“Now we are in step one. Maybe the others should be afraid of what happens in step three or four,” Thomas Wendt, Co-Founder and Director of Apparat Gaming, tells CasinoBeats in the aftermath of Yolo Investments acquiring an interest in the developer for an undisclosed sum.
Despite still being relatively early in online slots journey, Wendt pulls no punches in commenting that “I would say, I’d like to have a little bit more, but we are very proud of what we did” upon assessing the company’s progress from foundation two years ago until the current day.
The developer is looking to release one game per month moving forward, a number that could shoot north should the correct conditions align, with an upcoming release at the end of August causing much optimism.
This represents a game release “which I strongly believe in” he continues when looking at challenges of establishing a slots studio in an already overcrowded space and adding games that the “trillions, fantastalillions” (yes, you’ve read that right) which already exist.
“But we believe we can add something and in the end the player has to decide,” Wednt continues. “But as far as we have to get the entrance to operators and aggregators before, and they decided to do it, I would say that also qualifies by taking the market by storm when you are a newcomer together with hundreds of other content suppliers and 22,599 other games.
“We were kind of a little bit arrogant to think in the beginning we could do without anyone”
“So, yes, we don’t, we don’t do the complete new innovation thing right now, I still believe in that; I have something in mind. And maybe that was also the part where we kind of, no, I think it was not beer involved, but one beer too much getting in exchanges with the guys of Yolo.
“But we have some ideas, but that’s too early to discuss right now. We have a kind of a step plan. Very German, I know. And now we are in step one. And maybe the others should be afraid of what happens in step three or four.”
With focus switched to the issue at hand, Wendt talks of a “wedding in heaven” upon truly discovering that Yolo were the right partner for Apparat as it was expressed that investment is made in people rather than business plans.
However, acknowledgment of slight nativity during the early stages of the group is alluded to, with the backing “important” in enabling Apparat to fulfil its plans and ambitions.
“It was very important. Because we were kind of a little bit arrogant to think in the beginning, we could do without anyone and start everyone waiting for us to do the one big game, the starburst game or whatever,” Wendt explains.
“And, and from then everything would be easy. Of course, it’s not that way. So the investment of Yolo was kind of very important for us, because we saw we needed some support.
“And that’s not the way in terms of we were young and needed the money, it was more that we had to learn that with a partner who is well known in the industry, who offers contact, inspiration, discusses with you and has the same parts to other companies, you said 55 other investments with the Yolo so they have a lot of experience with guys like us.”
