Interviews
The complete package
Edgar Pau, Head of Studio at Red Desert Games, says mechanics are important to the success of a slot game but all components must come together in harmony for it to be a chart-topping success.
Are game mechanics the most important thing for studios to get right?
For a game to succeed, studios must get the whole package right and while mechanics are a core part of this, they must also nail the maths, theme, art, sound and UX, and then bring all these factors together in a way that immerses players in the action. No one thing on its own will be enough to make the game a hit with players. When it comes to mechanics, you need to have a clear goal of what it is, how it brings differentiation to the game and what makes it exciting for the player. The mechanic must also fit with the maths – if the math model makes the mechanic appear too frequently (or infrequently) it can dilute the influence and value of the mechanic and lead to different reactions from players.
Do mechanics offer studios the greatest room in which to innovate and stand out from their rivals?
The online slot market is fiercely competitive with more studios getting in on the action every month. Studios must differentiate, and in the absence of having well-recognised land-based games, mechanics offer the easiest route for standing out and connecting with players online. Some studios have turned to things like hybrid themes and licenses to launch branded slots to help them get ahead of their rivals, but for me, mechanics are the best way of doing this as they help the studio create its own identity and hallmark. If you look at both the land-based and online slot markets, it’s mechanics that have been the game-changers in recent times in the form of Lightning Link from Aristocrat and of course Megaways from Big Time Gaming. This is why so many studios are dedicating significant resources to developing proprietary mechanics and then filing to trademark their IP.
Is this a challenging area for studios to get right?
Very much so. There is absolutely no science behind it and it’s often the case that a mechanic you think is great and will hit the mark with players falls short. It’s also hard to come up with a new mechanic and how far to go with it – do you bring something entirely new to the table or look to incrementally improve something tried and tested in the market? Some of the mechanics I have seen are far too ambitious and make light-years leaps forward. While the studio should be commended for being bold and brave, players ultimately like familiarity and are reluctant to spend time and money learning an overly complex mechanic or stick with one that initially seems to be familiar but as they play it, moves too far away from the core experience they like. That’s why studios need to carry out comprehensive market research, understand what players are looking for and keep asking themselves if the mechanic they are developing is something they will actually want to play or not.
How is Red Desert Games approaching mechanics? How do you ensure your games deliver what players are looking for?
Most of the team at Red Desert Games are slot players, and this really helps in building our understanding of what players are looking for from the next generation of slot games they play. We always have open discussions or share videos and pictures of games or mechanics we have played and liked. We are also careful not to take things too far – our approach is to do something that incrementally innovates on what is out there, whether it’s a symbol, reel strip, reel structure, gameplay or some other variable rather than reinventing the wheel. This is why our definition of a mechanic is pretty broad.
In terms of delivering what players are looking for, I think it’s important to first identify what segment of the player base you are trying to target. You can’t be everything to everyone as some of the things different player groups want are mutually exclusive. Once we’ve done this, we run our initial math model through our proprietary simulator where we can adjust parameters and run simulations over tens of millions of spins and sessions which gives us insights into what an individual session looks like from a player’s point of view.
We’re also very self-critical of our games and are always asking ourselves if we were playing this game, what’s good and what’s bad about it. We’ve even had games where we’ve gone 90% down the production path and completely shelved it or reworked it. Of course, those were our learning experiences and we’ve put in processes and stop checks to ensure that this doesn’t happen anymore as it’s a very inefficient way to develop.
Does online provide a studio with more opportunities to push the boundaries than when developing for land-based? You develop for both so how does this impact your approach to mechanics?
100%. There is more flexibility when developing online games versus land-based games, especially in markets outside of North America. As an example, in the Australian land-based market, metamorphic games are not permitted and many of our online games would never be allowed in retail casinos. In the United States, they are less restrictive, but they still have requirements that limit what studios can do. In Michigan, for example, the maximum advertised win must land once every fifty million spins. And those land-based requirements usually carry into the iGaming regulations as well. Now go to Europe, Asia or Latin America and you won’t find these sorts of restrictions. In terms of how this impacts our approach to mechanics, we actually have teams making games for both online and land-based. So being the more flexible market, it doesn’t affect us on the online side. In markets such as the U.S., having a land-based business gives our team an advantage as some of our designers have been making land-based games for almost 30 years and they’re familiar with the regulations and restrictions and how to work around them. As the same restrictions are typically present in both online and land-based, we can easily adjust the online games to satisfy the regulations.
How do mechanics differ from market to market in terms of player preferences? Where are the greatest differences?
It really varies from market to market. Not just the popularity of certain mechanics, but also in the type of games, the themes and the math preferences. If I look at the U.S. market, it’s clear that some of the popular land-based mechanics are also performing well online, such as hold and spin/cash on reels. Megaways has also been popular in the U.S. But then if you go to markets in Latin America, you see things such as crash games being popular or Dragon Tiger from PG Soft in Brazil, which is a simple but well put together game. I’ve also seen markets where a segment of the player base doesn’t even play the base game and goes straight to the buy feature. In Europe, it’s a real melting pot with the greatest variety of mechanics and game types. This is why developing mechanics is not for the faint-hearted, and why those who enjoy international success such as Megaways should be applauded. But given the runaway success of Megaways, it’s no wonder other studios are looking to bring their own unique, trademarked mechanics to the market.
The post The complete package appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Fast Track, the leading SaaS technology company and CRM provider in the iGaming industry, has unveiled the second instalment of its Inside Out video series.
Titled “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” the interview features CEO and Co-founder Simon Lidzén in a candid, behind-the-scenes discussion about the company’s growth, challenges, and vision for the future.
In the 30-minute video, Simon reflects on Fast Track’s nearly ten-year journey: “Success to me is about setting goals and achieving them. This year has been intense, but incredibly rewarding. From scaling Fast Track to launching groundbreaking products like Rewards, we’re just getting started.”
The conversation explores the launch of Rewards, Fast Track’s promotional ecosystem that integrates CRM with gamification to deliver engaging and personalised player experiences. Simon also discusses the company’s rapid global expansion and the challenges of scaling leadership within a fast-growing organisation. Looking ahead to 2025, he highlights Fast Track’s focus on leveraging AI to redefine CRM and customer engagement.
Simon’s reflections also touch on the company’s culture: “Fast Track is built on relentless innovation and a team that thrives on solving challenges. Seeing how much we’ve grown and how far we’ve come makes this journey so exciting.”
For those unfamiliar with Fast Track, the company is a high-growth SaaS leader, known for pioneering the use of AI to deliver personalised experiences to customers. Its software empowers companies to automate marketing and operational workflows, enabling teams to focus on strategy and innovation. Fast Track is reshaping CRM for iGaming, setting a new standard for customer engagement.
Watch the interview here: https://2ly.link/23JyZ
The post Fast Track CEO Shares Honest Reflections in New Interview: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
As we enter 2025, what unique opportunities do you see for WA.Technology in the LatAm iGaming market?
The iGaming market in Latin America is experiencing rapid transformation, and this dynamic shift presents considerable opportunities for companies with the right strategy and adaptability.
We are witnessing a shift from informal, semi-professional operations to a growing demand for a formal, structured, and professional gaming industry that can meet the higher expectations emerging from both regulators and consumers.
At WA.Technology, we are perfectly positioned to leverage our extensive local knowledge to achieve just that. Our team has been working across the region for years, from Mexico to Brazil, Colombia, and beyond, which gives us a unique edge in navigating the regulatory complexities and unique behavioural dynamics of this evolving landscape.
This authentic regional understanding not only allows us to stay ahead of market trends but also empowers us to innovate in a way that aligns with global best practices while being sensitive to local cultures, customs, and regulations. As the LatAm gaming market continues to mature, we are ready to support operators in a more structured, regulated, and growth-oriented environment.
How does WA.Technology plan to maintain its progress across the region in 2025?
Our approach to sustained growth in Latin America is driven by the expertise of our team, who bring years of experience from across the region. The team at WA.Technology has collectively worked across a variety of LatAm gaming markets, gaining firsthand knowledge of local regulations and consumer preferences. This wealth of experience enables us to navigate the ever-changing landscape with agility and precision.
As the region continues to evolve, we will continue to integrate global best practices while remaining flexible enough to address the unique needs of each local market. Our strategy at WA.Technology largely focuses on building close relationships with various local stakeholders, refining our offerings based on real-time feedback and ensuring our presence continues to make a long-lasting difference in the region.
We are committed to driving long-term growth, building strong partnerships and providing the best possible value to our clients across Latin America.
For operators looking to enter Latin America in 2025, what are some of the key trends/nuances they need to be aware of? And how is WA.Technology helping them to navigate these?
Entering the Latin American market in 2025 presents a variety of opportunities for growth. However, operators looking to make the most of what this region has to offer must carefully consider local regulations, consumer behaviour, and cultural differences in each country. After all, LatAm is not one homogenous region – each country has its own unique dynamics at play.
Regulatory frameworks continue to evolve rapidly, with each individual regulator in the region setting its own rules, meaning that operators must be highly adaptable and well-prepared for any future legislative changes. But regulations aren’t the only challenge.
Understanding local consumer habits, preferences, and cultural nuances is equally critical to building a successful operation. For example, the products players enjoy in Brazil are likely to be completely different to those favoured by Mexican bettors.
At WA.Technology, we help operators navigate these complexities by offering solutions that are fully compliant with local laws and tailored to meet the diverse needs of Latin American consumers.
We don’t see ourselves as just a technology provider; we want to be a trusted partner, supporting operators in their journey to understand the regulatory environment and local market dynamics, ensuring they’re well-positioned for long-term success.
With Brazil now live, how does WA.Technology plan to gain an edge in what is likely to be a highly competitive market?
Brazil is undoubtedly the flagship market in Latin America, and we’ve been preparing for this moment for some time. With a market of such size and potential, competition is bound to be hard. However, we are confident that our extensive local presence and tailored approach will give us a distinct edge unmatched by any other provider on the market.
We’ve made significant investments in Brazil, building a team that is highly knowledgeable about the local market and deeply embedded in the regulatory landscape. I am proud to say our team has worked extremely hard to ensure we were ready in time for the new regulations in Brazil and that we are in a position now to grow even further in this market as a result. With dedicated local offices, a strong team of regulatory experts and seasoned professionals with operational expertise, we are well-equipped to navigate the complexities of Brazil’s rapidly growing iGaming market.
Our extensive knowledge of the local market and commitment to delivering innovative, market-specific solutions allows us to provide licensed operators with the tools they need to succeed in this competitive space.
How will your approach to Brazil differ from that of the wider LatAm market?
While Brazil is undeniably one of the largest and most significant markets in Latin America, our approach to the region as a whole is both comprehensive and tailored to the unique characteristics of each country.
We recognise that Latin America is a highly diverse and dynamic market where each country presents distinct opportunities, challenges, and regulatory landscapes.
At WA.Technology, we adopt a market-specific strategy across our entire business, ensuring that we provide localised solutions that meet the unique needs of each country while maintaining a strong, responsive presence in all key markets.
Our team brings extensive experience from working in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. In fact, we recently expanded our footprint by opening offices in Mexico City, which allows us to stay closely connected to local developments and offer even more tailored support to our partners in this market.
Mexico is particularly important to us in terms of future growth, and we view it as a key focus for WA.Technology alongside Brazil. Our integrated, flexible approach ensures we can remain agile across the entire region, responding effectively to each market’s specific demands while maintaining a cohesive regional strategy.
What are your goals for expanding WA.Technology’s footprint in LatAm over the next 12 months? And how do you plan to achieve these?
Looking ahead to the rest of 2025, our key goals for expanding WA.Technology’s footprint in Latin America is rooted in two fundamental pillars: extensive market knowledge and strong local presence.
As the region evolves at a rapid pace, staying ahead of market shifts requires constant attention. Our strategy is to maintain a physical presence in every major market, fostering relationships with local stakeholders, regulators, and operators. By doing this, we are able to anticipate changes in the wider market and position ourselves as a proactive, solutions-driven partner, ensuring that our partners can retain their competitive edge.
We aim to further solidify our relationships with key players across the region and remain highly engaged in local markets, adapting our solutions in real-time to meet emerging needs.
Our focus on continuous engagement ensures that we’re always in tune with the evolving landscape, positioning WA.Technology to lead the way in driving innovation and delivering value in Latin America.
The post Patricio Molloy: WA.Technology is ready to raise the bar for LatAm in 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Tom Walton, Director at technology consultancy, Burendo, shares how operators can achieve sustainable profitability with learnings from other sectors
Operators who are merging and acquiring other businesses, launching new products or even integrating third-party technologies, can find themselves navigating complex internal processes. It is a complex large-scale challenge. Where M&As are commonplace, brand consolidation can be critical when securing sustainable profitability while planning for higher returns in the future. Within the emerging LatAm and US markets, acquisition remains a key focus. A common issue, regardless of geography, is the challenges presented by outdated or fragmented platforms and systems, a major obstacle in the growth trajectory.
In many cases, fundamental changes in how the organisation functions: its people, processes and technology holds the key to better value, higher profits, operational efficiency and reduced risk. By addressing these complexities with proven experience, technology consultants can support operators to be successful in their strategic initiatives.
Agility in competitive markets
To remain competitive in an ever-changing market, operators must move fast and with agility to refine their offering. A constant eye on retention, acquisition and regulatory changes is paramount to avoid financial impact. Despite this risk, research conducted by Accenture in 2022 found that 95% of B2B and B2C C-level executives believe their customers are changing faster than they can change their business, indicating most operators risk falling behind. This poses the question of how this can be supported.
The value of technology consultancies is in enabling businesses to extract greater value from existing resources through a confident understanding of what good looks like. Bringing external ideas gathered through experience, exemplary resources from process to people, can demonstrate what good looks like. More importantly, it shortens the timeline to achieving real goals in the organisation. Being under resourced or lacking the skills needed across these challenges makes it difficult to gain an overarching perspective particularly within a siloed approach.
At Burendo, we leverage more than 40 years of cross-sector experience. We are not only working with some of the biggest operators in betting and gaming, but partner with other highly regulated industries including finance and healthcare. We have helped operators across many initiatives helping them to realise cost savings or increased revenue in a matter of weeks. We pride ourselves in ensuring we leave a lasting positive impact on the culture, enabling our partners to be empowered to carry on our work.
The retention battle
Many operators are too busy with day-to-day tasks or overwhelmed with where to start when it comes to transformation and building a cutting-edge user experience. An example of the gap between capacity and demand is the rising popularity of in-play betting. During live sports, the speed in which players can find and place their bet is critical. Here, streamlined processes that allow for quick innovation will correlate with customer satisfaction, resulting in higher retention rates.
A fresh perspective for lasting change
A successful approach to optimisation requires taking the challenge and viewing it from an experienced and innovative angle. Our partners truly benefit from best practice and valuable lessons derived from other sectors. Through experience we have found that these challenges are not exclusive to betting & gaming and so the ability to apply these learnings drive success.
Managing complex systems and large volumes of data is a common obstacle. By applying these cross-sector principles through working with technology consultants, operators can gain valuable insight into re-engineering platforms and the skills needed, to meet both current and future demands.
Building exceptional, scalable and adaptable architectures ensures that businesses can continue to grow and evolve as the industry changes. This forward-thinking approach positions operators ahead of the curve, meaning they are poised for success in the years to come and have the agility to address any challenges or opportunities that arise.
Creating lasting change requires more than just solving immediate problems. Our goal for our clients is to maintain high levels of efficiency long after an initial transformation is complete. By empowering teams to implement and sustain improvements, operators can maintain continuous growth and unlock growth worth tens of millions of pounds, far outweighing their cost of delivery.
The focus must now shift to building stronger, more Agile organisations that can adapt to changing market conditions. Sustainable efficiency enables operators to optimise time-to-market, improve platform performance, and manage resources more effectively, creating a foundation for long-term growth.
About Burendo
Founded in 2018 and with offices in Leeds and London, Burendo is an award-winning, consultancy delivering stand-out products and services through technology. We partner with organisations to accelerate organisational value delivery and transform customer experiences.
We are pragmatic thinkers and doers who understand the operational world of organisations and customer demands. We work as a partner to give our clients the latest ideas, tools and techniques to deliver effective results that build long-term value.
For more information, you can visit the Burendo website: www.burendo.com
If you have any questions, please contact Kate Smith, Senior Digital Marketing Executive by email: [email protected]
The post Consolidating brands efficiently to achieve high growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Major Atlaslive Achievements and Innovations to Share at ICE Barcelona 2025
DATA.BET Reflects on 2024 Milestones, Growth, and Achievements
Week 3/2025 slot games releases
Fast Track CEO Shares Honest Reflections in New Interview: Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
Meet Galácticos Legends Luis Figo, Iker Casillas, Michael Owen, and Michel Salgado at Digitain Stand at ICE 2025
GamCare releases Annual Report following record breaking year of support on the National Gambling Helpline
10-15% Of Gamers In Florida Show Signs Of Gaming Addiction: Here Are 10 Signs Your Kid Is Suffering From It (And How You Can Help)
Inspired Entertainment Partners with Aristocrat Interactive to Launch Revolutionary Online V-Lottery Gaming Suite for the Virginia Lottery
Saracen Casino Resort Chooses QCI Chatalytics to Enhance Casino Operations with Integrated AI Solutions
WA.Technology makes its debut in Brazil’s regulated market
-
gaming2 years agoODIN by 4Players: Immersive, state-of-the-art in-game audio launches into the next generation of gaming
-
EEG iGaming Directory8 years ago
iSoftBet continues to grow with new release Forest Mania
-
News7 years ago
Softbroke collaborates with Asia Live Tech for the expansion of the service line in the igaming market
-
News6 years ago
Super Bowl LIII: NFL Fans Can Bet on the #1 Sportsbook Review Site Betting-Super-Bowl.com, Providing Free Unbiased and Trusted News, Picks and Predictions
-
iGaming Industry7 years ago
Rick Meitzler appointed to the Indian Gaming Magazine Advisory Board for 2018
-
News6 years ago
REVEALED: Top eSports players set to earn $3.2 million in 2019
-
iGaming Industry7 years ago
French Senator raises Loot Boxes to France’s Gambling Regulator
-
News7 years ago
Exclusive Interview with Miklos Handa (Founder of the email marketing solutions, “MailMike.net”), speaker at Vienna International Gaming Expo 2018
