BigPoint Subsidiary Opens in San Francisco

Heiko Hubertz

BigPoint, a fast growing German online gaming company that is partly owned by a GE/NBC Universal venture fund, is opening a San Francisco subsidiary that executives say could employ nearly 40 people by the end of the year. Company founder and CEO Heiko Hubertz has relocated to San Francisco to oversee the birth of BigPoint Inc., though he will also remain as CEO of Hamburg-based BigPoint GMBH. The U.S. subsidiary will operate largely as an independent company, he said.

"We think San Francisco is a perfect place as an internet and games company," Hubertz said. "We want to hire only the best people who know how this American market works."

BigPoint GMBH, which develops and hosts browser-based games in which users can play against one another real-time, is an eight year old firm with revenue of more than $100 million a year.

It claims 103 million registered users spread mostly across Europe and nearly 350 employees, up from just 15 in 2006.

Eight of the newest employees are in San Francisco, where construction is underway on a 4,500 square foot office at 2 Bryant Street. The company is financing its U.S. growth out of existing cash flow.

BigPoint anticipates hiring up to 30 employees locally in 2010, and is now interviewing for positions across the board, including in game development, engineering, business development, marketing and public relations. Most of those employees will be hired in the next few weeks.

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