Jan Urbanec: “Endorphina strive to bring real entertainment to ICE”
In dialogue with Focus Gaming News, Jan Urbanec, CEO at Endorphina, talked about the novelties that they will be presenting at ICE London as well as the objectives to be achieved in 2022.
Exclusive interview.- After it was rescheduled due to Covid-19 restrictions, ICE London will finally reopen its doors to the gaming industry. In an interview with Focus Gaming News, Jan Urbanec, CEO at Endorphina, talked about how important this show is for the company, what its news will be, and how they analyze their projected expansion plans for this year.
How important is it for Endorphina to be present at a large in-person expo?
Endorphina and its company culture were always strongly oriented towards personal relationships. And when it comes to ICE London, one of the biggest events in our industry, it is a key opportunity for us.
We understand that the organisers were forced to push delays due to the circumstances. We continue to support this historically relevant event within our industry.
What are you planning to show at your ICE stand?
Like every year, we strive to bring real entertainment to ICE. This time we have a game-themed stand.
Our players and operators may rejoice at the arrival of Cyber Wolf. It will be a unique slot, a spin-off on a classic game theme.
And of course, if we have our Cyber Wolf in cyberspace, we need to bring him to the real world as well. You are going to see him walking around the expo and performing on our stage.
“We continue to support this historically relevant event within our industry.”
Jan Urbanec, CEO at Endorphina.
The company is planning to expand to new markets in 2022. What new regions are you focusing on?
In short – any newly regulated or re-regulated market will not be untouched by our games.
The longer answer is that we are carefully picking and analysing data from those markets and trying to find correlations with our current markets in Europe.
If we see that players are expected to react very positively to our specific games in Argentina in the same way as players in Germany, we’ll move in that direction.
The goal for 2022 is to get a certification and licenses for 12 new markets. For the initial 4 months, we have already entered 6 markets – so we are on the right track.
Endorphina participated in in-person expos in 2021. What was your balance after the editions of iGB Live! Amsterdam and SiGMA Malta?
Our balance is always positive. Sometimes you can measure it in signed deals or finalized negotiations. But sometimes the value is there with new interpersonal relationships – you can’t quantify that. A handshake at the expo may not mean cash in your account in a month but it can mean in a year you will have a new strong partner.
We were happy with how both events were handled and allowed us to promote the Endorphina brand.
2022 has started with new partnerships for Endorphina. What do these deals mean to the company?
It means more responsibility. We are hiring new professionals to our team, to keep providing the same level of excellent service.
The time has come for Endorphina to fully expand our Malta presence. The first new members of our full-time local Malta team are right now undergoing a “training camp” and soon will be forging new relationships on the island.
We understand that local services can be provided only by local people. We are carefully choosing business professionals and managers that are culturally aware.
“The goal for 2022 is to get a certification and licenses for 12 new markets. For the initial 4 months, we have already entered 6 markets – so we are on the right track.”
Jan Urbanec, CEO at Endorphina.
What are your expectations for the gaming industry for this year?
The events in Ukraine are going to shape our industry for sure. Kyiv was, and hopefully will again be, an iGaming hub of talent and professionals. Operators, providers, services – everything and anything connected to our business.
The regulations and re-regulation of some markets will be delayed by these events. In short, politicians will be focused on other questions.
Hopefully, at some point, there will be a call to create more tax revenue for the governments. In this case, I can see that new laws regarding iGaming could be put into place fast. We can see this in the US and Canada right now.
The trend of digital life will deepen more and more. With Web3 and Metaverse being keywords of 2022, we can expect to spend more of our time on our devices. This helps not only the iGaming industry but also our competitors in other forms of entertainment.
