Gamzix: “ICE visitors will be the first to preview what Gamzix is launching next and explore the company’s product strategy for the year ahead”

Arpine Sargsyan, Partnership Manager at Gamzix, and Tetiana Dubrova, Event Manager at Gamzix, discuss the company’s “playable” brand experience for ICE Barcelona 2026, mobile-first strategies, and the role of AI in game development.

Exclusive interview.- As Gamzix prepares to take the stage at ICE Barcelona 2026, Focus Gaming News spoke with Arpine Sargsyan, partnership manager at Gamzix, and Tetiana Dubrova, event manager at Gamzix, to know the company’s plans for the event, the thinking behind its Behind the Reels campaign, and the strategic impact of its new game engine. They also discussed Gamzix’s mobile-led approach to development, the balance between nostalgia and modern gameplay, and how emerging technologies such as AI are being used to support — rather than replace — creative game design.

Gamzix is heading to ICE Barcelona 2026. What experiences, product reveals, and stand innovations can visitors look forward to at your booth?

Tetiana Dubrova: ICE Barcelona 2026 is a big moment for us, so we’re treating the stand as a “playable” brand experience rather than a static showcase.

From an event strategy perspective, we aim to create an immersive environment where visitors immediately understand how to engage with the brand.

A key highlight will be our 2026 Roadmap Reveal: ICE visitors will be the first to preview what Gamzix is launching next and explore our product strategy for the year ahead. They’ll discover our games through an engaging interactive map, because we believe people shouldn’t just look at our games, they should touch, test, and remember them. This format combines storytelling with hands-on interaction, which is crucial in a busy exhibition environment like ICE.

We’ve also prepared plenty of entertaining activities, with tarot sessions as a standout highlight, alongside exclusive Gary the Goose collectables, merch giveaways, and welcome drinks – all designed to spark great conversation and a warm atmosphere at our stand.

“We aim to create an immersive environment where visitors immediately understand how to engage with the brand.”

Tetiana Dubrova, event manager at Gamzix.

Stand design has become a crucial differentiator in a crowded exhibition landscape. How does Gamzix approach the conceptualisation and planning process? Is there a philosophy or methodology that guides your strategy for different events and markets?

Tetiana Dubrova: We start with one question: what do we want a visitor to feel and do within the first 30 seconds? From there, we design the stand around a clear visitor journey, not around furniture. This early-moment focus helps cut through exhibition noise and immediately positions Gamzix in the visitor’s mind.

Our stand is designed as an open space, intentionally avoiding barriers or closed-off areas. Open layouts encourage natural flow, let visitors explore freely, and invite them into interactive zones without hesitation. They maximise visibility, make our brand approachable, and create an environment where spontaneous conversations happen organically.

Our methodology is a mix of storytelling and practicality: clear product zones, frictionless demo access, and spaces that support real conversations. Ultimately, our goal is to create an environment that showcases our games, supports new partnerships, and gives visitors a space to connect, recharge, and spend meaningful time with the team.

Given that ICE 2026 is hosting nearly 600 exhibitors and welcoming 65,000+ visitors over three days, what’s your strategy for ensuring visitors actually stop and engage with your stand rather than simply passing through?

Tetiana Dubrova: With an event as busy as ICE, attention is earned in seconds; that’s why we’re prioritising instant clarity and zero-friction engagement. Our stand uses bold visuals and seamless mobile demos to pull visitors in, while a curated schedule of feature spotlights and roadmap reveals provides a continuous reason to engage. By layering this with proactive meeting scheduling, we ensure that every “stop” has the potential to become a partnership.

Gamzix received a lot of attention for its Behind the Reels campaign. What was the thinking behind this fresh approach, and why do you think it struck such a chord?

Tetiana Dubrova: Behind the Reels was born from a simple belief: games are more meaningful when you see the people and the passion behind them. In an industry that often focuses solely on the final product, the craft, the iteration, and the tough decisions that go into development are rarely seen.

This resonated because it wasn’t a sales pitch; it was a window into our culture. By sharing how we build and iterate, we’ve replaced “marketing noise” with genuine authenticity. It’s not just about the games we make; it’s about the thinking that makes them special.

We wanted to humanise the brand and give partners context for how and why our products evolve.

Our team is also proud that industry experts appreciated the approach, nominating Behind the Reels twice for Best Marketing Campaign.

What impact has Gamzix’s new game engine had on development?

Arpine Sargsyan: The new game engine has had a significant positive impact on Gamzix’s product and business strategy. It gives us a scalable and future-proof foundation that reduces time-to-market for new releases while extending the commercial lifecycle of existing games.

By enabling richer features and more consistent performance, the engine improves player engagement, which directly supports stronger retention and revenue potential. From a partner perspective, it enhances the overall value of our portfolio, helping Gamzix differentiate more effectively and compete in regulated and competitive markets.

Has Gamzix’s decision to focus on mobile-oriented games proven to be the right course?

Arpine Sargsyan: Yes, focusing on mobile has proven to be the right strategic direction, and we see its impact growing every quarter. Mobile isn’t just a platform – it’s a distinct user behaviour, with shorter sessions, different ergonomics, and lower tolerance for friction.

Adopting a mobile-first approach has actually strengthened our creative and development discipline. It drives clarity, responsiveness, and carefully paced experiences, which ultimately result in games that are more accessible, engaging, and satisfying for players.

The success of this strategy is evident in measurable outcomes, as highlighted by our recent case study.

We’ve seen a boom in nostalgia across many sectors in recent years, but players also want modern gameplay. Is this a contradiction, and how do you strike a balance?

Arpine Sargsyan: It’s not a contradiction, it’s a pairing. Nostalgia is often about emotion and familiarity, while modern gameplay is about engagement and control. People like recognisable themes, but they also expect contemporary features, smoother UX, and satisfying progression.

Our approach is to use familiarity as an entry point, then deliver modern depth through mechanics, feature structure, pacing, and quality-of-life design. The theme opens the door, but the gameplay is what makes people stay.

Games like Only Coins Express and Sunny Coin 10,000: Hold The Spin make heavy use of pop culture references. What does this familiarity add for players?

Arpine Sargsyan: Familiar references act like a shared language. They reduce the learning curve because the vibe is instantly understood, and they help create an emotional shortcut: players “get it” before they’ve even spun.

For us, it’s also a tool for tone. As we explained in more detail in our article, pop culture references help enhance the experience, not replace originality. Players still need strong core gameplay, and that always comes first.

Gamzix ran an interesting experiment recently, testing whether AI can create a slot game. I think we can conclude from the results that AI isn’t going to replace designers anytime soon, but what uses does AI have for game development?

Arpine Sargsyan: Exactly, AI isn’t a replacement for creative direction, intuition, or player insight. Its value lies in accelerating and supporting the development process.

In practice, AI can be highly effective for early-stage ideation, rapid prototyping, generating variations for internal testing, streamlining workflows like documentation or localisation drafts, and analysing playtesting data to identify patterns more quickly.

Put simply, AI helps teams move faster and make more informed decisions, but the final creative and strategic choices, especially when it comes to originality, design quality, and production-ready results, remain firmly in human hands.

“AI isn’t a replacement for creative direction, intuition, or player insight. Its value lies in accelerating and supporting the development process.”

Arpine Sargsyan, partnership manager at Gamzix.