Smaller games development studios can often struggle when it comes to distribution, but partnering with a larger supplier can help ensure their content reaches a wider audience.
That’s according to Stephan van den Oetelaar, CEO of Stakelogic, who spoke to CasinoBeats about the role that their Greenlogic partner platform can play in allowing smaller studios to do ‘what they do best’, and how a collaborative approach to game development can lead to more creative releases.
CasinoBeats: How does the Greenlogic platform help create added value for development studios, especially when it comes to international exposure?
SvdO: Greenlogic offers a wide range of benefits to studios. First of all, Greenlogic is about joint game development. Stakelogic reviews and guides the development process and our partners appreciate the support they get from our team. In some cases, a minor ‘tweak’ of the gameplay or a slight re-arrangement of the UI lay-out can – and does – have a great impact on the commercial success of a game. Greenlogic partners can leverage our experience and proven track record to take their games to the next level.
Greenlogic also enables studios to concentrate on game development. For most studios that is what they do best and what they like doing most. The area where studios often struggle is distribution and commercials, but under the Greenlogic program Stakelogic takes care of these areas.
We undertake sales and marketing, the back-office administration and invoicing, the distribution of the games to over 500 operators around the world and the operating of the games via our ISO 27001 certified server environment. So, yes, each studio gains international exposure as well as a host of other benefits.
“This is ‘freedom of development’ for the game studio”
CasinoBeats: How has Stakelogic’s ‘enriched wrapper’ helped minimise disruption when it comes to back-end integration?
SvdO: Most partner programs are based on either API integration or the studio needs to adopt the development environment of the partner. Through the ‘enriched wrapper’ integration, Stakelogic offers the best of both worlds. This is ‘freedom of development’ for the game studio and ‘control over the UI’ for Stakelogic.
The ‘enriched wrapper’ integration also minimises disruption on the side of the studio. By integrating via the ‘enriched wrapper’, the studio can continue to develop games by using the same game development environment it was using before.
For us, the ‘enriched wrapper’ allows a certain level of control over the UI, which is important as some jurisdictions might not allow certain functionality like ‘auto spin’ or ‘fast spin’. To a certain extent, Stakelogic can ensure compliance without bothering the studio.
CasinoBeats: In your opinion, does the collaborative approach to game development result in more creative releases?
SvdO: Yes, absolutely. Greenlogic partners have created games that are different from traditional Stakelogic content, attracting new player groups. What’s more, Greenlogic partners have already entered into exclusivity arrangements with certain operators as a result of the performance of some of the first games released via the platform.
Greenlogic is also leading Stakelogic into new markets and verticals, including live roulette. We are currently developing a series of live roulette games that are new and different as they use certain Stakelogic features to deliver a unique player experience. It is a great combination and we can’t wait to debut the first titles in the series.
“…in the coming years the community aspect of online gambling will become more important”
CasinoBeats: With further industry consolidation expected in 2021, how important are platforms such as Greenlogic for smaller studios’ survival?
SvdO: Greenlogic is not about survival but rather about doing business differently and providing an environment where smaller studios can thrive.
From a business perspective, Greenlogic can offer studios two things. The first is better distribution, while also benefiting from the Stakelogic brand name; the second is changing the business model, from one-off payments for products and services to a continued revenue flow.
For Stakelogic, Greenlogic means increasing development capacity without losing focus on the core business. Following an M&A strategy often implies that the executive board and most of the underlying management layers become involved in the restructuring processes in order to integrate the acquired companies and to achieve synergy benefits. The executive board of Stakelogic is fully focussed on game development and client relationships, which is what we do best.
CasinoBeats: And finally, what plans does Stakelogic have in the pipeline for 2021?
SvdO: As the world leading provider of classic slots, 2021 will be a very special year for Stakelogic as numerous operators will go-live in the newly regulated Dutch market with our content. In addition to the Stakelogic game portfolio and roadmap, we have developed a large number of classic games on an exclusive basis allowing our operator partners to increase player retention.
Such is the opportunity in The Netherlands, Stakelogic has become a co-founder of the Dutch Gaming Association. The DGA is a casino platform that provides a full suite of products and services to operators targeting the market, including the creation, maintenance and hosting of the casino website, the integration with game studios and payment service providers, back-office administration and customer support. And, of course, a large portfolio of Stakelogic classic slot games.
This year we will also make our debut in the live casino market. By introducing advanced live roulette games, whereby typical Stakelogic features and technologies are applied, we believe we will take this traditional and hugely popular casino table game to the next level.
We are also of the opinion that in the coming years the community aspect of online gambling will become more important. In the first half of 2021 we will introduce a new line of game features, to be implemented in both new and existing games, adding community elements to our titles.