NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The City of New Orleans landed a big fish in the form of a mobile game developer that is setting up shop and looking to hire.

Governor John Bel Edwards announced Monday, mobile game developer Big Fish Games will be establishing a talent hub in New Orleans.

Big Fish is looking to fill positions in quality assurance and corporate functions.

“Big Fish focuses primarily on casual and mobile games and games that you can download on your iPhone or your Android phone and play while you’re waiting on your bus or just hanging around,” explained Josh Fleig, the vice president of business development at GNO, Inc. “And they’re going to make those games now in New Orleans.”

Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in more than 80 new jobs in southeast Louisiana.

Employees will report to the talent hub, or studio, at The Shop, which is located in the Central Business District on the third floor of the Contemporary Arts Center.

“Round one is to hire as many people locally as we can here in the New Orleans area,” Fleig said. “I’m assuming some folks will come from some of their other offices, as well, to help seed things and help kick this office off, but the ultimate goal is to hire people in Louisiana, making games here.”

The move was made possible by a partnership among GNO, Inc., New Orleans Business Alliance, and Louisiana Entertainment.

“This is part of a multi-year effort for us to market this area as a great destination for game developers,” Fleig said. “The state has one of the country’s most aggressive, best incentives for game developers, and we have a growing cluster of other companies in this space, making all types of games.”

Locals who are in the gaming business are excited about the news and agree the Greater New Orleans Area is the perfect spot for Big Fish Games.

“Having more game developers and things like that is going to help the city get recognized, kind of like a Hollywood South, but more for video games,” Gene Dixon, the owner of Utopian Gaming, said.

Dixon is in the process of opening Utopian Gaming, a game lounge and gaming retail store on Lapalco Blvd. in Terrytown, and it’s a spot where future mobile game developers may get their start.

“We’re going to not only have where you can play games but also where you come and ultimately learn coding, game development, things like that, the other side of gaming that not many people know.”

To apply for a job at Big Fish Games, look for the job postings on worknola.com. Additional opportunities will be posted in the coming days.

You can also go directly to bigfishgames.com.

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