Play’n GO will take ICE 2016 by storm

Johan Tornqvist, Play’n GO’s CEO in an exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News.

The Swedish developer of online gaming products is ready for ICE and shares its expectations for 2016, which may be the company’s biggest year in its history.

ICE will be held once again in the next few weeks, what do you expect from this show?

ICE is a special time for all of us at Play’n GO. In addition to this being the sixth year in a row that we are sponsoring the famous ‘Fire & ICE’ party, we’ll be bringing the largest contingent of Play’n GO staff ever to London and can’t wait to welcome everyone to stand N6-340.

The Play’n GO stand is unquestionably our most extraordinary yet, and has been designed to take delegates on an immersive experience through our full range of award-winning slot titles – from Gemix and Eye of the Kraken to Wizard of Gems, Book of Dead, Samba Carnival and more.

We have had a tremendously exciting 2015, complete with a whole host of new deals with operators agreed and a suite of bespoke games produced; we can’t wait to speak to operators of all shapes and sizes.

Will the company introduce new products during the show? In that case, which are the advantages for the operator and the player?

In addition to the raft of already live and hugely popular titles on display for operators to sink their teeth into, Play’n GO will be showcasing our brand newest title, Cloud Quest.

Like all of our premium titles, Cloud Quest boasts high-definition animation and smooth performances across phone, tablet and desktop versions and will be release simultaneously in both HTML5 and flash. Delegates are advised to visit the Play’n GO stand for a personal demonstration of 2016’s standout title.

As a company, we have been dedicated to producing games of the highest quality for over a decade. In addition to our widely-released titles, we enjoy nothing more than partnering with an operator to produce a bespoke title that is sure to be popular with their players for years to come, such as Rage to Riches.

Which are this year’s plans? Which markets are you focusing on?

The year ahead looks set to our biggest yet and will see Play’n GO tie up major deals with operators in regulated markets all around the world. Our headcount both in Sweden and Malta is expanding fast and are now well in treble digits, with even more fantastic people to come on board soon. The increased internal capacity allows us to better serve our customers, both current and new, as we look to make on-boarding and integration as quick and easy as possible.

We have already lined up some tremendously exciting bespoke game deals that are keeping our world-class studio busy, and we have plans for region specific titles as well – be it South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the UK or Scandinavia, every region has its own playing habits, tastes and desires.

The next 12 months will see a sustained push for increased personalization across the whole industry. Suppliers and operators alike need to look closely at their players to determine their needs and desires. Do they prefer grid or reel slots? What level of volatility are they comfortable with?

Once player data has been analyzed properly titles can be produced that will appeal to them directly and have the best possible chance to be a success.

How do you see the gaming industry today? Which are the challenges for this year for the worldwide industry?

The wider industry as a whole is in rude health, and the next 12 months could see some exciting developments as new markets open up.

Operators know that they must offer premium games, with all of the immersive sounds, sights and animations that players have come to expect from the non-industry games that inhabit their mobiles.

We have been working hard to ensure we have the right tools and platform, as well as organisational and legal structures, in place to be able to service the needs of existing and new customers in jurisdictions all over the world.

Play’n GO is in a strong position and poised to enjoy what promises to be a very exciting year ahead.