Games Magazine Brasil - What assessment do you make of your company's performance and growth in 2023 overall? Did it meet expectations or exceed them?
Michele Stefanelli - We’re really happy with the progress we’ve made in 2023. Providing games in regulated markets is becoming an increasingly complex task, and we’ve shown over the past 12 months that there isn’t another supplier in the industry which can deliver the quality and quantity of content to operators.
Speaking to our partners is probably the best way to gauge our success, and we continue to forge deep partnerships with many of the leading operators worldwide, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of casino entertainment.
Could you list the main achievements or goals accomplished in 2023?
In terms of game launches, we went live with around 50 premium titles in 2023. It’s always tough to pick favourites, but if I was forced to shine a light on a couple I particularly enjoyed, I’d probably choose Gerard’s Gambit, a game many have described as the world’s first educational slot, as well as Gargantoonz, the sixth title in the massively popular Reactoonz series.
We celebrated a huge milestone in July with our first entry into the land-based gaming space when we launched Book of Dead across William Hill’s retail estate in the UK.
We added more licences and certifications in regulated markets around the world, including Spain and Sweden. We also took huge strides in the US, doubling the size of our G2E stand this year, signing some tier one operators such as Rush Street Interactive, and going live in our fourth state, West Virginia.
On top of all of this, we landed some major awards, notably being named ‘Game Studio of the Year’ at the CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards.
What are your goals and objectives in Brazil in 2024? Are you optimistic about regulation?
We’re extremely excited about the potential of a regulated Brazilian igaming market. We’ve all followed along this journey, and yes, it has taken longer than some of us would have liked, but it does finally appear that the finishing line is in sight. We trust the process and are confident that lawmakers will make the correct decisions to ensure that players in Brazil can enjoy online casino entertainment in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
In your sector within the industry, what trends or technological advances do you believe will dominate the market in 2024?
We’ve always said that the games that provide the best entertainment experience will win out in the end, and we don’t see that changing in 2024. Finding new ways to raise the bar is the tricky part. Sometimes it is truly game-changing innovation, in the way our grid slot mechanisms have transformed the slots sector over the last few years.
Other times it is about putting more care, attention and expertise into areas that are sometimes forgotten. Audio is a good example here. We’ve always prided ourselves on creatively soundtracking our games, so that audio really adds to the narrative and playing experience. We’ve recently stepped this up with the launch of Play’n GO Music, where we are showcasing our soundtracks via a dedicated imprint and division.
Over time, we’ll feature independent artists re-imagining music from some of our biggest releases, exploring these worlds via creative collaborations. We’ve already released a version of Supernova by singer KEANA, as well as the theme from Hugo Legacy performed by the Czech Symphony Orchestra, with much more planned for 2024.
What are the main goals/objectives of your company for 2024?
Our goals don’t change year-by-year. We always want to build the type of casino games that we love to play ourselves. And we want to do that in a manner that doesn’t cause harm.
What we’ve been successful at is taking huge leaps forward to better deliver upon these objectives, whether that be pioneering mobile gaming back in the mid-2000s, or committing to a regulated future long before most of the industry.
One thing we’re really excited for in 2024 is our partnership with the Haas Formula 1 team. This is a next-level sponsorship agreement that doesn’t really have a precedent in our sector. The Play’n GO logo will appear on the racesuits of drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg in time for the start of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, bringing our brand to a huge global audience. We couldn’t think of a better platform from which to share the benefits of regulated gaming with the world.
Source: Exclusive GMB
