NEW ORLEANS, La. – Big Fish Games, a leading mobile casual game developer, announced it is establishing a talent hub in New Orleans to continue to bolster its workforce as the company further expands its presence in North America.

The company, creator of casual games such as EverMerge, Gummy Drop! and Cooking Craze, expects to create 40 new direct jobs over the next several years. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 44 new indirect jobs for a total of 84 new jobs in the Southeast region.

“Louisiana continues to stand out and attract technology companies because of our dynamic, skilled workforce,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “These companies, like Big Fish Games, help diversify the state’s economy, while also empowering Louisianans with new jobs and opportunities for professional success.”

To help stimulate growth in Louisiana’s tech sector and its workforce, Big Fish is planning to partner with local universities and digital training schools as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programs to recruit local talent.

“Big Fish is a collaborative company, and we are excited to work with partners who share our philosophy that making games should be fun as well as inclusive,” Big Fish Games President Larry Plotnick said. “We believe this new hub will help further diversify what we call the Big Fish Reef – a vibrant, diverse ecosystem where everyone thrives – as well as support our ambition to become a top 10 publisher of mobile casual games.”

The Seattle-based company will open its fourth location at The Shop, a coworking space in downtown New Orleans. Big Fish is looking to hire for positions in quality assurance and corporate functions.

“Big Fish Gaming is a global leader in casual and mobile gaming, meaning we are adding another world-class company to our burgeoning video game sector in Greater New Orleans,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of GNO, Inc. “With every new software job in our region, we are not only creating more opportunity for our residents, we are also establishing Greater New Orleans as a diverse and productive technology hub.”

The state of Louisiana’s Digital Interactive Media & Software Development Tax Credit program helped secure the project in New Orleans. Under this statutory performance-based incentive program, eligible expenditures may generate up to 25% in tax credits for the company.