Getting to grips with the hype around multiplayer

Max Francis CEO and Founder at Black Cow Technology, talks about the multiplayer phenomenon and how the company has emerged as a pioneer in the space following its first major funding round  

Congratulations on completing your Series A funding round. Tell us more about the round and why now was the right time to take on additional capital.

Thanks. So, the funding round was done with JJK Partners, an investment firm led by Jeff Millar and Kevin Schubert and focused on disruptive businesses in the online gambling sector. It’s a transformative moment for Black Cow and certainly shows we have come a long way from our humble beginnings when we raised £800,000 from friends and family to get the business off the ground back in 2014. The funding round comes at a pivotal time for the business and strengthens our position as a pioneer of multiplayer online casino experiences through our cutting-edge Multiplayer Remote Game Server (RGS). With the backing of JJK Partners, we are poised to scale like never before and with the option for additional investment from JJK should we require it.

How will the new funds be put to use?

The injection of funds allows us to devote more resources to our Multiplayer Technology suite, which in turn will expedite the advancements and innovations we have in the product roadmap for our Multiplayer RGS. This will also benefit our other solutions, including our flagship Single-player RGS and our cutting-edge Jackpot Server which allows operators and suppliers to build jackpots on top of any game or function. All our solutions offer unrivalled efficiency and flexibility but as the complexity of our technologies deepens and its capabilities widen, we have to continue to push boundaries and this requires significant resources – resources that we will now have following the funding round.

Why do you see such potential in the multiplayer space?

Take a look at the entertainment options most people engage with and the one common factor between them is social engagement and interaction. From social media to streaming and mobile gaming, consumers are seeking shared experiences. But this is something that has been lacking in the online casino space – the closest thing currently available is live casino and crash games, some of which are multiplayer in the sense that players are locked into the same game round with scores posted on a leaderboard. But for me, this isn’t a truly multiplayer interactive experience. What I get excited about is the idea of a truly interactive online experience more akin to Fortnite and other MMORPG titles , and Black Cow’s Multiplayer RGS will enable that – a completely new kind of multiplayer gaming experience .

Can you talk us through your Multiplayer Remote Game Server and what makes it different to similar solutions in the market?

Black Cow’s solution is the only transactional multiplayer server in the market right now that can build multiplayer gameplay across any game format and facilitate any kind of interaction between players. It’s already being used by operators and studios to create multiplayer slots that see a group of players assigned together in the base game. Each plays their own base game but if one player triggers the bonus, the other players receive the bonus too. This creates a shared experience and a strong sense of community around the game – players play and win together. Games can be hooked up to a wide range of bonuses including community jackpots, allowing operators to tap into the high demand for jackpot content. Operators can launch branded multiplayer games, while studios can create new titles or retrofit existing titles to the multiplayer format. In terms of what makes Black Cow’s Multiplayer RGS different, it is the only transactional multiplayer server in the market and the only one that is actually ready for operators and suppliers to use right now.

What are the upsides for operators offering multiplayer games?

Multiplayer games are hugely beneficial not only for operators but also for developers and aggregators. For operators, they can help engage the lucrative but hard-to-reach Millennial and Gen Z player cohorts, but they are also proven to increase retention by offering players interactive and social gameplay that enhances the overall experience and keeps them coming back for more. Studios can relaunch their most popular titles in multiplayer alongside developing entirely new games built for the format from the get-go. And for aggregators, they can license solutions such as Black Cow’s Multiplayer RGS to give them a unique selling point and to provide their partners with customisable tools and innovative solutions that help them to ensure their brands stand out in competitive markets. Above all else, it’s about providing players with the experiences they are seeking, and those experiences are increasingly social and multiplayer.

Black Cow made a name for itself via its powerful Single-player RGS. Does this remain a focus for the business?

Absolutely. As I said previously, the funding round provides additional resources for all of our solutions including our flagship Single-player RGS and Jackpot Server. From day one, we have been committed to creating solutions that offer agility and scalability for our partners and over the past ten years we have gained a deep understanding of what makes tech successful in this industry, which in turn has allowed us to secure partnerships with some of the biggest operators and providers in the business. This was initially achieved via our Single-player RGS but as we have expanded our product suite, we’ve been able to engage with more companies and support their efforts to bring the most entertaining games, products and experiences to players. This is something we are excited to do for the next ten years and beyond.

What can we expect from Black Cow over the coming months and year?

The new funding round will enhance our technological capabilities, but it will also help us build on the partnerships we have with our existing operators and suppliers, and to strike new deals. More and more operators and suppliers are keen to get in on the action with multiplayer games, and Black Cow is ready to support any business in its bid to explore the potential that multiplayer has to offer.