By Brian Crecente, 10:00 AM on Thu Feb 8 2007, 212 views (Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp)

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Xbox Live Arcade director Greg Canessa has jumped ship to join the casual game developers over at PopCap Games, Red Herring Reports.

Canessa will be heading up the company's game platforms division.

During a conversation this week he extolled the virtues of his new employer, suggesting PopCap could someday achieve the same vaunted status as a few other game powerhouses. "They have the potential to be the next EA or Blizzard," Mr. Canessa said.

Mr. Canessa's relationship with PopCap dates back to 2000, when he signed an agreement with the company—then dubbed "Sexy Action Cool"—to provide the games Alchemy and Bejeweled to Zone.com. That site eventually became MSN Games, one of the Net's largest casual game sites.

"I've always had a special place in my heart for PopCap," Mr. Canessa said.

Canessa says his chief goal will be to make sure PopCap doesn't become a victim of its own success.

Microsoft quickly announced today that Bryan Trussel, a Microsoft Casual Games group wag, will take for Canessa. Brian Crecente

Greg Canessa jumps ship to head console gaming development at PopCap Games [Red Herring]