Dejan Jović, Blue Ocean Gaming: “The industry has matured and simply offering content is no longer enough”

BlueOcean Gaming CEO Dejan Jović discusses the evolution of the GameHub platform and the launch of social-driven tools and sweepstakes solutions ahead of ICE Barcelona.

Exclusive interview.- In this exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, Dejan Jović, CEO of BlueOcean Gaming, shares his perspective on how the company’s GameHub platform has evolved alongside a rapidly maturing igaming market. With more than a decade of industry experience, Jović explains why content aggregation alone is no longer enough and how BlueOcean Gaming has expanded its offering with tools designed to simplify operations, enhance engagement, and support operator differentiation.

During the conversation, Jović outlines the strategic vision behind the new GameHub Tools that BlueOcean Gaming is preparing to present at ICE Barcelona, including innovations focused on social interaction and player engagement. He also discusses the company’s strengthened focus on partnerships, the creation of a dedicated Business Development department, and the upcoming launch of its own sweepstakes platform as part of a broader, future-ready ecosystem.

GameHub has evolved significantly over time. How would you describe its transition from a content-focused aggregator to a feature-rich aggregation platform?

If we look back at how GameHub was born, it was already a response to a major market shift back in 2013. At that time, the industry looked very different; there were no massive game libraries, no aggregators as we know them today, very few platforms, and hardly any automation. It was a period driven by hands-on work, innovation, and a strong belief that we could build something meaningful.

A very similar shift has happened again in recent years. The industry has matured, the number of aggregators and platforms has grown significantly, and simply offering content is no longer enough. That’s why GameHub evolved naturally, driven both by market changes and by close collaboration with our clients. Today, we don’t just want to deliver games. We want to provide tools that make operators’ daily work easier and tools that help them stand out through promotions and engagement. With our experience and deep understanding of operator needs, developing features that truly add value felt like the next logical step.

Beyond content distribution, GameHub Tools play an increasingly important role in your offering. What value do these tools add for operators in day-to-day operations?

GameHub Tools are a direct result of listening to our clients and observing market trends. Their main purpose is very practical: to help operators either promote content more effectively or simplify and automate operational processes.

What’s especially important for us is our client-first approach. We design these tools to be intuitive and easy to use, without creating extra workload for operators. Our recent promotional tools, such as Leaderboards, Drops, and Fuel Jackpot, are delivered as unified widgets that work as overlays on top of games. This means there’s virtually no additional development or operational effort required on the client side.

In today’s fast-paced environment, simplicity is key. Tools need to be easy to deploy, efficient in performance, and focused on delivering real results, and that’s exactly what we aim to achieve.

How do you strike the right balance between promotional tools, such as engagement, retention, and gamification, and functional tools focused on efficiency, automation, and operational support?

We see promotional and functional tools as equally important, and we intentionally develop them in parallel. Promotions help operators engage and retain players, while functional tools support scalability, efficiency, and smoother operations behind the scenes.

Our guiding principle is balance driven by real needs. Some periods call for stronger engagement features, others for automation and reporting, and our roadmap reflects that. By keeping close communication with clients, we ensure that both sides evolve together and support each other within the same ecosystem.

“We see promotional and functional tools as equally important, and we intentionally develop them in parallel.”

Dejan Jović, CEO at BlueOcean Gaming.

At ICE Barcelona, you are introducing several new GameHub Tools, including Live RTP, Recommendation Engine, Wheel of Fortune, and Ride Along. Which of these do you believe will have the most immediate impact for operators, and why?

We’ve been working intensively on new tools over the past year, and ICE Barcelona is the perfect moment to showcase them. While all upcoming features bring value, Ride Along stands out as the most innovative addition.

Ride Along introduces a strong social and community-driven layer to gameplay. It allows players to engage with streamers, follow live action, interact via chat, and feel part of a shared experience rather than playing alone. This makes it highly relevant not only for traditional online platforms, but also for social and sweepstakes-style environments.

At its core, Ride Along transforms gameplay into a shared journey, combining entertainment, interaction, and competition in one place, and we believe this sense of community will have an immediate and lasting impact.

Toward the end of last year, BlueOcean Gaming established a dedicated Business Development department. What motivated this move, and how does it strengthen your partner strategy?

The industry is moving faster than ever, and staying ahead requires focus. Building new opportunities while nurturing existing partnerships is no longer something that can be handled on the side; it requires a dedicated team.

Our partners are absolutely central to our business, so creating a Business Development department was a natural step. It allows us to be more proactive, more strategic, and more present, both when exploring new opportunities and when strengthening long-term relationships.

“Our partners are absolutely central to our business, so creating a Business Development department was a natural step.”

Dejan Jović, CEO at BlueOcean Gaming.

You’ve expanded the team with experienced industry professionals, including George and Hellie. How do their roles contribute to deeper partnerships and long-term strategic growth?

We’re very happy to welcome George and Hellie to the team. Their roles are focused on strengthening and evolving our partner relationships, identifying new growth opportunities, and ensuring our strategic collaborations continue to support BlueOcean Gaming’s long-term vision.

At BlueOcean Gaming, strong partnerships have always been central to our success. As the business continues to grow and our ecosystem expands, having experienced professionals dedicated to business development allows us to go beyond maintaining relationships and actively develop them in a more strategic and structured way.

George and Hellie bring deep industry knowledge, strong networks, and a clear understanding of the igaming landscape. Their combined expertise enables us to work more closely with partners, unlock new collaboration opportunities, and build sustainable, long-term value that supports our continued growth.

Partnerships are clearly a core focus for BlueOcean Gaming. How has your approach to working with partners evolved as your platform and team continue to grow?

A lot has changed since we started the company back in 2010, but one thing has remained the same: the way we treat the people we work with. Growth brings complexity, more projects, and more responsibilities, but we strongly believe that the human touch still matters.

Even in an era of automation, AI, and rapid scaling, personal relationships remain essential. That’s why, even at busy expos, I always try to make time to meet partners in person, even if it’s just to say hello. Those moments still make a difference.

Looking ahead, you’ve announced plans to launch your own Sweepstakes platform later this year. Without going into too much detail, why is this an important milestone for BlueOcean Gaming, and how does it fit into your broader ecosystem?

This is a project we’ve been working on extensively over the past year, and we’re very proud of it. By developing a platform that supports the sweepstakes model, we’re opening the door to new markets and new types of clients who are specifically looking for this kind of software solution.

For us, it’s an important milestone because it once again demonstrates our ability to build new solutions from scratch, adapt quickly to market demand, and expand our ecosystem. It also significantly broadens our product portfolio, as we can now offer sweepstakes content both through GameHub and as part of a Turnkey solution for potential clients who are looking for such solutions.

Overall, this launch strengthens our position as a flexible and forward-thinking platform provider, enabling us to support a wider range of business models while continuing to deliver scalable, future-ready solutions.

“By developing a platform that supports the sweepstakes model, we’re opening the door to new markets and new types of clients who are specifically looking for this kind of software solution.”

Dejan Jović, CEO at BlueOcean Gaming.