PopCap Games has announced that as of today, Ben Rotholtz will hold the newly-created position of vice president of marketing. Rotholtz’s job will include expanding the website, working with public relations, marketing and promotional efforts. Retholtz will also be reporting to Popcap's CEO, David Roberts.
“We’re elated to have Ben joining our executive team and building our fledgling marketing department into a powerhouse,” said Roberts. “Ben will oversee all aspects of our marketing and will be responsible for driving programs and campaigns that support our casual games while further burnishing our corporate brand and making it a household name.”
“We’ve enjoyed considerable success without the benefit of any formal marketing beyond public relations to date, and we’re very excited to realize the benefits Ben’s expertise and experience will have on our overall market presence and consumer awareness,” said Roberts.
Rotholtz originally worked as general manager of web services and syndication for Real's Rhapsody devision. He had worked at Rhapsody since 2006 and at RealNetwords for nine years.
“Building a marketing team at PopCap is one of those dream opportunities that come along once in a lifetime, if that,” said Rotholtz. “This is a highly creative and gifted company with superb, quality products that have succeeded thus far on word-of-mouth and non-stop positive critiques from the media. The challenge of raising the profile of PopCap and its games worldwide is truly inspiring and energizing.”
PRESS RELEASE
PopCap Games Hires Ben Rotholtz as VP of Marketing
Former Rhapsody and Real GM Will Oversee PopCap’s Growing Web Site, Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations Teams
SEATTLE, Washington – March 31, 2008 — PopCap Games, the leading developer and publisher of casual video games, today announced that it has hired Ben Rotholtz to the newly-created position of Vice President of Marketing. Mr. Rotholtz comes to PopCap after nearly a decade as a general manager in, and of, several business units at RealNetworks, most recently Real’s online music service Rhapsody. As the first senior marketing executive at PopCap, Mr. Rotholtz will guide PopCap’s rapidly expanding Web site, advertising, public relations, marketing and promotional efforts while reporting to CEO David Roberts. His tenure with PopCap begins today.
“We’re elated to have Ben joining our executive team and building our fledgling marketing department into a powerhouse,” said Roberts. “Ben will oversee all aspects of our marketing and will be responsible for driving programs and campaigns that support our casual games while further burnishing our corporate brand and making it a household name. We’ve enjoyed considerable success without the benefit of any formal marketing beyond public relations to date, and we’re very excited to realize the benefits Ben’s expertise and experience will have on our overall market presence and consumer awareness.”
“Building a marketing team at PopCap is one of those dream opportunities that come along once in a lifetime, if that,” stated Rotholtz. “This is a highly creative and gifted company with superb, quality products that have succeeded thus far on word-of-mouth and non-stop positive critiques from the media. The challenge of raising the profile of PopCap and its games worldwide is truly inspiring and energizing – I can’t wait to get started!”
Mr. Rotholtz’ nine-year tenure at RealNetworks included lengthy stints as GM of Products and Systems and GM of Business Affairs prior to the role of GM of Web Services and Syndication for Real’s Rhapsody division in early 2006. All of these positions included responsibility for marketing and public relations within those respective groups. Previously, Mr. Rotholtz held a number of technical and product marketing positions at Aldus Corporation, primarily serving as the senior marketing executive overseeing Aldus’ flagship product, PageMaker. Following the acquisition of Aldus by Adobe in 1994, Mr. Rotholtz served as Senior Product Marketing Manager for the PageMaker and InDesign lines of desktop publishing software.
Mr. Rotholtz is one of the named inventors on a patent related to digitally transmitting video content and also on eight additional pending patents. He began his educational career at Reed College and received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English from the University of Washington. Mr. Rotholtz lives in the Seattle area with his wife and children.
About PopCap
PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading multi-platform provider of “casual games” — fun, easy-to-learn, captivating computer games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of over 180 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver, B.C. and Dublin. Its games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship title, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 10 million units across all platforms. Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap’s games are played on the Web, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod and more), popular game consoles (such as Xbox), and in-flight entertainment systems. PopCap is the only casual games developer with leading market share across all major sales channels, including Web portals, retail stores, mobile operators and developers, and game device manufacturers.
