PopCap Will 'Look At' Going Public In 2011

Dave Roberts, CEO for Bejeweled and Plants Vs. Zombies developer PopCap Games said the privately-held company will be examining the possibility of an initial public offering in 2011. "We’ll look at [an IPO] for the second half of next year," Roberts told Forbes in an interview in late December 2010. A rep for the studio separately confirmed PopCap's IPO intentions in an email to Gamasutra on Monday. Roberts said while the studio is examining the possibility of going public, it's still waiting for the right time to make the move. "...There are no investors pushing for it, so we will really only look at it if the markets align," he said. According to Forbes, Seattle-based PopCap, which was founded in 2000 and employs 400 workers, generated $100 million in revenue this year. The company's Bejeweled match-three puzzle franchise that debuted in 2001 has sold over 50 million units to date and generated $300 million in sales of August 2008. Bejeweled 3 launched last year, joining PopCap's portfolio of games including Zuma, Bookworm, Plants Vs. Zombies and Chuzzle. PopCap has been long-rumored to be a candidate for an IPO. Most recently, in May last year, Roberts announced the appointment of tech veteran Steve Raymund to the studio's board of directors, a move that generated more speculation for an IPO. Among his qualifications, Roberts said Raymond "was CEO of a public company from a very young age, so his experience is directly relevant to PopCap’s current position and future growth prospects."