PopCap Games pops up in San Francisco

As evidenced by the appearance of PopCap Games like Bejeweled 2 and Feeding Frenzy on Microsoft's Xbox 360 Live Marketplace, casual games are increasingly invading spaces traditionally reserved for core gamers. In similar fashion, PopCap this week announced that it is opening up a new California development studio, a metaphorical stone's throw from the likes of Electronic Arts and Sega, in San Francisco's SoMa district. The new studio joins PopCap's operations in Dublin, Ireland and Seattle, Washington, and will be managed by Dave Rohrl, former senior producer at EA's casual-gaming service, pogo.com. The studio opened with five employees, but PopCap says it's looking to expand the staff to 15 in the near future.