Big Fish

Gaming industry launches lobbying effort to shield smartphone games from Washington gambling laws

by Monica Nickelsburg on December 4, 2019December 5, 2019 at 10:50 amComment

Gaming industry and civic leaders in Washington state are launching a new lobbying organization today, part of a broader effort to exempt smartphone games from local gambling laws. Game On… Read More

Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs selling Big Fish Games for $990M, just three years after initial purchase

by Taylor Soper on November 29, 2017July 1, 2018 at 9:53 pmComment

Just three years after acquiring Big Fish Games, Churchill Downs Inc. is selling its mobile gaming subsidiary to Australia-based Aristocrat Technologies for $990 million. Churchill Downs announced on Wednesday that it… Read More

GeekWork Picks: Context Relevant seeks distributed system engineer to tackle complex software solutions

by Clare McGrane on April 12, 2017July 4, 2017 at 3:47 pmComment

Context Relevant does some cool stuff. The big data analytics company works on problems like predicting customer behavior and preventing fraud and hackers, and it is looking for a Senior Distributed… Read More

Kentucky Derby operator running fast after Big Fish deal, CEO calls it ‘everything we hoped it would be’

by John Cook on April 29, 2015April 29, 2015 at 4:43 amComment

It was a bit odd when Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs gobbled up Seattle gaming powerhouse Big Fish late last year for $885 million. After all, some wondered what a… Read More

GeekWire Awards: Voting begins for Deal of the Year, after a blockbuster year

by John Cook on April 21, 2015April 10, 2017 at 8:57 amComment

There were some blockbuster deals in the Seattle tech industry over the past 12 months — so many that it was extremely hard to limit our selections to just five… Read More

Big Fish takes over entire Seattle waterfront building as Classmates.com moves downtown

by Taylor Soper on April 16, 2015April 16, 2015 at 2:35 pm1 Comment

Big Fish is getting bigger, and now it has an entire building to call home. The Seattle-based gaming company, which was acquired by Churchill Downs Inc. this past December, is taking… Read More

Tech Moves: Intel VP Hank Skorny joins Neustar; Mike Foley’s new Bluetooth gig; Amazon hires Alaska Air pilot; and more

by Tricia Duryee on April 2, 2015April 2, 2015 at 7:32 amComment

—Long-time Seattle executive Hank Skorny has joined Neustar as SVP of the Internet of Things (IoT). Previously, Skorny was at Intel in the Seattle area, where he was VP of the Software & Services… Read More

Big Fish says ‘unknown criminal’ intercepted gamers’ credit card info

by Todd Bishop on February 17, 2015February 17, 2015 at 11:01 am1 Comment

Big Fish, the Seattle-based game company acquired in December for up to $885 million by the owner of the Churchill Downs racetrack, says an “unknown criminal” installed malware on its online billing and payment… Read More

GeekWork Picks: Zillow seeks out-of-practice coders for ‘Returnship’ program

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 at 2:56 pm 6 Comments

In December Zillow launched a new “Returnship” program, a three-month training gig that allows developers to refresh their coding knowledge with the help of a mentor. “I think that the… Read More

GeekWire’s 2014 Newsmakers of the Year: Big wins, surprise deals, and major impact

by John Cook & Taylor Soper on December 4, 2014April 10, 2017 at 9:07 am1 Comment

It has been another big year for technology news in the Seattle region. Major acquisitions, historic transitions, and critical community initiatives have been reshaping the landscape in one of the world’s most active and vibrant… Read More

Satya Nadella’s bold bet at Microsoft; Amazon reshapes Seattle; and other top posts of the month

by John Cook on November 30, 2014December 7, 2014 at 10:52 am 5 Comments

November was a big month for GeekWire. We kept our growing community of geeks well fed on tech news, breaking stories on Apple’s new engineering office in Seattle, Zillow’s expansion at… Read More

Study: Game and app developers helped generate $36.3B of revenue in Washington last year

by Taylor Soper on November 16, 2014November 16, 2014 at 9:13 pmComment

To say that the interactive media industry has an impact on the Washington economy would be an understatement. According to a new study from Seattle’s Economic Development Council (EDC), companies that develop games… Read More

Podcast

GeekWire Radio: This 14-year-old tech entrepreneur is making her mark with a webcam for dogs

by Todd Bishop on November 15, 2014December 25, 2014 at 3:17 pmComment

This week on the GeekWire radio show, we catch up with Brooke Martin, the 14-year-old inventor of the iCPooch webcam and treat dispenser for dogs — the overwhelming audience favorite at… Read More

Why the Kentucky Derby’s owner is sprinting into the games business with a huge $885M buy of Big Fish

by John Cook on November 13, 2014November 13, 2014 at 9:50 am 13 Comments

Churchill Downs is an iconic part of American culture, best known for the running of the Kentucky Derby. So, why in the heck is the operator of America’s best known… Read More

Tech Moves: Big Fish lures former PopCap CFO; Her Interactive names CEO; Pendrell’s new CFO; and more

by John Cook on September 4, 2014January 13, 2015 at 9:41 pmComment

—Big Fish just hooked a new finance chief. The Seattle casual games company today announced that Bob Chamberlain recently joined as CFO. The hire is significant, in part because Chamberlain… Read More

Lawsuit accuses Big Fish of baiting customers into signing up for ‘free’ game memberships that really aren’t

by Tricia Duryee on August 6, 2014September 1, 2014 at 9:42 am 10 Comments

Big Fish is being accused of misleading customers about the true cost of a game membership that’s offered as free, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday. The lawsuit, which is seeking class… Read More

Big Fish says small fees are the reason to accept Bitcoin

by Tricia Duryee on March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 at 7:27 am 6 Comments

Want to plow your digital fields for a penny, or drop a dollar into a virtual slot machine? Today, Seattle-based Big Fish said it has begun accepting Bitcoin to make… Read More

Big Fish reeling in more casino gamers with high-stakes TV spot

by Tricia Duryee on February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 at 4:01 pm 12 Comments

Seattle-based game company Big Fish said last year that nearly half of its revenue came from mobile, and now it’s betting some of that cash on its first-ever national TV campaign.… Read More

Nearly 50% of Big Fish’s revenue came from mobile in 2013

by Taylor Soper on January 28, 2014January 28, 2014 at 1:38 pmComment

Paying attention to the widespread adoption of mobile devices is turning out to be a good decision for the folks at Big Fish. The Seattle-based gaming company, currently ranked No. 1… Read More

Treasure hunt: Big Fish partners with Smithsonian for ‘Hope Diamond’ PC game

by Taylor Soper on November 12, 2013November 12, 2013 at 6:48 amComment

For the first time ever, the Smithsonian National History Museum is helping produce a PC game — and it’s partnering with a Seattle game company to do so. The Smithsonian… Read More

Big Fish CEO sees clear line between social casinos and real online gambling

by Blair Hanley Frank on October 29, 2013October 29, 2013 at 6:09 pm1 Comment

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – It’s a tumultuous time for the social casino market. As real-money gambling heads to the Internet in fits and starts, companies that make casino-style social games might seem… Read More

Full memo: Big Fish CEO announces job cuts, cancellation of cloud games business and closure of Ireland and BC facilities

by John Cook on August 21, 2013August 21, 2013 at 11:12 am 14 Comments

It’s a bad day for Big Fish. The Seattle casual game maker today announced that it is laying off 49 employees in Seattle, and closing its operations in Cork, Ireland… Read More

Kentucky Derby operator Churchill Downs selling Big Fish Games for $990M, just three years after initial purchase

GeekWork Picks: Context Relevant seeks distributed system engineer to tackle complex software solutions

Kentucky Derby operator running fast after Big Fish deal, CEO calls it ‘everything we hoped it would be’

GeekWire Awards: Voting begins for Deal of the Year, after a blockbuster year

Big Fish takes over entire Seattle waterfront building as Classmates.com moves downtown

Tech Moves: Intel VP Hank Skorny joins Neustar; Mike Foley’s new Bluetooth gig; Amazon hires Alaska Air pilot; and more

Big Fish says ‘unknown criminal’ intercepted gamers’ credit card info

GeekWork Picks: Zillow seeks out-of-practice coders for ‘Returnship’ program

GeekWire’s 2014 Newsmakers of the Year: Big wins, surprise deals, and major impact

Satya Nadella’s bold bet at Microsoft; Amazon reshapes Seattle; and other top posts of the month

Study: Game and app developers helped generate $36.3B of revenue in Washington last year

GeekWire Radio: This 14-year-old tech entrepreneur is making her mark with a webcam for dogs

Why the Kentucky Derby’s owner is sprinting into the games business with a huge $885M buy of Big Fish

Tech Moves: Big Fish lures former PopCap CFO; Her Interactive names CEO; Pendrell’s new CFO; and more

Lawsuit accuses Big Fish of baiting customers into signing up for ‘free’ game memberships that really aren’t

Big Fish says small fees are the reason to accept Bitcoin

Big Fish reeling in more casino gamers with high-stakes TV spot

Nearly 50% of Big Fish’s revenue came from mobile in 2013

Treasure hunt: Big Fish partners with Smithsonian for ‘Hope Diamond’ PC game

Full memo: Big Fish CEO announces job cuts, cancellation of cloud games business and closure of Ireland and BC facilities

Big Fish launches first mobile social roulette game

Big Fish cloud gaming app now available on Android phones, Roku players

Cha-ching: Big Fish now has the top-grossing casino app worldwide

Game of the Year? Vote here in the GeekWire Awards

‘Dear Valve, Hire Me’: What happened to the woman who wrote that song

Big Fish touts 2 billion game downloads, reports $220 million in bookings last year

Big Fish CEO Paul Thelen: ‘I’m an idea guy and that can be dangerous as a CEO’

An ‘unrecognizable’ Seattle: One MIT geek’s take on the ‘rainy’ city

Meet This Billionaire Space Tourist Who created Microsoft Word and Excel

Mission to Mars – Everything you need to know

Startup Pitch Bootcamp: Learn from Seattle’s Top Entrepreneurs