Jan Urbanec: “The hard thing is not staying on top of new trends but identifying them correctly”

Jan Urbanec, CEO of Endorphina, spoke with Focus Gaming News about the iGaming industry, the company’s attendance at the upcoming SiGMA 2021 and its plans for the future.

Exclusive interview.- In this recent interview with Focus Gaming News, Jan Urbanec, CEO of Endorphina, touches upon insightful topics about the company and the iGaming industry as a whole. 

Readers will get a glimpse of what Jan says about the future of iGaming after Covid-19, his expectations in the next SiGMA in Malta, impressions on new partnerships, how Endorphina plans to stay competitive, and upcoming plans for 2022.

What are your expectations regarding the next edition of SiGMA in Malta?

We are very excited for SiGMA to happen. After our presence and attendance at SBC Barcelona and iGB Live in Amsterdam this year, exhibiting at SiGMA is a clear next step.

Our hope is that the organizers will be able to find a balance in the compliance of local pandemic regulations and the great networking options that the industry is known for.

We understand some limitations will have to be endured, but we are also confident that the experience of the SiGMA team will help to create an amazing event.

What lessons do you think the Covid-19 pandemic has left for the future of the iGaming industry?

The lessons are similar to other industries. The improvement of remote employee management, the debate and analysis of work productivity during the long-term home office, the need for common workspace and real-life meetings with your co-workers.

The iGaming industry is going the way it was supposed to go even before the pandemic – converting land-based players to go online.

The pandemic propelled some serious acceleration of this trend.

Are you thinking of new partnerships for the rest of the year?

We are definitely not only thinking about them – we are making them happen. There is a big list of new partners in the pipeline in different stages of getting our games to their players.

“Right now, there is not a week where we don’t go live with a significant number of new operators.”

Jan Urbanec, CEO of Endorphina.

What were the impressions you received from your latest releases like Book of Oil and Hell Hot 20?

The Hell Hot series is a proven performer in the casinos. Our release of Hell Hot 20 was already highly anticipated by our partners and even requested by players.

The game performance fulfilled and, in some markets, overcame the anticipated results.

Book of Oil is a very specifically targeted game for a niche audience of players that we know about. 

“We like to communicate with the players – and the best way to do so is by releasing games with themes that are close to their hearts.”

Jan Urbanec, CEO of Endorphina.

However, that does not stop the rest of our audience from playing Book of Oil and enjoying it as well.

With an increasingly competitive and constantly growing market, how do you adapt to new trends to always stay at the top of the game?

The hard thing is not staying on top of new trends but identifying them correctly.

If a trend is just a fad, that will disappear in the next few months. Then, by the time you deliver a game based on that trend, you may find the game hitting flat on an audience of players that are disinterested and quite frankly flooded with this “trend”.

We aim for consistency and market brand identity. If you are a player or operator, you should not need our cool-looking logo to tell you which is the latest game from Endorphina.

You should know by the game design and by your feeling from the gameplay.

That being said, we carefully monitor every new mechanic, theme or trend that has the potential to become popular. Then we carefully assess if this is something that can fit into our brand and games.

What are the next steps of the company for 2022 and the plans for the upcoming years?

We have a strong line-up of games for the end of 2021 and are diligently preparing a roadmap for 2022. You will definitely see a new series of slots – the concept has proven itself to be popular with players and lucrative with operators.

We will soon be making our way into newly regulated markets as well as some that have been regulated for a while, as we have identified that this will be very promising for our games. 

Stay tuned for even more details and the latest news straight from Endorphina on our website or social media.