GMB - What is your assessment of Neko Games' performance and growth in 2022? Was it what you expected or did it exceed your expectations?
Sebastian Perrier - It was an unbelievably good year for Neko Games, much better than we expected. We've doubled our portfolio of games in the last 12 months and launched them with multiple operators in our core markets and beyond. This growth contributed to an increase in turnover of more than 100%.
Could you list the main accomplishments or goals achieved?
We launched four new titles in 2022. 1524 Golden Quest in March, Immortal Romance Video Bingo in May, Break Da Bank Again Video Bingo in August and Thuderstruck II Video Bingo in September.
These games have given us the opportunity to diversify our portfolio and reach new audiences, particularly branded titles that already have a huge global fan base.
These launches helped launch us to the #1 position with Games Global in our key markets Brazil and Mexico and supported our highly praised recognition by the EGR B2B Bingo Supplier of the Year, LATAM Casino Provider of the year SBC Summit 2022 and most recently selected as Best Innovative Bingo Product at the GA Gaming Awards.
Our games were also aired with some top tier operators in this period, most notably bet365, Codere, Caliente, LeoVegas, Rank and Betsson.
In your sector within the industry, what topics or technological advances do you think will dominate the market in 2023? What will be the future trends?
Video bingos are still far behind other game categories like live dealer or slots in terms of features and experiences, so the race to catch up to these more advanced products will continue into 2023.
We are one of the few game studios that focus all of our attention on video bingo games, so we will always look to be the trendsetters in this space.
As new opportunities emerge in developing markets, location will be more important than ever. We'll likely see much more interesting and exotic themes in the coming months as studios adapt their games to accommodate different tastes and cultures.
Have you noticed that the Brazilian gaming market has evolved this year, or has it missed another opportunity? What do you see about regulation in the country until 2023?
Brazil and many other countries are definitely on the road to regulation, which is very important for the sector. It's never a missed opportunity, it's just that these things take time. We actively support ongoing regulatory developments in all jurisdictions.
What are Neko Games' main goals/objectives for 2023?
Our main goal for 2023 is to take full advantage of the exponential growth in Brazil and Mexico, delivering games that resonate with players in Latin America, using compelling themes and mechanics that still attract players around the world.
Like in 2022, we aim to further bridge the gap between slots and video bingos by introducing features that haven't been seen in our products before, but which are expected in slots.
We will also be developing bonus tools to help support acquisition and retention campaigns for operators, which should give us more exposure to young gamers, our key demographic.
Source: Exclusive GMB
