Bigpoint brings in second CEO; current CEO to run US business unit

Free-to-play publisher BigPoint is spreading its wings by hiring a second CEO. Gamasutra reports that Heiko Hubertz, the current CEO, will now be leading the company's US unit while Arthur Bastings, the former EMEA managing director of Discovery Networks, will be in charge of BigPoint's Hamburg, Germany office.

Hubertz said he moved to the US one year ago.

"I think it makes total sense that we have two CEOs in the company if I'm in the U.S. and we need someone here at the Hamburg headquarters."

While the two CEO will talk on a regular, even a daily, basis Hubertz says, "I have more of a focus on the U.S., and Arthur has the focus on Europe."

BigPoint has been expanding its user base rapidly. It currently has 60 games and 790 million users.

"We're doing three-digit million numbers in revenue, and two-digit million numbers in profit." Its US office in San Francisco currently has 90 employees and Hubertz says those numbers will go up to 200 team members by the end of the year," Hubertz said.

BigPoint's highest profile game so far has been Battlestar Galactica Online, but its US office has also been developing original games like the online shooter Ruined.

"We're developing many IPs -- even IPs we haven't announced quite yet," Hubertz said.

He added that BigPoint will stick with its browser-based business model and has no plans to develop games for consoles.