UPDATED: PopCap Dublin closes its doors; 96 jobs lost

PopCap Dublin has been closed by parent company EA.

The news comes after management admitted last month that 50 jobs had been lost from PopCap’s Seattle office and an unspecified number shaved from its Irish operations.

The company then went on to say that it had entered into an exploratory consultation” to evaluate the future of Dublin. That evaluation appears to have been completed and lead to the worst possible outcome.

PopCap co-founder John Vechey soon moved to deflect criticism from parent company EA, and EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau later claimed that the cuts were a result of duplicative” roles within both companies.

JP Vaughan, associate producer at PopCap mobile, tweeted moments ago:

So that's that then. The emerald dream is over. To the pub, Batman!

— Stu Taylor (@stoonami) September 24, 2012

And PopCap PR man Stu Taylor added:

https://twitter.com/jpvaughan/status/250175834458054656

MCV has contacted EA for clarification.

UPDATE 1: MCV has had the closure confirmed by a PopCap employee off the record. More information is expected shortly.

UPDATE 2: Here’s official word from PopCap’s senior director fo worldwide PR Gareth Chouteau.

• The consultation period in Ireland has been completed, and after having consulted fully with the employee representatives the PopCap leadership team has decided to close our Dublin office.
• 96 people have been affected by the decision. PopCap has provided outplacement support and many employees have offers in other parts of PopCap, at EA or new opportunities with technology partners in Ireland.
• Europe remains a critical market for PopCap and we will continue to grow our presence through centralized services operated from our North American offices and through the extensive European EA network.
• In Ireland, EA announced last week the addition of 300 jobs for its European Customer Experience Center in Galway, almost doubling the number of staff. The Galway facility currently employs close to 400 people.

Worldwide, PopCap is still growing, and intends to continue hiring and developing current staff. We will continue to invest in new games, platforms, and markets while we expand the reach of hit franchises like Bejeweled and Plants vs Zombies.