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Big Fish Games lands new managing director and president
Former Electronic Arts and Zynga executive Jeff Karp is joining Big Fish Games as managing director and president, responsible for leading the Seattle-based casual games company under its second corporate parent in four years.
Big Fish Games founder and former CEO Paul Thelen, who oversaw the sale of the company to Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs Inc. for $885 million in 2014, left following Big Fish’s $990 million acquisition by Australia’s Aristocrat Technologies, which was completed in January. Jeff Goldstein, Aristocrat’s chief digital officer and chief strategy officer, was overseeing Big Fish before Karp was brought on board.
Aristocrat is announcing Karp’s appointment as the new Big Fish leader this morning. He will be based in Seattle in his new role.
Karp has more than 15 years of experience in the video games industry. He spent more than 10 years at game giant EA in a variety of positions, most notably as the executive vice president of EA’s Play Label. There, he oversaw recognizable franchises like The Sims and EA Sports.
“I am honored to be working with such a creative and talented group, who are focused on enhancing life through exceptional play,” Karp said in a news release announcing his appointment. “Big Fish is a content-rich company and its employees are passionate about making great games that bring joy and fun to millions of players around the world.”
At Zynga, where he was executive vice president and chief marketing and revenue officer, Karp worked on games like Words With Friends and Draw Something. Karp also had a stint at GSN Games as the executive vice president of social and mobile games.
Most recently, Karp was the CEO of Sports Illustrated Play, which was acquired by Comcast/NBC this year. The digital youth sports platform had 17 million monthly users. Karp left the job in January.
In his new role, the company says Karp will oversee the company’s continued growth and manage its portfolio of games, including Big Fish Casino, Cooking Craze, and Gummy Drop.
“Jeff’s expertise in growing games into global entertainment franchises is unsurpassed,” said Aristocrat’s Goldstein in a news release. “His proven track record and deep experience in the games industry make him the ideal person to drive Big Fish’s growth strategy, and ensure the business delivers its full potential.”
The market for casino-based online video games was dealt a blow in March, when a federal appeals court ruled that the Big Fish Casino constituted illegal online gambling. The ruling, currently under appeal, also has repercussions for other casino games that use a similar virtual currency system.
Thelen, a former RealNetworks executive, founded Big Fish Games in Seattle in 2002. Big Fish Games in 2017 posted $466 million in net revenue and $80.3 million in adjusted earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortization, according to financial statements from publicly held Churchill Downs. That was down from $486.2 million in revenue and $82.2 million in EBIDTA in 2016.
Big Fish has a regional office in Oakland, Calif., in addition to its Seattle HQ, which is shifting to a new location in the city. A spokesperson says the company currently has 735 employees overall, with 630 of them in Seattle.
Source: geekwire.com
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Tequity and iBankroll forge strategic partnership
Tequity, the technology partner behind some of the industry’s most scalable and customisable gaming solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with iBankroll that brings together two complementary engines of operator growth: high-performance Originals content and a liquidity support solution designed to remove exposure and empower operators to scale responsibly.
The partnership reflects a shared ambition to help operators overcome both creative and capital constraints. Through iBankroll’s Bankroll-as-a-Service solution, partners gain access to Tequity’s modular Remote Game Server (RGS) and its expanding portfolio of fully customisable Originals – a suite of provably fair, streamer-friendly, brandable titles engineered for next-generation engagement.
By aligning liquidity support with cutting-edge content delivery, the partnership aims to remove longstanding barriers in the iGaming sector – whether related to volatility, differentiation, or the technical bandwidth required to launch new experiences at speed.
Operators will now be able to offer bigger limits, streamline withdrawals, and deploy fully brandable Originals, supported by a capital-efficient foundation that enhances consistency and theoretical value.
With operators increasingly seeking adaptable content frameworks and operational models that support higher limits and smoother user experiences, the collaboration introduces an integrated pathway to growth.
The joint rollout marks the beginning of a broader collaboration, with both companies focused on accelerating innovation across fintech and gaming technology.
Dominic Sawyer, VP Growth at Tequity, said: “iBankroll removes the capital constraint for ambitious operators. Tequity does the same on the content side with high-performance, fully brandable house games. Together, we give partners the confidence to offer bigger limits and smooth withdrawals on games that players genuinely love.”
Hayden Bowman, Co-Founder of iBankroll, added: “Tequity’s engineering expertise, scalable infrastructure, and standout Originals portfolio make them an ideal partner. Bringing their technology together with our Bankroll-as-a-Service gives operators a compelling foundation to grow, innovate, and future-proof their business.”
The post Tequity and iBankroll forge strategic partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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ENJOY expands distribution through SoftGamings partnership
Collaboration marks a key step in ENJOY’s ongoing growth strategy
ENJOY, the dynamic iGaming content developer, has broadened its market access through a new partnership with SoftGamings, bringing its slot and live casino portfolio to one of the industry’s leading aggregation platforms.
The deal sees ENJOY’s content, including standout releases Hotfire Diamonds, Bison Strike and Grand Lightning, made available to SoftGamings’ extensive network, reinforcing the studio’s strategy to deliver its titles across multiple markets.
The integration is the latest in a string of alliances with key industry stakeholders, and reaffirms the studio’s commitment to innovative design, technical reliability and long-term commercial impact.
Christos Zoulianitis, Chief Commercial Officer at ENJOY, said: “This new partnership firmly places ENJOY’s games in front of a wider audience seeking proven, high-quality entertainment.
“SoftGamings has established itself as a trusted distribution partner, and this collaboration supports our focus on sustainable, global growth.”
Inna Lukina, Head of Partnerships at SoftGamings, added: “ENJOY delivers strong, player-focused content that stands out for both its technical execution and playability.
“Adding its titles to our platform offers our clients access to a brand with clear creative direction and momentum.”
The post ENJOY expands distribution through SoftGamings partnership appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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PRAGMATIC PLAY STRIKES GOLD WITH FORTUNE OF OLYMPUS
Pragmatic Play, a leading content supplier to the iGaming industry, unleashes a thunderous new entry in its iconic Greek Gods series with Fortune of Olympus – an electrifying 7×7 cluster-pays slot charged with random multipliers, dynamic special bets, and a 10,000x max win.
Fortune of Olympus is the latest feature-packed addition to the industry-leading Gates of Olympus universe. The blockbuster slot delivers explosive action as clusters of 5-15+ matching symbols reward players with wins of up to 150x in the base game.
On any spin, mighty multiplier symbols worth 2x-500x can strike the grid. When multiple multipliers hit, their values combine and detonate into a single, supercharged payout at the end of the tumbling sequence.
Landing 4-7 scatter symbols triggers the bonus game, awarding 15-30 free spins. During this striking feature, every multiplier that appears is added to a growing total multiplier, which is applied to all subsequent wins in the round, building tension and potential with every spin.
Players in certain markets can also amplify the action with special bets. Ante bets boost the chance of triggering Free Spins or Super Free Spins. The two Super Spins options guarantee at least one multiplier on every spin, with the second raising the minimum multiplier value to 50x.
Those eager for instant power can jump straight into Free Spins or Super Free Spins via 100x or 500x bonus buys, with the latter ensuring all multipliers start from 5x and above.
Fortune of Olympus marks the triumphant return of Pragmatic Play’s legendary Zeus character, following the success of Gates of Olympus Super Scatter and Gates of Olympus 1000, and pushes the fan-favourite series into thrilling new territory.
Irina Cornides, Chief Operating Officer at Pragmatic Play, said: “Fortune of Olympus is a stunning addition to Pragmatic Play’s popular Greek Gods series and a distinctly different kind of outing for Zeus. Taking the iconic Gates of Olympus series in a thrilling new direction, this feature-rich slot delivers a standout experience with epic win potential.”
The post PRAGMATIC PLAY STRIKES GOLD WITH FORTUNE OF OLYMPUS appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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