Big Ant Studios

Big Ant Studios is an Australian video game developer based in Melbourne. Founded in 2000 by chief executive officer Ross Symons, the company specialises in the development of sports games. Big Ant's games include Cricket 22, Rugby League Live 4,^[1] AFL Live,^[2][3] AFL 23,^[4] Cricket 24 and Rugby 25 and Tiebreak: Official game of the ATP and WTA.

Big Ant Studios Pty Ltd

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Founded	2000; 25 years ago (2000)
Founder	Ross Symons
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Key people	Ross Symons (CEO)
Number of employees	145
Parent	Nacon (2021–present)
Website	bigant.com

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 and Konami 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”.^[5]

The studio's first sports game was Australian rules football title AFL Live, released in 2011, for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[2] The studio has since gone to make further Australian rules football games, as well as rugby league,^[1] cricket,^[6] lacrosse^[7] and tennis^[8] titles.

In January 2021, French video game publisher Nacon acquired Big Ant for €35 million.^[9] 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.^[10]

In April 2023, Big Ant opened a second studio in Adelaide.^[11]

Games developed

Year	Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Notes	Ref
2006	Sprint Cars: Road to Knoxville	Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2	THQ		[12]
	The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning	Game Boy Advance	Vivendi Universal Games[a]	Developed with Krome Studios	[13]
2007	The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night	PlayStation 2, Wii			[14]
2008	Hellboy: The Science of Evil	PlayStation Portable	Konami		[15]
	Sprint Cars 2: Showdown at Eldora	PlayStation 2	THQ		[16]
2009	Short Track Racing: Trading Paint				[17]
2010	Rugby League Live	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360	Tru Blu Entertainment		[18]
	World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360	THQ		[19]
	Truth or Lies	PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360			[20][21]
2011	AFL Live	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360	Tru Blu Entertainment		[2]
	Pirate Blast	Wii	Zoo Games		[22]
2012	Rugby League Live 2	iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360	Tru Blu Entertainment		[23]
	Jetpack Joyride	PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita	Big Ant Studios	Port	[24]
2013	Fruit Ninja	PlayStation Vita			[25]
2014	Don Bradman Cricket 14	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One	Tru Blu Entertainment		[3]
	Jetpack Joyride Deluxe	PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita	Big Ant Studios	Port	[26]
2015	Rugby League Live 3	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One	Tru Blu Entertainment		[27]
	TableTop Cricket	Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3	Big Ant Studios		[28]
2016	Big Bash Cricket	Android, iOS	Cricket Australia		[29]
	Casey Powell Lacrosse 16	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One	Big Ant Studios		[7]
	Don Bradman Cricket 17	PlayStation 4, Xbox One	Tru Blu Entertainment		[30]
	Jetpack Joyride	PlayStation 4	Big Ant Studios	Port	[31]
	Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One			[32]
2017	Ashes Cricket	PlayStation 4, Xbox One			[33]
	Rugby League Live 4	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One	Tru Blu Entertainment		[1]
2018	AO International Tennis		Big Ant Studios		[34]
	AO Tennis	Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One			[35]
	Big Bash Boom	Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One			[36]
	Casey Powell Lacrosse 18	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One			[37]
2019	Cricket 19	Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One			[38]
2020	AO Tennis 2	Amazon Luna, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One	Nacon		[39]
	Tennis World Tour 2				[40]
2021	The Hundred Mobile	Android, iOS			[41]
	Cricket 22	Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S		The Nintendo Switch release was delayed to April 2022[42]	[43]
2023	AFL 23	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S			[4]
	Cricket 24	Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S			[44]
2024	Tiebreak: Official game of the ATP and WTA	Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S			[45]
2025	Rugby 25	PlayStation4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows			[46]
	AFL 26	PlayStation4, PlayStation5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows		Expected Release date of 8 May 2025
	TIEBREAK+	Nintendo Switch		Expected Release date of 15 May 2025
	Rugby League 26	PlayStation4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows		Expected to release in July 2025
	Cricket 26	PlayStation4, PlayStation5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows		Expected release before the Australian Ashes series of 2025

Advocacy

Symons opined in a 2016 Australian Financial Review piece that interns should be properly compensated for their work.^[47] Big Ant Studios joined the Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) in December 2015.^[48] Symons made a presentation on the games industry challenges and opportunities to the Australian government's new Parliamentary Friends of Video Games group.^[49] In 2021 Symons was added to the IGEA's board of directors.^[50]

Big Ant Studios sponsors the women's team at the Carlton Football Club.^[51]

Notes

1. Released under the Sierra Entertainment brand name