Interviews
Exclusive Q&A with Michael Hudson, CEO and Co-Founder of GameBake
We have here with us an entrepreneur who started out quite early in gaming.
Michael Hudson, CEO and Co-Founder of GameBake, talks here about a host of topics:
- His beginnings as a game developer, his quest to develop a ‘fair, transparent, platform agnostic solution” that allows seamless publishing of games across platforms;
- His instinct of “running away from the light” and looking for “fringe areas”;
- What game developers can expect from GameBake;
- And about the gaming industry across the globe.
This is a bit longer than our usual interviews. But it contains nuanced perspectives expressed in straightforward language that the whole industry should look up and take note.
Over to the interview now!
Q. To start off, tell us about your career. Our readers love to hear top entrepreneurs talk about themselves, especially someone who became one at the age of 13!
A. 13 definitely feels like a lifetime ago now! But yes, I started my career in the games industry at 13 although my life as an entrepreneur goes back a little further than that. Since day one, I’ve always tried to make money – some way, somehow, from car washing to selling sweets at school (the demand was there, with only “healthy” options available at lunch times!)
Like they are for many of us, games have always been of keen interest to me, but unlike most, I always wanted to find out what makes a game and how I could make my own. I think it’s those kinds of questions that I’ve always asked that lead me towards teaching myself how to first build websites to host flash games, and then how to actually build the games themselves.
I first started exploring game development with a tool called GameMaker which is still around today, albeit much more developed than when I started with it all those years ago. Eventually I transitioned to working with Flash and building games for websites such as Newgrounds, which eventually led me to the sponsorship/licensing model and how I made my first $200 licensing my first flash game. My next flash game made over $15,000 in fees and that is when I started to take things a little more seriously because big numbers were involved. Considering I had turned down King (yes, the same King that went on to develop the hit we all know and love) I was clearly starting to move towards developing my hobby into a legit business, in a very natural way.
Since then it has been a rollercoaster with ups, downs and many loops, but it has led me to where I am today, with an amazing team (and now, friends), where we can be part of and help build the future of the gaming industry.
Q. How and why did you co-found GameBake? And what does the name signify?
A. GameBake was born out of a genuine business need. As developers, we’ve learned that it’s best to knuckle down and focus on a single product, a single goal that we can all work hard on to achieve great things.
As developers under our previous studio name, we worked on many projects, from hyper-casual games (before that became an industry term) right down to free-to-play titles. This experience was amazing but always positioned us in a similar place. Our publishers wanted the games to be playable everywhere but we only had so much manpower and hours in the day to actually achieve the lofty goals being asked of us. Integrated 3, 4 or 5 SDKs is annoying enough, but having to do that plus integrate the tech of every single platform plus find new services that work on and with these platforms plus making a new specific version for each platform (and all of that with no centralised system to easily and efficiently track everything), well, it wasn’t great, let’s leave it at that.
GameBake was a product of all of this. Our internal struggles and frustrations that led us to seeing a need in the market that, not only we wanted to solve, but many others wanted a solution for, and that is why we pivoted away from a development studio to go all-in with our KILN technology that allows us to open up the whole gaming market to developers globally, no matter how big or small you are.
What does the name signify? Well, we were named Yello at the very start so GameBake was part of our development as we pushed forwards into new markets and started using better technology. GameBake itself doesn’t have a specific meaning behind it, but for us, it describes what we do in one word, which is: baking games with the technology needed for everybody to access new amazing platforms and markets globally.
Q. How exactly does GameBake work? What kind of support can a gaming developer and publisher expect from your company?
A. How the tech works behind the scenes is probably a question more for our amazing CTO, so maybe you’ll find out in the next interview! But the concept is pretty simple really:-
• Upload your APK to GameBake, the very same APK used for uploading to Google Play;
• Check the boxes for the services your game uses; E.g. GameAnalytics, Tenjin, or Firebase, Adjust and so on;
• Check which stores you want to deploy to, e.g. Huawei AppGallery;
• Job done! Our tech (called KILN) takes care of the rest and spits out a compiled version of your game with all the required tech needed to run on the chosen platforms you are looking to distribute to.
Of course, store pages need to be built for each platform and IDs from other services need to be swapped for new IDs from those services, but for the new platforms you go live on. We are working closely with most of the big industry players to try and automate as much of this as possible and we are well on our way to achieving this.
As for what to expect from GameBake, well I would say a fair, transparent, platform agnostic solution that works! If you want to use our tech to make getting to new platforms easier, but want to make partnerships with the platforms yourself (i.e. setup features yourself and so on), that is fine, we are able to facilitate this and will do all we can to provide what you need with who you need. If what you are looking for is a more hands-on approach from us, one where we setup all your games features, run the UA and more then we can also work with you like that as well.
For GameBake, flexibility is key as we see the technology and ecosystem we are building becoming a vital piece of the development puzzle that will enable easy and commercially viable ways to distribute and scale globally.
Q. Changing the status quo of game distribution is not just unglamorous but kind of swimming against the tide too. What motivated you to choose that path?
A. That is a great way of putting it, although I may go a step further and say it’s more like climbing up a waterfall. I have always been interested in the more fringe areas of any industry, especially within gaming. That may be because I can’t help but look at the potential of anything, but it could also be somewhat from necessity – as when launching our own games we never had huge marketing budgets to compete with so I and the team have had to look into areas that were cost effective.
Over the years, what I have found is that everybody always runs towards the light and it’s the ones running away from the light that are called crazy, but if everybody is standing around that light then it very quickly gets blocked. In short – the people running towards the light will find it very hard to find their way towards it. While those running away, and normally that’s in a different direction to everyone else, will normally find themselves in a niche but lucrative area that they can dominate. It’s only once that light starts burning brighter that others pay attention.
This is how I see distribution right now. The bright light is iOS and Google Play on mobile, with many other options, but all faded into the darkness. And now, the bright lights are glowing and the industry is starting to take notice of what is possible outside of the norm. Now it won’t be instantaneous, but we are seeing growth everyday and the more we all work together to open up these platforms and these markets, the greater the industry as a whole – and the more opportunity there will be for everybody globally to enter and become successful.
Q. What are the options available for games developers outside the duopoly of Google Play store and Apple Appstore as publishing platforms? Importantly, what are the attractions for the developers to opt for such off the beaten path destinations?
A. For those developing native games for mobile (Apps, basically) I would suggest looking into the alternative android market. I personally don’t like the word “alternative” as it gives off a vibe of these platforms being “lesser” than Google Play and this frankly isn’t the case, but we need to describe these stores somehow. These stores are low hanging fruit for most people, as if you can compile an APK, which you can, then you can deploy on these stores and the 100s of millions of users that they have.
Now, I’m not saying that this is an easy feat, or an approach that will guarantee success, far from it, but why you wouldn’t secure your brand and IP, and take advantage of these amazing platforms, makes no sense. To me, It’s a no brainer! Often, what we hear from the market is not that developers don’t want to distribute to these stores, but that they’re faced by complexities in being able to achieve this and in making it commercially viable. GameBake is fixing the headache faced by developers by providing an easy route to deploy to these stores, whilst providing the means to be able to leverage the services required in today’s industry to monetise and scale games effectively.
Outside of the App Stores, there are still a wealth of opportunities. In this space, you need to think carefully about the technology you are building your game in, because web distribution generally means HTML5 games, and for many this just isn’t an option. The opportunities on the web are amazing if approached in the right way, but it takes some time to port and for many it just isn’t worth the time and effort commercially.
The same goes for social/instant gaming platforms, such as Facebook, WeChat, Snap and many more. Your games need to be in HTML5 but more importantly, you need to think about how you approach each of these platforms. You can’t just launch a game and expect it to scale, you need to launch it under the platforms features and leverage them to really take advantage of what makes each of these platforms special.
For me, the opportunities are huge but the barrier to entry is also just as big with tons of awkward tech to integrate, porting games being required and the biggest barrier is the lack of services to allow you to properly scale your game but again, that is what we are here for and we are building. If you want to deploy to stores, port to HTML5, explore new markets and leverage your current service partners to do all of this, you can do – with GameBake.
Q. How can games profit from social media platforms like Facebook Gaming?
A. This is something I am asked a lot and the answer is simple because it is no different than a game on the App Store. If your game monetises via Facebook Ads, you can leverage Facebook Audience Network to monetise it, if done via purchases, then you can use the platforms payments system. Nothing drastic needs to change in how you monetise, I mean you don’t need to start asking for donations, because there is no other way.
I guess the real question here is ‘what are the best ways to monetise on social platforms such as Facebook?’. This is a difficult one to provide a rounded answer to that will please everybody but hopefully the below will help:-
• If you are leveraging IAPs then keep in mind that Apple “currently” stops payments being processed on these platforms if playing from an iOS device. We have all seen the recent news stories though so I expect this to change over the next 12 months opening iAPs up across platforms. Until then though, just keep this in mind.
• Hyper-Casual games have an advantage on social platforms as they have such a broad target audience which makes it “simpler” to make these games go viral. That being said, not all gameplay mechanics work and this must be considered when launching on a platform such as Facebook or Snap. Just because a game was a hit in the App Store, it doesn’t mean you can just throw the game as is on social platforms and expect it to work.
• When launching any game on social platforms, just think about how to leverage that platform’s features. For example, Facebook has a tournament mode that allows players to start tournaments that are playable directly from their timeline. With the right setup and design this can be used to get players sharing with friends which can create a viral UA channel to your game. Most social platforms have specific features like this and you need to leverage them to bring users to your game, keep them engaged and coming back and of course, then monetise them.
Q. What can be done to minimize the hurdles of finance and resource that game developers face while optimizing the games for different platforms? How near are we to a software alchemy that makes games publishing-ready for different platforms?
A. Of course I’m going to say that the time is right now – with GameBake! There are no integrations required, meaning access to all supported Android channels via a single upload. We are still working hard to make this even more simple so developers globally can focus on what’s important and that is creating amazing games. Also, HTML5 platforms still have a big barrier to entry for most but again, GameBake is working hard to solve this to provide a way for developers to easily access these platforms and deploy easily to them all.
There is never going to be a way for developers to not put in any work at all. Success comes from hard work and this still rings true when targeting new platforms, be that new app stores opr social platforms, you need to research and find out who the end users are downloading and playing your games on any given platform and then adapt what you do to engage (and of course monetise said users). There isn’t a solution to stop resources being required for game design, monetisation or user acquisition but, how we see it, these are the pieces of the puzzle that studios want to keep control of. It is the deployment that is a pain in the arse mixed with a lack of a real ecosystem, it makes it near impossible to even consider distribution outside of the core stores. This is what we want to and are solving, simplifying and improving the pieces of the puzzle that are needed for studios globally to take advantage of and focus their resources and efforts on creating, managing and scaling amazing games.
Q. How are the games you work with received and played outside the marquee markets of Europe and North America? Any significant development in Asia, Africa, Australia or South America?
A. It’s a hard question to answer as it is so different for every game and you need to tackle each game on a somewhat market by market basis. In general, a game that is enjoyed in the US is likely to be enjoyed in India as well, I mean we are all humans at the end of the day, the difference comes in when trying to find success at scale in specific markets and on specific platforms.
China is probably the best example to use here because the market is huge, but it is notoriously difficult to enter without properly understanding the intricacies of the market itself. By this I mean it isn’t just localising your games text that you need to think about, but how your game looks and plays, how it is distributed to players in the market and how you can monetise it. Markets, like China’s, have restrictions on games and you need to plan how you will tackle all of this to be able to enter.
China is an extreme case, but other markets do need similar considerations when it comes to localisation. But you also need to bear in mind that your distribution strategy for Apple and Google aren’t the number one everywhere. In India, for example, Google Play is big but there are many other platforms that open up 100s of millions of users. Iran is another market with restrictions in place, therefore Google Play does not work there, so working with local stores is your entry into a market of over 70 million. Russia is another market where you need to understand the local platforms and how players play games to really localise a game properly and effectively.
So going back to what I’d said at the start, a great game is a great game no matter where you launch in the world, but making a commercial success of that game in various markets requires some thought, planning and good execution.
Q. Asia perhaps deserves more focus as a gaming market. Which Asian countries do you reckon have the most potential market as games industry markets?
A. I completely agree, Asia is mostly forgotten by western developers and it’s a shame as the potential across the region is massive. China is the world’s biggest gaming market but that is the market everyone talks about so let’s put that to one side as it isn’t an easy nut to crack.
If I were to suggest markets that have the potential for most developers of casual games to grow in the coming months and years, I would look to a market such as Indonesia where the scale you can achieve in that market alone is huge. However, a lot of the time, it just isn’t commercially viable and therefore not thought about, but with the right knowledge and partners you can access more platforms that really open up a market like this and can turn what is a good market for Google Play games into a very strong one for those thinking outside of the box.
South Korea and Japan are both strong markets for specific genres but again, you need to really think about how you approach these markets. In general, Asia as a whole has amazing potential, as well as many other regions globally.
Q. Are tight regulations or lack of clear-cut regulations a bottleneck for growth of gaming outside Europe and North America? We’d love your insight into the role regulations play in the gaming industry’s growth.
A. Regulations always hinder growth, it is the nature of regulations but of course, sometimes they are necessary. China takes it to another level! I can’t even imagine how big that market would be right now if they didn’t have these tight regulations holding it back. I understand the reasons behind why the government has set them in place (although for “Children’s health” isn’t the real reason, in my opinion) but it is holding back the market’s growth which is a big shame.
I do see the need for regulation sometimes though, for example, to stop Apple and Google tightening their grip on the market and forcing us all into paying a huge tax on the games that have been worked on so hard to get them where they are. Therefore regulations can probably help the market grow in certain cases but overall, the less governments get involved in the industry the better for the industry’s growth in the coming years.
Q. And finally, how do you get your hair so beautiful?
A. It’s all natural 😀
Let’s start with a quick introduction of yourself and the company – what is your background and what is the story behind MixRift?
Bobby Voicu: As the CEO and Founder of MixRift, a pioneering mixed-reality gaming studio, I bring a wealth of experience as a serial entrepreneur and industry visionary in the XR space. My journey in the gaming industry began with the successful launch of Mavenhut, a mobile games studio. MixRift was born from a collaboration with my co-founders: David Pripas, an official Meta AR Partner who serves as our CPO, and Andrei Vaduva, our CTO.
The genesis of MixRift stems from our collective expertise in the gaming industry and our keen foresight into the burgeoning potential of mixed-reality gaming.
The market projections underscore our vision: the global MR market is forecast to reach $58.3 billion by 2030, with an impressive CAGR of 71.3%. This growth is largely driven by tech giants like Meta and Apple. A recent study revealed that 52% of consumers express increased interest in AR and mixed reality when associated with Apple, with 38% indicating a likelihood to purchase an Apple offering. Meanwhile, Meta has reportedly sold over 20 million Quest headsets, demonstrating that consumers are eager to embrace this technology when priced appropriately. We expect another huge spike in the conversation when the company launches the Meta Quest 3S, which is rumoured to be cheaper than the original Quest 3.
But we’ve recognised a significant gap in the market: while user demand for mixed reality experiences is surging, there’s a notable scarcity of high-quality MR games. This disparity presented an unmissable opportunity that we’re poised to address.
Our aim isn’t just to ride this wave of innovation but to shape it. Our ambition is to fill the void in the mixed-reality gaming landscape with captivating, immersive experiences that push the boundaries of what’s possible in this exciting new medium.
What inspired you to go into mixed reality gaming and how has it changed the gaming industry?
Bobby Voicu: Our venture into mixed reality gaming is the natural evolution of our passion for and expertise in the gaming industry. David and I have spent years immersed in gaming, and we recognised the transformative potential of mixed reality before it became a buzzword.
Unlike virtual reality, which creates fully immersive environments, or augmented reality, which overlays additional information onto the real world, mixed reality offers a unique hybrid experience. It blends virtual elements with the user’s physical surroundings, creating an interactive environment that feels both familiar and fantastical.
This technology addresses some of the challenges associated with VR and AR, such as motion sickness, by maintaining a connection to the user’s real-world environment. As a result, mixed reality gaming has the potential to appeal to a broader audience, including casual users who might be intimidated by fully immersive VR experiences.
Our approach at MixRift is centred on rapid prototyping and iterative development. Rather than investing years in a single title, we focus on developing and releasing games quickly, gathering user feedback, and refining our most successful concepts. This allows us to explore diverse game mechanics native to mixed reality, truly harnessing the unique capabilities of this technology.
By doing so, we’re not just creating games but pioneering new forms of interactive entertainment that bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds. This approach could redefine not just gaming but how we interact with technology in our daily lives.
In what regions or markets does MixRift primarily operate and are there any plans for expansion into new territories?
Bobby Voicu: MixRift’s operations are currently centered in Dublin and Bucharest, drawing on their diverse talent pools and ecosystems. However, we have ambitious expansion plans, with our sights set firmly on the UK and US markets.
These territories represent not just larger consumer bases but also hotbeds of technological innovation and early adoption. By establishing a presence in these markets, we aim to tap into cutting-edge developments in mixed reality technology, collaborate with leading institutions and tech companies, and gain invaluable insights from some of the world’s most sophisticated gaming communities.
Concurrently, we’re committed to fortifying our European base. The diverse cultural landscape of Europe offers a unique testing ground for our games, allowing us to refine our offerings to appeal to a global audience. This multi-pronged expansion strategy positions MixRift at the forefront of mixed-reality gaming on an international scale.
You recently announced your pre-seed funding – what will the funding be used for?
Bobby Voicu: Primarily, the funding will be channelled into accelerating our game development pipeline. We have an ambitious roadmap for 2024 and 2025, with plans to release multiple titles that showcase the full potential of mixed-reality gaming.
This investment will allow us to expand our team of talented developers, designers, and creative minds who are passionate about pushing the boundaries of MR technology. We’ll also allocate resources to enhance our proprietary development tools and platforms, enabling us to create more sophisticated and immersive gaming experiences.
Additionally, some funding will be directed towards market research and user testing. Understanding our audience and their interactions with our games is crucial for refining our offerings and staying ahead of industry trends.
Lastly, we’ll invest in marketing and community-building efforts to ensure our games reach and resonate with our target audience. By the end of 2025, we aim to have established MixRift as a household name in mixed-reality gaming, with a portfolio of successful titles demonstrating the technology’s value.
What technologies does MixRift employ to deliver its mixed reality gaming solutions and can you highlight any proprietary technologies or platforms that differentiate your offering?
Bobby Voicu: At MixRift, we’ve adopted a revolutionary approach to game development that sets us apart in the mixed reality space. While many studios invest years in developing a single standout title, we’ve embraced a philosophy of rapid prototyping and iterative development. This agile methodology allows us to swiftly create and release games, gauging player response and market resonance in real time.
Our proprietary development pipeline is built on cutting-edge technologies that blend the virtual and physical worlds. We use advanced spatial mapping, gesture recognition, and environmental understanding algorithms to create immersive experiences. For instance, our game “Hell Horde” uses AR tracking to bring menacing monsters into players’ living rooms. Another title, “Fractured”, employs complex 3D rendering techniques to create floating puzzle elements that interact naturally with the user’s environment.
We’ve also developed an analytics platform that will allow us to gather and interpret user data rapidly, informing our iterative development process. This platform, combined with our agile methodology, enables us to identify successful game mechanics quickly and double down on what resonates with our audience.
Why is mixed reality going to be the future of gaming?
Bobby Voicu: Mixed reality represents a paradigm shift in gaming, offering a unique blend of immersion and real-world interaction that neither traditional gaming nor pure virtual reality can match. It’s not just an evolution of existing technologies; it’s a revolutionary new medium that has the potential to redefine how we interact with digital content.
The market projections speak volumes about the potential of mixed reality. With the global MR market expected to reach $58.3 billion by 2030, growing at an impressive CAGR of 71.3%, we’re witnessing the dawn of a new era in interactive entertainment. This growth is being catalysed by tech giants like Meta and Apple, whose market presence drives both innovation and consumer interest.
What makes mixed reality particularly compelling is its accessibility. By blending virtual elements with the user’s real environment, MR creates immersive yet grounded experiences, reducing the barriers to entry that some users might feel with fully virtual experiences. This balance makes MR appealing to a broader audience, from hardcore gamers to casual users looking for novel entertainment experiences.
However, despite the growing interest and technological advancements, what’s missing is high-quality games native to mixed reality. This is where MixRift comes in.
What are the current trends and challenges and do you see mixed reality expanding into other areas?
Bobby Voicu: The mixed reality landscape is evolving rapidly, with several key trends shaping its trajectory. We’re seeing a push towards more sophisticated hardware, with improvements in display technology, field of view, and processing power, making experiences increasingly seamless and immersive. There’s also a growing emphasis on social experiences, allowing users to interact with each other in shared virtual spaces overlaid on the real world.
However, with these advancements come challenges. One of the primary hurdles is creating intuitive user interfaces that feel natural and accessible to a broad audience. There’s also the ongoing challenge of balancing graphical fidelity with performance, especially on mobile MR devices.
As for expansion into other areas, we’re already seeing mixed reality make inroads beyond gaming. In the workplace, the technology is being used for remote collaboration, allowing colleagues to interact as if they’re in the same room. In education, mixed reality is creating immersive learning experiences that bring abstract concepts to life. We’re also seeing applications in healthcare for surgical planning and training and in retail for virtual try-on experiences.
Looking ahead, we anticipate mixed reality will significantly shape our world creating bridges between our physical and digital lives. However, as with any transformative technology, we must remain vigilant about potential security and privacy concerns, ensuring that as mixed reality becomes more integrated into our daily lives, user data and personal spaces remain protected.
How does MixRift incorporate feedback from users into product development and improvements?
Bobby Voicu: At MixRift, we’ve cultivated a unique approach to game development that places user feedback at the core of our innovation process. Rather than investing extensive resources into a single, potentially disconnected title, we’ve embraced a philosophy of rapid prototyping and iterative improvement.
Our methodology is rooted in agile development practices, allowing us to swiftly create and release game prototypes. We then leverage sophisticated analytics and direct user feedback to identify which concepts resonate most strongly with our audience. This approach enables us to make data-driven decisions about where to focus our development efforts.
By maintaining this nimble, user-centric approach, we can rapidly iterate on successful concepts while quickly pivoting away from ideas that fail to gain traction. This strategy optimises our resource allocation and ensures that we’re consistently delivering experiences that our users genuinely desire.
Moreover, this methodology allows us to stay at the forefront of mixed-reality gaming trends. As user preferences and technologies evolve, we’re well-positioned to adapt quickly, ensuring MixRift remains a pioneer in mixed-reality gaming.
Are there any upcoming innovations or developments you can share?
Bobby Voicu: We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve recently expanded our portfolio with two exciting titles for the Meta Quest platform. “Fractured,” a mixed reality 3D puzzle game, is now available for both Quest 2 and Quest 3, offering an immersive, brain-teasing experience that seamlessly blends with the user’s environment. Additionally, we’ve launched “Hell Horde,” an adrenaline-pumping arcade shooter, which pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in mixed-reality combat games.
To broaden our market reach, we recently released “Fractured” for Apple Vision Pro, marking our entry into Apple’s ecosystem and showcasing our commitment to cross-platform development.
Looking ahead, our recent funding will accelerate our growth trajectory. We have an ambitious roadmap for 2024 and 2025, with several innovative titles in various stages of development. While I can’t divulge specifics now, our ambition with these titles is to push the envelope of mixed reality experiences, introducing novel mechanics and narratives that we believe will captivate our growing user base.
What’s next for MixRift? How do you see the company growing over the next five years?
Bobby Voicu: The next five years represent an exciting period of expansion and innovation for MixRift.
We envision MixRift evolving from a game studio into a leading mixed-reality entertainment company. We aim to diversify our portfolio beyond gaming, exploring applications of our technology in education, professional training, and interactive media experiences.
We’re also investing heavily in R&D to stay at the forefront of mixed reality technology. This includes developing proprietary tools and engines that will enable us to create increasingly sophisticated and immersive experiences.
Partnerships will play a crucial role in our growth strategy. We’re actively seeking collaborations with hardware manufacturers, content creators, and IP holders to expand the scope and reach of our offerings.
Ultimately, our goal is to be recognised as the premier mixed reality content creator globally, driving innovation in how people interact with digital content and shaping the future of entertainment in the age of spatial computing.
Interviews
The advantages of Vantage –Marta Zogala reveals details of Relax Gaming’s brand-new aggregation ecosystem
What is Relax Vantage®, and why should operators and suppliers be excited about this new platform?
Relax Vantage® is a brand-new portal for all Relax Gaming’s customers, it comes after we took a deep dive into user requirements and found that we were in a position to offer smoother, non-stop access to our aggregation ecosystem. This game changing portal will cover all aspects of our business partnerships from integration support, analytics to performance reports.
For operators it will also offer a new way to access and discover our personalised library of aggregated content, tailored to each individual market. For suppliers it will offer them a new way of putting their content in front of Relax Gaming’s ever-growing network of operators around the world.
How does Relax Vantage® differ from what the studio offered operators and suppliers prior to its release?
We’ve automated the vast majority of the BAU processes which has in turn enabled the platform to be much faster and more efficient in terms of scalability. The goal of Relax Vantage® is to act as an all-in-one portal to support the business needs of every supplier and operator partner.
Our long-term aim is to also bring a level of transparency, automation and self-service on a level we’ve never been able to offer before, which we know will be a hugely attractive proposition to both current and future customers.
How has content aggregation changed over the last few years and what has does Relax Vantage® done to address those changes?
There has been an explosion of new content providers in recent years. Through Relax Gaming’s multiple integration models, Silver Bullet, Powered by Game Server and Powered by Plat-2-Plat, we are able to cater to the individual needs of many suppliers.
On one end we have our distribution Plat-2-Plat program that allows suppliers to leverage our aggregation platform to reach operators, and on the other we have our comprehensive support package, Sliver Bullet. The Silver Bullet program offers support for everything, including game concept consulting, development, certification and commercial representation.
The explosion in content makes it incredibly difficult for operators to keep track of the latest games, but we believe in choice! Our advanced filtering tools allow users to select titles based on markets, features and so much more, making the experience straight-forward and most importantly enjoyable.
Is ensuring content aggregation is functional and easy to manage key to acquiring and retaining customers?
Being agile and able to move quickly as the industry throws up new challenges is vital. In this day and age, the industry is subject to a lot of challenges, new regulations and jurisdictional requirements. We suffer information overload and constant context switching.
We aim to give our customers all the transparency and tools they need to fully manage their content. I’m confident that the level of service we provide and the level of flexibility our platform offers makes Relax Gaming a very attractive proposition for any supplier or operator out there.
What are your long-term hopes and ambitions for Relax Vantage®?
We have an exciting roadmap that we believe will further enhance operator and supplier experiences. The industry we are working in is constantly evolving, we see Relax Vantage® as a product that will need to constantly innovate to meet the demands of the industry.
This is an exciting challenge for us at Relax. We listen closely to the customer’s feedback and plan to be able to easily react to the needs in terms how to work with an aggregator. Ultimately, we want Relax Vantage® to become an all-in-one solution to serve all the business and operational needs of our supplier and operator partners from any location and provide 24/7 support.
Participants:
Tereza Melicharkova, Head of Marketing at Swintt
Araminta Hannah, Director at Comparasino
Allan Stone, Chief Executive Officer at Intelitics
In your opinion, what technology has had the greatest impact on iGaming in 2024?
Tereza Melicharkova: I think from a game design perspective the increased focus on mobile technology has definitely had the biggest impact. We know these days a huge proportion of play comes from mobile devices, so we’re seeing more games being developed with this in mind. In practical terms, this means creating titles that are optimised for use on a vertical display and include more features that incorporate touch-screen functionality or otherwise enhance the mobile experience. From a marketing perspective, the biggest change has been an increased collaboration with streamers as this provides a more direct route for studios like Swintt to get closer to the players themselves.
Araminta Hannah: Anything that allows for deeper personalisation. It’s great to see some online casino brands now rolling the sort of personalisation that players have enjoyed at other entertainment options for quite some time. I’m talking about things like personalised bonus offers and game recommendations based on the player’s previous behaviour. It’s something that Comparasino has looked to leverage too by developing a proprietary recommendation engine for players, which matches players with brands that – based on their preferences – we believe they will enjoy.
Allan Stone: There is a growing opportunity for operators to create a core betting experience around micro betting, player props and same game parlays. Historically, most operators use those products as something of an ‘add on’ to drive engagement and acquisition. But by embracing these products, you can cater much more to the newer generation of bettor who prefers quicker content and technology-led experiences. It’s not like these technologies didn’t exist, but I do think that this has been a big thing for operators in 2024.
As mobile gaming continues to grow, what innovations are necessary to enhance mobile user experiences and ensure seamless integration across multiple devices?
Tereza Melicharkova: The main challenge to keep in mind is that there are a huge number of mobile devices on the market and that makes it very difficult for studios to deliver games that are compatible with the various screen resolutions. With this in mind, you need to have technology that can scale easily and automatically to reduce your workload and developers also need to picture how end users will ultimately experience their product. This latter point is something we’re very aware of through our acquisition of Elysium Studios – and you can see the end results in games like Law of Gilgamesh, which incorporate swipe functionality to provide a more engaging mobile experience.
Araminta Hannah: Mobile is all about streamlining the UX. Mobile players expect ease and speed, so it’s vital for operators, suppliers and even affiliates to remove friction and deliver a seamless experience. We always think of innovation as being game-changing and revolutionary, but it can be something as simple as deploying open banking to facilitate instant mobile deposits and withdrawals, or in our case, notifying players when a new online casino launches rather than then having to spend time scrolling through Google search results.
Allan Stone: Brands need to understand that they need to be building a product that’s cross-platform. We’ve always viewed gambling as being a core desktop product, and then introduced tablet or mobile at a later point. But if you can understand how to build products in a cross-platform way from the get-go, then you will enhance that mobile experience. Personalisation is also key. There is no such thing as a ‘too rich’ user experience that is available on mobile – operators need to stop taking a cookie cutter approach and, instead, tailor experiences to individual players.
How can the iGaming industry stay ahead of regulatory changes and ensure compliance while still fostering innovation and growth?
Tereza Melicharkova: The #1 thing is ensuring that there’s an open dialogue between regulators, game developers and operators. Although there are more and more regulated markets opening up each year, at the moment they don’t really communicate together, and I personally think it would be a big help if there was one platform where updates could be shared to help compliance teams stay ahead of the game. We’re not quite there as an industry yet but having something like a global compliance conference would also be a great idea as it would provide that forum for discussion while also ensuring that people don’t have to travel as much to learn the ins and outs of individual markets.
Araminta Hannah: By understanding the rules in place and then pushing boundaries within them. Innovation shouldn’t be curtailed by regulation. Instead, operators, suppliers and affiliates should see it as the foundation from which they can develop new experiences, enhance existing customer journeys and continue to execute whatever it is they do to the highest standard. Innovation can just be about finding a new way of doing something better than it has been done before and, in my experience, regulation very rarely prohibits this.
Allan Stone: Many brands use responsible gambling and compliance as a crutch to justify not innovating. But the more intelligent operators can be in terms of where they place their ads, the less they will be viewed as being problem gambling adjacent. From a compliance perspective, the measures in place are designed to protect the player. Instead of viewing those requirements as an annoyance, the operators who embraced them have used it to their advantage and created ‘pattern interrupts’ which helps foster a more positive user sentiment, which means less regulatory oversight.
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