GOODGAME STUDIOS SPEEDS UP FOCUSING ON CORE BUSINESS AND REPOSITIONS ITSELF
Hamburg,
- Further development of successful titles such as “Goodgame Empire” and “Big Farm”
- Live game players can look forward to many new updates
- Adaption of Goodgame Studios’ capacities and structure to the volatile market environment
- Million-euro investments in HTML5 strategy
Goodgame Studios, a leading developer and provider of free-to-play games, speeds up focusing on its core business as started last summer. The company has decided to focus its efforts on its most successful games worldwide, this includes the titles “Goodgame Empire” and “Big Farm” in particular. In doing this, the company ensures serving its very large, loyal, and global Goodgame player community and to further develop its high-quality live games. Along with this strategic realignment, the management team will also be restructured. The two company founders Kai and Christian Wawrzinek will return to the top of the company. As CEO and CSO they will be in charge of the operative business.
Increasing competition in volatile market environment
The market for free-to-play games is under high and constantly increasing competitive pressure. It has also proven difficult for other market players across the industry in Germany. The industry is fighting for market shares with rapidly increasing marketing budgets, the success of new games is increasingly difficult to predict. At the same time, new developments could not achieve the desired successes yet.
Adaption of capacities and corporate structure
Facing these challenges, the management team and founders have initiated an adaption of the company’s capacities and structure. Along with this, Goodgame Studios will downsize its management team and cut about 200 jobs in all corporate departments. The employees were informed of this.
Among others, present CEO, Maximilian Schneider, will leave Goodgame Studios by the end of February by mutual agreement. He remains very closely affiliated with both the founders and the company.
“The decision we took last summer, to concentrate more on our core brands – “Goodgame Empire / Empire: Four Kingdoms” and “Big Farm” – and to place our customers at the heart of our activities, is still the right thing to do. Moreover, we will invest some million euros in our HTML5 strategy and see further chances for growth there. With shorter decision-making processes, our new, clear focus and investments in the HTML5 strategy, the foundation for the long term company success of Goodgame Studios is laid”, says Kai Wawrzinek, the company’s founder and CEO.
Social plan for affected employees
Together with the in-house codetermination council Goodgame Employee Committee (GEC) company management has developed a social plan. It includes a social package which goes beyond gaming industry standards. Employees can choose between a compensation model, which is varied according to duration of employment at the company, or a supplementary payment to their unemployment benefits. Redundancies follow all criteria of socially responsible selection.
