PopCapsJohnVechey 06 Sep

One of the co-founders of PopCap Games, John Vechey, is leaving the company, Electronic Arts has announced.

“Many of you know me as the energetic, happy-go-lucky founder of PopCap, and I want to use that energy to give something back for awhile until I figure out what’s next,” Vechey said, in part. “I will be spending some time working with environmental news non-profit Grist.org, of which I am a board member. I’ll be taking some non-violence workshops, furthering some of the things I’ve learned from being part of the Quaker community, while I explore peace and social justice issues, such as war abolition, prison reform, poverty and the effects of race and gender privilege.”

“And after that? 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.”

“John leaves PopCap in deeply capable hands,” added EA Mobile president Frank Gibeau. “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. We have games in the pipeline including an all-new Peggle, new concepts coming through rapid development at PopLabs, and global opportunties [sic] for PopCap brands like PvZ. 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.”

(via Polygon)