Big Fish Games Canada Closes Vancouver Office
Big Fish Games, the casual games developer is undergoing many changes, including major staff layoffs, the closing down of its smaller Vancouver branch and European headquarters.
However, the company will continue to operate out of its United States branches. Even though the US offices will remain open, the number of employees will be greatly reduced.
Big Fish Games Canada Closes and Relocates Employees
While Big Fish Games Canada closes its doors, the employees from the Canadian offices in Vancouver are being given the chance to relocate. The Big Fish Games offices in Vancouver, Canada, are somewhat small in that there are only six employees in this office.
Big Fish Games has offices in Seattle in the US state of Washington. Since Seattle is located close to Vancouver, although it is in the United States, and therefore over the Canadian boarder, the six employees working in Vancouver have not been let go, but have been offered relocation to the Seattle offices.
These employees can make their own decision regarding the relocation, but since the Big Fish Games offices in Canada are closing, the choice is to leave the company, or relocate.
Big Fish Games has Big Layoffs
Big Fish Games has its main branch in Seattle. It also operated a large European branch in Cork, Ireland. The Cork offices, where there are 89 employees, are closing down, Seattle, the company's headquarters, is also downsizing, and are letting go of 49 employees.
While letting go of so many employees has huge negative ramifications, especially for the soon to be jobless individuals, the Chief Executive Officer of Big Fish, Paul Thelen, is somewhat optimistic about the changes.
In fact, Thelen has said that the huge restructuring is not some kind of attempt at saving the company from ruin, but rather that it is an important move towards a better future for the company, and will allow the company to continue to move forward with its free games, casino, and mobile offerings.
Thelen sent a memo to his employees, noting: "We had to make some very hard
choices about these business areas that are not growing or profitable."
He continued: "I want to stress that our decisions are not based on our company-wide performance or that of the people working on those initiatives - both of which are strong - but because of where the market is growing, and quite frankly, where it is not."
He further noted: "We are realigning more than seventy employees to focus on those areas of the business that are growing and scaling."
