Aristocrat normally has approximately 1,000 people working for business units within its Pixel United organisation in Ukraine. The company will suspend its mobile games in Russia, which have historically contributed approximately 3% of total annualised Pixel United bookings.
The group noted that it does not anticipate a material impact on earnings, with the business leveraging its network of operations across Europe, the US, and Israel, to put in place effective mitigations and uphold business continuity.
“The thoughts of all Aristocrat people are with our Ukraine colleagues and the team members who are supporting them at this difficult time,” a statement from Aristocrat read.
“The wellbeing and safety of our people remain our highest priority and Aristocrat’s Pixel United team continues to lead a comprehensive response.”
Aristocrat has assisted over two-thirds of its Ukraine-based employees and their families to relocate, with a special task force established in Poland to assist staff on the ground.
Pixel United will continue to actively manage and prioritise game content release schedules, with relocated staff working remotely, supported by existing Pixel United studios across Europe. A new office is scheduled to open soon in Wroclaw, Poland, to support further talent acquisition over time.
Aristocrat added that in terms of its Russia-based workforce, “we are exploring our strategic options and we will continue to do what we can to support our Russia based employees.”
The group will continue to closely monitor the situation, and will provide a further update within its half-year financial results in May.
