Key points:
- Aristocrat completes Plarium sale to Modern Times Group (MTG) and announces restructuring of Big Fish Games to focus on evergreen titles
- The company will retire its Pixel United segment, with Product Madness becoming the new reporting segment for social gaming operations
Aristocrat Leisure Limited has concluded its strategic review of casual and mid-core gaming assets, resulting in the sale of Plarium Global Limited to MTG.
The transaction, announced in November 2024, has been finalised, with proceeds to be allocated in line with Aristocrat's long-term growth strategy.
In addition, Aristocrat has decided to restructure its Big Fish Games operations. The focus will now be on maintaining existing profitable titles, with no plans for new game development and a significant reduction in investment within the Big Fish portfolio.
Following the strategic review, Aristocrat will retire the Pixel United reporting segment and its associated corporate team structure.
Starting from the first half results for the six months ending 31 March 2025, Product Madness will replace the Pixel United segment, encompassing results from both Product Madness and Big Fish.
Plarium will be classified as a discontinued operation, and its results will be excluded from the calculation of net profit after tax and before amortisation of acquired intangibles (NPATA).
Good to know: An update on capital management is anticipated at the company's Annual General Meeting on 20 February 2025
Superna Kalle, Aristocrat’s Chief Strategy Officer, will assume executive leadership responsibility for Product Madness, in addition to her existing roles in Strategy and Corporate Development, as well as overseeing Transformation and Data capabilities.
Commenting on the review, CEO and Managing Director Trevor Croker stated: “With the completion of the strategic review of our casual and mid-core gaming assets, Aristocrat is well placed to accelerate our refreshed growth strategy.
“We are deepening management focus and targeting investment behind our core strengths in regulated gaming and gaming-themed content, to unlock new and adjacent opportunities across global markets.
“The outcomes of the review reflect Aristocrat’s ongoing focus on driving shareholder value, with the benefit of clear choices and a commitment to growth.”
This strategic realignment comes as Aristocrat Interactive recently boosted its leadership team with the appointment of Nir Hakarmeli as iGaming & Sports Managing Director.
