Ahead of next week’s SBC Summit Barcelona, Dr Sebastian Reddig, Chief Product Officer at online game developer GAMOMAT, talks about the company’s “massively successful” Fire-Respins series, the art of video production and its approach to new markets.
CasinoBeats: You’ve hit a rich vein of form with the Fire-Respins series. Can you expand on how that line-up of games has evolved and why it’s struck such a resonant chord with players?
Sebastian Reddig: Our Fire-Respins series is the first time GAMOMAT has initiated a completely new series with a unique feature across a group of unreleased games. It is a visual triumph that expertly encapsulates the concept which has seen it become a slot fans favourite in all our operational markets.
The ideation behind Fire-Respins evolved from our much-loved Respins of Amun Re series which resonated with players across multiple countries. From here we set to work on introducing the concept within an entirely new range of games. Every game in the Fire-Respins series has its own theme as seen with Sevens Fire a fruit game, the adventure-based Mayan Fire, and Divine Fire as a book theme game.
Sevens Fire was the first release from the series and it instantly caught players’ attention. It has proved very popular from the start and has been long-established in the top rankings amongst our proprietary titles in all our markets.
From a personal perspective, Divine Fire is my favourite from the series. The game incorporates and perfectly blends together the Fire Respins and Book features within one experience. When the eye-catching Fire Orb is complemented by an atmospheric soundtrack it truly makes for a special reels adventure.
CB: Tell us about your upcoming game Alexandria Fire and how you intend to promote it at the forthcoming SBC summit in Barcelona.
SR: There is palpable excitement ahead of the launch of Alexandria Fire on September 29. Once launched it will be available within all our main markets and we’re very confident it will be another hit from the eponymous series.
Alexandria Fire is the latest addition to the Fire Series and the story unfolds against the backdrop of Ancient Egypt. A core driver behind the game was taking the concept to another level, so the Fire Respins fits seamlessly within the narrative where the hero is going to join Isis, the Goddess of Magic and patroness of Alexandria City, to bring the fire of hope back to its former greatness.
The game’s second star element is its reveal feature and it ensures the player will never grow bored. We are especially proud of our promo video created to introduce Alexandria Fire. In fact so much so that we are showing it during the SBC Summit in Barcelona. Once again we’re a session sponsor following our inaugural partnership with SBC in 2021 and we’re excited about consolidating our collaboration.
CB: Video production is getting more and more significant nowadays, when it comes to promoting and advertising games. How is GAMOMAT using it to the best effect when showcasing new titles?
SR: The challenge is capturing the game essence and providing a story snapshot in a short clip. GAMOMAT’s in-house animation department, sound studio and sound designer in Berlin allow us to push the creative boundaries and we can cover nearly the entire process from the conception to the final video.
The stellar work from our team has been recognised with two prestigious awards. In 2021 our Crystal Strike promo video landed two titles at the W3 Awards, which are sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts in New York.
CB: What can you tell us about the newest addition to the Fire series due in December and what can players look forward to from this new release?
SR: In December we’ll welcome the concluding release of the Fire Series, Nordic Fire. This hotly anticipated game will once again include the Fire Respins concept as well as its own unique feature. Nordic Fire is a Viking-themed title where the main character is a powerful Viking warrior doing battle against a supernatural being, Surt. The mission is protecting the Viking village from evil and it will be launched on 13 December – keep an eye out for a brand new feature to make its debut.
CB: Looking more closely at GAMOMAT’s market penetration, how important is Germany right now and what are your expansion plans for the Netherlands and new markets beyond?
SR: The German market is super essential for the business as it’s our home market. We have a positive outlook on the future in Germany as our games are already enjoying success here and there is potential yet to be realised if the number of permits increases.
The Netherlands is another strong performing market for us and our position in the region shows our expansion strategy is paying dividends. Our goal is developing our ideas and games precisely to individual regulated market preferences to give players the best gaming experiences possible.
CB: Finally, can you talk more about the Gaming for the Climate initiative and what you have done already with the Healthy Seas cooperation?
SR: GAMOMAT prides itself on a creative approach to gaming, and our marketing team is emblematic of that philosophy. Our strategy is amplifying the GAMOMAT brand worldwide and promoting our mantra: ‘Ideas, that work’.
We do this through constant innovative marketing strategies and partnerships that reflect our internal beliefs. Gaming for the Climate is the perfect example of this as it shows we don’t just think about the future of gaming. We are also thinking about the future of our environment.
With this in mind, we launched our initiative Gaming for the Climate back in December 2021 because we wanted to use our gaming expertise to turn the tide of the climate crisis. We initiated a fantastic collaboration with Healthy Seas with the mission of supporting their work protecting the oceans around the world and also to free the seabeds from ghost nets.
Their first operation was in Ithaca, Greece, where volunteer divers have been removing ghost nets left on the seafloor by an abandoned fish farm. We have an open dialogue with Healthy Season to understand where our support can be best directed and we’re about to embark on their next mission.
This is just the beginning as we’re exploring other charity initiatives around the world where we can make a measurable difference to our natural environment and future generations.
iGaming Innovation is to form one key aspect of this year’s SBC Summit Barcelona 2022, which takes place at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc on 20-22 September.
This will see 6,000 delegates enjoy a 12-track conference covering all aspects of the international sports betting and online casino industries, an exhibition with 200 companies showcasing their latest innovations, and a programme of spectacular evening networking events.
Visit the SBC Summit Barcelona website to book your all access or discounted group pass.