PopCap, Microsoft, Reps Join IGDA Casual Committee

Officials from the International Game Developers Association have announced the appointment of new members to its Casual Games Special Interest Group committee, including representatives from Microsoft Casual, PopCap and Sandlot. The new members include Microsoft Casual business manager Cherie Lutz, Sandlot marketing VP Jared Nieuwenhuis, former PopCap general manager Dave Rohrl and current PopCap director Rex Sikora. The IGDA says the casual group "aims to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and ideas among developers to better create and market casual games," and "promote initiatives on behalf of developers that encourage the growth of the entire casual games space." The group is planning to launch a number of new initiatives, including quarterly webinars featuring expert panels discussing topics critical to the casual game industry, drafting digital rights standards for casual games, and "kick starting an industry-wide dialog around advertising standards and their implications for casual game developers, publishers, and distributors." Said IGDA Casual Games SIG chairperson Jason Akel, "We're very pleased to have such seasoned professionals join the Steering Committee to help lead these important initiatives. The commitment and expertise of the new and returning Committee members will help us to deliver great results across the board and further accelerate the visibility and growth of the casual game industry."