Big Fish Games to halt new game development and reduce investment in portfolio

Big Fish Games is set to undergo a restructure to its operations and will no longer develop new titles.

That’s according to its parent company Aristocrat Leisure which said the developer will focus solely on the “continued, efficient and profitable operation” of its live titles. It added that it will also significantly reduce investment in Big Fish’s portfolio.

No specific mention of layoffs was made following the decision to restructure and reduce investment in Big Fish.

The company was put up for sale last year along with Plarium as Australian casino firm Aristocrat Leisure pulled out of casual and midcore game development to focus on social casino. 

Plarium was recently sold to Swedish digital entertainment company MTG for $620 million. It appears no buyer was found for Big Fish – having been acquired for $990m in 2018 – with Aristocrat Leisure previously confirming it would also be keeping the developer’s social casino titles.

Aristocrat Leisure also plans to retire its Pixel United reporting segment and will replace it with Product Madness. The division will include results from the slots developer and Big Fish.

Executive change

Alongside the restructure of its games business, Aristocrat Leisure said its. chief strategy officer Superna Kalle will take executive leadership of Product Madness, alongside her existing responsibilities. 

“With the completion of the strategic review of our casual and mid-core gaming assets, Aristocrat is well placed to accelerate our refreshed growth strategy,” said Aristocrat CEO and managing director Trevor Croker. 

“We are deepening management focus and targeting investment behind our core strengths in regulated gaming and gaming-themed content, to unlock new and adjacent opportunities across global markets. 

“The outcomes of the review reflect Aristocrat’s ongoing focus on driving shareholder value, with the benefit of clear choices and a commitment to growth.”