Big Ant Studios Pty Ltd is an Australian

video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Founded in 2001 by

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Ross Symons, the company specialises in the development of

sports game A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport (s ...

s. Big Ant's games include ''

Cricket 19 ''Cricket 19'' is a 2019 cricket video game developed and published by Big Ant Studios. It is the official video game of the 2019 Ashes series of cricket matches, and the (first) sequel to the 2017 game ''Ashes Cricket''. It was released for Ni ...

'', ''Rugby League Live 4'', ''AFL Live'', and ''Don Bradman Cricket 14''.

History

The studio was founded in 2001 and was originally named Bull Ant Studios, but renamed as "it was getting mispronounced all around the world because they don’t have bull ants", according to Ross Symons. The studio initially worked primarily as a "studio for hire" with publishers such as

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initial ...

and

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

before moving towards sports games. Symons has explained this move on the basis that "Sport is renewable. There’s always a sequel. There’s always another season”. The studio's first sports game was

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

title '' AFL Live'', released in 2011, for the PC,

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

and

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

. The studio has since gone to make further Australian rules football games, as well as rugby league, cricket, lacrosse and tennis titles. In January 2021, French video game publisher

Nacon Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) is a French video game company based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for various platforms. In 2020 Bigben Group was consolidated to form Na ...

acquired Big Ant for €35 million. Symons has commented on his ambition "to grow Big Ant Studios into the largest developer of sports entertainment software in the world", and increase staff numbers from 66 (as of April 2022) to 200.

Games developed

Advocacy

Symons opined in a 2016 ''

Australian Financial Review ''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...

'' piece that interns should be properly compensated for their work. Big Ant Studios joined the

Interactive Games and Entertainment Association The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) is the industry association for computer and video games in Australia and New Zealand. The IGEA represents companies that are publishers, distributors and marketers of interactive enterta ...

(IGEA) in December 2015. Symons made a presentation on the games industry challenges and opportunities to the Australian government's new Parliamentary Friends of Video Games group. In 2021 Symons was added to the IGEA's board of directors. Big Ant Studios sponsors the women's team at the

Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club, nicknamed the Blues, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's top professional competition. Founded in 1864 in Carlton, an inner suburb of Mel ...

Notes

References

External links

* {{Big Ant Studios Companies based in Melbourne Australian companies established in 2001 Video game companies established in 2001 Video game companies of Australia Video game development companies 2021 mergers and acquisitions Australian subsidiaries of foreign companies Nacon