer has been secretly sacking people for months.

EA acquired PopCap Games last year for $750 million, in the hopes that the take-over would accelerate the company’s drive “towards a $1 billion digital business”. It’s probably safe to assume that things haven’t quite gone to plan.

Naturally, we extend our very best wishes to anyone affected by this news.

[source twitter.com]