Press Releases

Big Fish Games migrates to new HQ, with plans to reel in top talent with eye-catching space

Published

6 years ago

July 18, 2018

George Miller

Big Fish Games migrates to new HQ, with plans to reel in top talent with eye-catching space

Photo Credits: GeekWire Photo/Nat Levy

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Big Fish Games has a new headquarters to go along with its new leader.

The Seattle-based gaming company, which was acquired by Australia’s Aristocrat Technologies for $990 million earlier this year, moved into its new office in Seattle’s Pioneer Square this week. In the appropriately named Maritime building, Big Fish has leased all the office space — 187,000 square feet in total — with more than enough room to house its 633 Seattle employees plus the more than 100 open positions the company is advertising online.

The move is another sign of a new era for Big Fish. In 2014 it was acquired by Churchill Downs Inc., operator of the famous Kentucky Derby racetrack, for $885 million and sold again to Aristocrat earlier this year.

Just this month the company announced former Electronic Arts and Zynga executive Jeff Karp is joining Big Fish Games as managing director and president. He is taking the helm permanently after former CEO Paul Thelen left following the Aristocrat acquisition.

Aimee Paganini, lead senior game producer for Big Fish, has worked through all these changes. In her six years at the company she’s worked on several of Big Fish’s flagship games like Fairway Solitaire and Panda Pandamonium, and right now her latest game, Let’s Dish, is in Google’s open beta program. Paganini, who leads a team of 27 people, said not much has changed with her day-to-day operations despite the company shuffling between two parent companies in four years.

“I’m really fortunate that I have a boss and a general manager that allows our team to run as a small business,” Paganini said. “They’re the investors, so we need to make them happy.”

But the new headquarters will bring major changes for Paganini and everyone else at Big Fish. Employees felt like fishes out of water in the old HQ space at 333 Elliott West, which Big Fish steadily grew into over the years.

The company started looking for space two years ago, and at the time it surveyed employees to see what they wanted. The main gripe was lack of transit connections. The old office, which is just a few blocks down from where Expedia is setting up its Seattle HQ for a move next year, only has access to a couple of bus lines. Pioneer Square is the transit hub of the region, with hundreds of buses and a light rail line just a few blocks away, and plenty of access to restaurants and other attractions.

“We were out on a deserted island or at least peninsula on Elliott Avenue, so coming here it really opened up the ability for people to go out and experience the neighborhood,” said Evan Cottingham, director of real estate and facilities for Big Fish.

The old office was never a perfect fit for Big Fish, as the company gradually took on more and more space in the building from Classmates.com. Gaming companies have different needs than traditional office users — testing areas, big desks to spread out multiple devices and monitors, lots of collaboration spaces for meetings — and none of that really existed in Big Fish’s old space.

For Big Fish, the new digs will help with recruiting in the competitive gaming hub of Seattle that includes tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft and others prominent gaming powerhouses such as Valve and Bungie. Before, Cottingham said its interview rooms were “windowless dungeons,” and now they look out over the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.

Nearby spaces for human testers will have multiple cameras that track eye and hand movement of users when playing.

“Everyone assumes that a game company, a tech company, is a playground, but there’s a lot of work,” Cottingham said. “I can’t fathom how much Aimee and her team does to produce a game, so I need to design for all those ideas.”

Big Fish leased the building close to two years ago in a deal brokered by Seattle real estate company Clark Fadden and has been waiting for its new HQ since. During that time, the Maritime Building has undergone a complex and unique renovation. Crews dropped three additional stories on top of the 108-year-old structure to add to the office space.

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New Market Alert! Hacksaw Gaming Touch Down in Portugal with Solverde.pt

Published

16 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Another incredible new market launch for Hacksaw Gaming, this time we’re taking a trip to Portugal with Solverde.pt. Exclusively showcasing our content until the 30th of April, this new partnership looks to be one with an exciting journey ahead.

Fan favourites Wanted Dead or a Wild, 2 Wild 2 Die, R.I.P City, Le Bandit and many more are now featured on the Hacksaw exclusive section of the Solverde.pt platform. At long last, Portuguese players can now immerse themselves in the Hacksaw experience, exploring a large catalogue of our games that demonstrate our creative mechanics and stunning visuals.

“Hacksaw has been a top request from Portuguese casino players and we always aim to know the market preferences and deliver what the customers want” says Américo Loureiro, Solverde.pt Director “We’re very proud to bring this groundbreaking studio to Portugal for the first time and have no doubt it will be a success”

Part of Solverde Group, which boasts more than 50 years of history, Solverde.pt was launched in 2017.

They strive to offer the widest casino portfolio in Portugal, prioritising all the fun of casino games with the top quality and safety that SolverdePT users have come to know them for.

Marcus Cordes, Hacksaw Gaming CEO is certain that Hacksaw enthusiasts in Portugal will be ecstatic with this new launch – “Being able to bring yet another growing market our games is what drives us forward! Saúde to a promising future partnership and to the teams who made this happen.”

With this latest launch marking our third new market entry in the past month alone, Hacksaw Gaming’s quest to introduce our collection to players worldwide is rapidly becoming reality. Are we setting the tone for even more groundbreaking ventures in the months ahead? Stay tuned, as we’re on a mission to grow our Hacksaw Community far and wide.

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Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center Leads Industry in 2023

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2024

Alan Campbell

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center leads industry in 2023, saving players over $11 million

Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center continues to set the standard for excellence in the online gambling industry, achieving remarkable milestones in 2023 and reaffirming its commitment to player advocacy and fair gaming practices.

In the past year alone, the Complaint Resolution Center received over 14,000 complaints from players worldwide, a testament to its reputation as a trusted platform for addressing player concerns. Of these, over 12,000 were accepted, underscoring the Complaint Resolution Center’s dedication to providing a voice for players and addressing their grievances. Throughout the year, Casino Guru’s team successfully resolved 3,428 complaints, resulting in an astounding USD$11,279,425 in saved funds for players. This achievement reflects the Complaint Resolution Center’s unwavering commitment to securing favorable outcomes for players and ensuring a fair and transparent gaming environment.

Notably, Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center stands out from its competitors such as AskGamblers by accepting almost all complaints received; a significant difference that underscores Casino Guru’s dedication to prioritizing player concerns and advocating on their behalf. By comparison, AskGamblers reported saving USD$9,031,914 for players with 3,565 accepted complaints while Casino Guru’s comprehensive approach led to saving USD$11,279,425 with 12,161 complaints accepted for resolution.

Aside from monetary savings, the Complaint Resolution Center also boasts other significant achievements. With an average resolution time of 17 days and the fastest resolution completed in just 48 minutes, Casino Guru demonstrates efficiency and responsiveness in addressing player concerns. Additionally, the Complaint Resolution Center resolved the longest open complaint, active for 287 days, showcasing its commitment to seeing cases through to a satisfactory resolution. Moreover, the Complaint Resolution Center successfully resolved the complaint with the highest value, amounting to USD$1.99 million, further highlighting its dedication to addressing all levels of player grievances.

Petronela Kontos, Complaints Team Lead at Casino Guru, commented on the Center’s achievements: “We are proud to lead the industry in providing a platform where players can voice their concerns and seek resolution. Our commitment to fairness and transparency drives us to continually improve and deliver exceptional results for players worldwide.”

In addition to its outstanding performance in 2023, Casino Guru’s Complaint Resolution Center has achieved significant milestones over its lifetime. With over 37,000 complaints received and more than $25 million recovered for players, the Complaint Resolution Center has become a trusted resource for players seeking resolution to their issues.

As the Complaint Resolution Center continues its mission of empowering players and advocating for fairness within the online gambling industry, it remains dedicated to providing exceptional service and ensuring that players’ voices are heard and their concerns addressed with integrity and transparency.

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Evoplay strikes distribution agreement with Light & Wonder

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2024

George Miller

Evoplay strikes distribution agreement with Light & Wonder

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Evoplay, the award-winning game development studio, has leveraged its position across Europe by taking its portfolio live with Light & Wonder’s leading aggregation platform.

Through this latest launch, over 100 of the provider’s dynamic titles will be made available on Light & Wonder’s global operator network including its Penalty Shoot-out instant game as well as top-performing slots The Greatest Catch Bonus Buy and Hot Triple Sevens.

The integration will see Evoplay boost its presence across a plethora of territories in Europe, including MGA-regulated markets, Italy, Portugal, the Balkans and the Baltics, where Light & Wonder’s platform is a top choice for tier-one operators.

Evoplay’s latest agreement underscores its commitment to becoming a leading supplier across Europe and follows significant commercial expansion in several key markets.

Ihor Zarechnyi, CBDO at Evoplay, said: “Evoplay’s latest landmark deal serves as a testament to the power of our dynamic portfolio. As we continue to excel across markets worldwide, we are delighted that Light & Wonder recognised the quality of our games and took them live on its platform.

“Light & Wonder has a vast market reach, which allows us to greatly expand our footing in Europe. Additionally, once we obtain the Canadian licence, we look forward to introducing our innovative content to an even wider audience of players.”

James Bustin, Commercial Director at Light & Wonder, added: “Thanks to its commitment to differentiation, Evoplay’s offering has proven to captivate players across Europe and we anticipate its games will perform just as well with our operator network.

“Forging new content agreements with suppliers such as Evoplay allows us to continue delivering fresh and exciting experiences to the market whilst elevating studios to an even bigger reach.”