CasinoBeats sits down with Games Global’s CEO, Walter Bugno, as he reflects on what has been a successful 2022 for the company since it thundered onto the scene following the acquisition of Microgaming’s distribution business.
CasinoBeats: Games Global officially launched in May, what have the first seven months been like for the company? Tell us about the highlights.
Walter Bugno: The biggest highlight has been watching what began as an idea develop into a cohesive, exciting, fast-moving company that is now 1000+ staff strong. It’s been a period of immense growth, and there’s plenty more improvement to come, which we’re incredibly excited about. With 2022 now behind us, we can look back and say that we have delivered what we set out to do and we are now ready to enter 2023 in a strong position.
It’s crucial for Games Global to continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that we keep a finger on the pulse and understand their wants and needs. We facilitated plenty of opportunities to foster this ethos during the year. The customer workshop and company launch event in Portugal in May 2022 was a particular highlight, offering the perfect platform to discern what our customers want and what matters most to them, so we could go away and plan how to deliver better on customer expectations.
CB: You launched as a new brand but with a portfolio of over 3,000 titles as well as an established jackpot network, what have the challenges and advantages been in entering the market that way?
WB: There was a lot of hard work behind the scenes to ensure we were able to provide our customers with a seamless transition. This was a major priority for us when we launched the business, and we are thrilled to say that we believe that we have delivered in the most part to expectations.
By having already established content and a very recognisable jackpot network in our offering, we have been able to stay a step ahead. With the industry already familiar with our products, we have instead focused on building the corporate Games Global brand and the identity of our game design studio as well as pushing ourselves to an even higher standard. We do not rest on our laurels and have been working hard to further develop our technology capabilities and ensuring we offer our studios the tools and support they need to bring their ideas to life.
CB: What are the main benefits for studio partners working with Games Global? What makes you stand out?
WB: Our studios, whether fully owned or majority owned, as well as any third party studio partners gain immediate access to a network of over 1000 operator brands across a wide number of regulated markets, which offers fantastic global reach from the get-go. Our legacy-free tech stack enables studios to really push the boundaries and build innovative content.
We constantly update it to keep up with the rapidly changing tech landscape. We put innovation at the centre of everything we do, and our studios have been selected because of this shared vision and it has resulted in some really fantastic games. Our dedicated marketing team ensures each partner’s content is promoted within the wider industry, optimising the product awareness with both operators and players.
Through the company’s legacy, we are a trusted and well-established partner even though we recently launched the brand.
CB: You have previously mentioned that you aim to be ‘the one’ company in the industry, what did you mean by that and are you on your way to achieving that goal?
WB: To be the one is an ambition that is not driven by a number … it does not mean being number one or being the biggest. It means that Games Global is the reference point for our customers: the one they turn to for innovation, the one they turn to when they have a problem, the one they turn to when they want to jump shift their business, the one to turn to when they want an expert opinion.
Importantly, to be the one means that it is the company people in the industry want to join, that employees are proud to shout from the rooftop, that industry stakeholders utilise as the benchmark of success. We are working every day on achieving this vision, and every small contribution and step is a step in that direction.
From a specific operational perspective, we are innovating our technology base so as to ensure that our game design studios can focus on doing what they do best – producing unique, engaging and innovative content. The quality of output has increased over the last seven months dramatically, and we except this to further grow, cementing our position as the supplier with the most dynamic and interesting content offering on the market.
Expansion of our employee base around the globe has also been high on the agenda and we have grown the team substantially at all levels. This is crucial as it is each individual talent that make Games Global what it is, the success that we have seen so far is testament to the dedicated, hardworking and experienced team we have here.
CB: What can we expect from games Global in 2023?
WB: We are planning on keeping the pace high and have several things in the pipeline. We will introduce new exclusive studios into the fold, further expanding our current list of 35 partners. Our successful jackpot network will also be expanded with new progressive jackpots, making our offering even more attractive. We continue to evolve our customer tools and products that will further enhance the end user’s gaming experience and help drive our customers’ businesses.
Lastly, we aim to enter new regulated markets around the world as well as growing in established ones to ensure we have the widest geographical reach. We are driven to be the best and we have only just got started, so 2023 will be a year to expect a lot more from Games Global. We’ll also be attending ICE 2023 – see you there!