Karp landed as Big Fish Games appoints new Managing Director

BIG Fish Games, which is part of Aristocrat Leisure Limited, has announced it has landed a shark with Jeff Karp coming on board as Managing Director and President.

The high-profile signing, who has held a key role with EA sports, will be charged with overseeing an expected growth period for the company in the competitive games industry.

Big Fish’s current portfolio of games is played by millions around the world and led by chart-topping franchises, such as Big Fish Casino, Cooking Craze, Gummy Drop, Fairway Solitaire and Jackpot Magic Slots.

Karp has more than 15 years in senior executive roles with leading companies in the video games industry including EA (Executive Vice President, Play Label), Zynga (Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer) and GSN Games (Executive Vice President, Social and Mobile Games).

“I am honoured to be working with such a creative and talented group, who are focused on enhancing life through exceptional play,” he said.

“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.

“I look forward to working with everyone at Big Fish to deliver our growth plans for the benefit of our players, our people and all our stakeholders.”

Karp was instrumental in building multi-billion-dollar franchise games, including EA SPORTS, Words With Friends, Farmville, The Sims franchise, Bingo Bash, GSN Casino, and many more.

Most recently, Karp was the Chief Executive Officer of Sports Illustrated Play, a youth sports focused digital platform that was acquired by Comcast/NBC earlier this year.

Aristocrat Chief Digital Officer Jeff Goldstein said the acquisition of Karp could be a springboard to a sustained period of growth for the company.

“I am delighted to welcome Jeff Karp to Big Fish,” he said.

“Jeff’s expertise in growing games into global entertainment franchises is unsurpassed.

“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.”