PopCap Dublin shuts down
PopCap closed its Dublin office this morning, former PopCap Mobile Associate Producer JP Vaughan confirmed the closure, later tweeting that the studio had "30 days to prepare" for the news. Last month, a round of layoffs at PopCap's Seattle offices saw 50 employees lose their jobs, with reports of jobs at the Irish office being under threat.
A source with knowledge of the situation tells Joystiq the closure occurred following a meeting which took place at 11AM UK time. Our source confirms the company's official line that 96 people have been affected in total by the layoffs, which began last month, with the closure of the Irish studio today merely completing the consultation period. The consultation period is a concept under Irish law where if there is a particular amount of layoffs, employees must receive 30 days notice.
"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," PopCap informed Joystiq in a prepared statement.
The news follows the creation of 300 jobs at EA's Customer Service Center in Galway, Ireland. PopCap is an EA subsidiary. No sense in EA doubling up on tax havens.
