PopCap Launches Game Art Auction on eBay Benefiting U.S. and U.K. Children's Charities

SEATTLE and DUBLIN, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual games, today launched a series of online auctions that will continue through July 12 located at www.ebay.com/popcap, and involve the sale of 34 pieces of PopCap-related art. Each weekly wave of 7-day auctions will consist of up to 9 items, with all proceeds benefitting two leading non-profit organizations: the Starlight Children's Foundation in the United States and SpecialEffect in the United Kingdom.  

With the help of Kompolt, an auction management firm for charities and nonprofit organizations, PopCap is giving consumers a chance to bid on once-in-a-lifetime items from the PopCap® vault in the very first PopCap eBay charity auction. The month-long series of auctions will include items such as original concept sketches from Plants vs. Zombies™, Bookworm® and Peggle®, one-of-a-kind game-themed ceramic sets, a 6-foot-by-6-foot painting of a DJ'ing zombie, a blue neon Bejeweled® diamond, personalized sketches and more.

"This auction is our way of letting consumers peek behind the creativity curtain at PopCap, but more than that, it's a wonderful opportunity for us and fans of our games to support children in need," said Ben Rotholtz, Vice President of Marketing for PopCap Games. "Every piece in the auction is unique and each reflects a facet of PopCap's history in a whimsical way."

PopCap will donate 100 percent of all proceeds from the auctions to the Starlight Children's Foundation in the United States and SpecialEffect in the United Kingdom, two nonprofits dedicated to helping seriously ill and disabled children.

"PopCap's games are well known to provide therapeutic effects to adults and children alike, but now consumers have the opportunity to take home a tangible piece of PopCap happiness," said Elaine Siver of Starlight Children's Foundation. "Thanks to PopCap's support, we will raise a lot of awareness and thousands of children will continue to be helped given our mission at Starlight Foundation."

Since the company was founded in 2000, PopCap has donated money and games totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to support children's charities including Make-a-Wish Foundation, Child's Play, Children in Need, Childhaven, Drawing Dreams Foundation, and Art with Heart, among others.

For more information about the PopCap charity art auction, visit www.ebay.com/popcap.

About PopCap Games

PopCap Games is the leading global developer, publisher and operator of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn, captivating games that appeal to all ages across PC, mobile, social and other platforms. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000 and has a worldwide staff of more than 400 people in Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. PopCap's games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled®, has sold more than 50 million units. For more information about PopCap Games, visit www.popcap.com.

About charity partner Starlight Children's Foundation

For 25 years, Starlight Children's Foundation has been dedicated to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Through a network of chapters and offices, Starlight provides ongoing support to children, parents and siblings in all U.S. states and Canadian provinces with an array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings. Programs are also delivered internationally through affiliates in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Starlight Children's Foundation, please visit www.starlight.org.

About charity partner SpecialEffect

SpecialEffect is UK-wide charity dedicated to helping all young people with disabilities to enjoy computer games and other creative interests through cutting edge technology - for rehabilitation, inclusion and pure fun! SpecialEffect's achievements include the world's first fully-accessible games suite at the world's first children's hospice Helen and Douglas House and award-winning games roadshows as well as establishing the SpecialEffect Centre in Oxfordshire that was recently opened by Prime Minister David Cameron. We have also recently launched our Loan Library, inspired by our work helping injured soldiers through to young people with degenerative conditions who can no longer play in any other way. We do whatever it takes, giving the time, patience and expertise, because we've seen first-hand the kick-start it has on motivation, self-esteem, confidence and quality of life. To learn more about SpecialEffect, please visit www.specialeffect.org.uk.

SOURCE PopCap Games