Seattle, Washington-based Big Fish Games a developer and distributor of casual games for computers and mobile devices, with a regional office in Oakland, California, has announced a restrucuring that will implement a single developmenr studio model. Impacted will be 250 employees across all functional groups, mostly affecting the company's Seattle location.
According to the company's co-presidents Andrew Pedersen and Jason Willig, "The scale that Big Fish developed over many years as a multi-platform publisher has made it difficult to successfully lead in mobile, which requires greater agility and different operating and creative capabilities."
"By pivoting how we operate and sharpening focus, we will gain increased flexibility to engage players more effectively today and invest more for the future. We will reduce certain costs, but saving money is not a primary driver behind the changes. Rather, our goal is to be a more effective and customer-centric organization."
While the company claims that the layoffs are not motivated by cutting costs, it should be noted that there was no mention of a a court's approval of a $155 million settlement for allegations that the company's in-app purchase requirement violates the State of Washington's gaming laws.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?