PvZ maker Popcap Games loses John Vechey, its last founding member

By MATTHEW ARCILLA

Published September 8, 2014 7:34pm

John Vechey, CEO of game studio Popcap Games, and one of its three co-founders, left the company last Friday. Among some of PopCap's most recognized games are 'Peggle', 'Bejeweled' and 'Plants vs. Zombies.'

In a post published on EA's official blog, Vechey assured that the future is "bright" for PopCap and EA:

"We have some amazing games live, with millions of people enjoying them every day. We have some great games in production, which will surprise and delight players over the coming year. We have a robust prototyping investment, which will fuel new brands and new games for PopCap for years to come. [...] The best years are ahead for both EA and PopCap, and I look forward to watching development teams live up to what it means to be electronic artists."

Frank Gibeau of EA Mobile said that the studio remains in capable hands. In addition to working on an all-new Peggle game, new concepts remain in development in PopLabs and "global opportunities" are being explored for existing PopCap brands. "The PopCap mobile studio will continue to be led by Steve Mauri, Cara Ely and Jon David, and the teams are already pushing forward into exciting directions," said Gibeau. "PopCap continues to be a core studio in EA's mobile efforts, and I know our players will be thrilled with what's to come from this talented group."

As for Vechey, he will be focusing his energies on various side interests until he decides what he does next. In addition to work with Grist.org, an non-profit environmental news outlet where he is also a board member, Vechey intends to take some workshops and explore social issues before starting a new company or joining an existing one. "Who knows what the future will hold. Maybe I'll stick with non-profit work, maybe start a new company, or maybe join a bigger one. For now, I'm going to focus on getting some space, so I can appreciate the last fifteen years."

Vechey co-founded Popcap in 2000 with Jason Kapalka and Brian Fiete. Up until last week, Vechey was the last of the three to still be with the company. Vechey took over the reins as CEO from Dave Roberts, who retired earlier this year. Kapalka left with Roberts, while Fiete left back in 2010. Electronic Arts acquired the company in 2011 as part of a $750 million deal.

The studio's most recent projects include 'Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare,' a multiplayer competitive shooter for consoles current-gen and last-gen and 'Peggle 2' which is getting ready for release on the Playstation 4. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: pvz, plantsvszombies, popcap, johnvechey