M&A is a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that seems to gain additional strength with each passing week, becoming an increasingly unstoppable force as numerous entities look to bolster their offerings and strengthen their hand on a global basis.
One recent example of this saw Swintt reinforce its games catalogue through the addition of Elysium Studios, an addition that CEO David Mann hailed as a perfect fit with both the group’s commercial strategy and how it tries to position its products.
Citing numerous geographical examples, such as Germany, the Netherlands, India and Japan, Mann delved into a blueprint that is centered around having certain types of games for specific markets.
“We wanted to bolster our portfolio by looking for content that will plug other gaps in the market. We know what we can do well today, and we want to try and improve in other areas.
“We were looking for a game studio that is able to really tailor towards the Nordics, towards Northern Europe, and the experience of building games for those markets was important for us.
“That fits in with our general strategy of being able to provide the right games for the right markets so the operators can really thrive with their content.”
However, the path to purchases is not one that is easily trodden. A number of hurdles, such as potential legal issues and time constraints, can often prove to be sticking points as completion nears.
“…making sure that you have a plan for how you can make that acquisition succeed, is really important”
Touching on some of the potential hurdles that can align with acquisitive intentions, Mann elaborated: “There’s company structures, how the teams are going to blend, any kind of legal history that needs to be checked out.
“There are a lot of considerations within M&A just to get in the right process. Making sure that there’s a good understanding and rapport between each side, because you don’t want it to be hostile and have, in any way, a longer term negative impact, especially between the teams, as they’re going to evolve and be integrated into the greater group.
“Those are really important. Some companies are extremely efficient at this. We see some of the bigger names in the industry are just able to go out and buy the other companies, but it doesn’t always come with success.
“So I suppose trying to make sure that it is the right fit, and making sure that you have a plan for how you can make that acquisition succeed, is really important.”
Turning to Elysium Studios itself, Mann cited a rich history in “producing quality content”, as well as a visual led approach to the overall feel of its games, in detailing the appeal of the purchase in strengthening the Swintt roster.
“We wanted to try and make sure that their content was that missing gap, and we really feel it is”
“These are a level above some of the content that we have, that we are already supplying into certain markets.
“Our German content caters for specific markets – of course Germany, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe. Players who have an affinity with land-based style content really take to those games, but we’ve seen players in, for example, the Nordic markets, having different tastes to more traditional style games.
“We wanted to try and make sure that their content was that missing gap, and we really feel it is. Looking at the content, there’s a lot of diversity in how they construct the games, from how they stack in-game features, to the look and feel of each release. There’s a real polish and finesse around the edges.”
This latest addition, Mann explained, is expected to extend Swintt’s appeal to a broader base of players, which, in turn, will enable the company to solidify its presence across every operational market.
In detailing that there’s “a lot of excitement”, the importance of a regional focus was also touched upon when speaking of the expectation that Swintt will expand its presence across an array of global jurisdictions.
“This year we plan that we’ll have the UK, Ontario and Greece”
“Many game studios just succeed everywhere. Look at any of the market leaders, they’re literally everywhere, and that’s a high level of game quality.
“So for us, we expect Elysium to help us succeed in all markets, not just to be able to plug the gaps or risk cannibalising any of our existing player base. That was one of the main areas where we could see some very quick wins from the portfolio.”
As a result of broadening its offering via a more diverse product portfolio, Mann noted that the group will be able to cater for different types of operators and players with Elysium’s gaming suite set to be offered exclusively through the Swintt platform.
“When we go into any new market, by default, these games will be part of the portfolio. They are essentially part of Swintt, and thus will be available for every operator and market we have.
“That’ll be really beneficial for us to be able to get those games everywhere, and allow us a kind of quick ramp up with really quality games from day one in any new market.
“This year we plan that we’ll have the UK, Ontario and Greece, and we can’t see any reason that these games won’t be popular in those markets as well.”
“…there’s many markets, many operators, and many opportunities”
However, despite the expected optimism that has accompanied Swintt’s latest purchase, Mann concluded by downplaying any further potential purchases, with attention firmly focused on maximising the numerous opportunities that lie ahead for Swintt.
“There’s nothing on my radar at the moment, but we’re always open to understanding if there are any opportunities out there,” he stated.
Adding: “Last year was very foundational for us in strengthening the SwinttPlatform, and getting it ready for a bigger push into commercially new markets, new operators and now adding Elysium means that we have the games, the platform, and all the features to allow us to take the next step.
“We have really kick ass content to really join that process as well. There’s a lot of exciting developments and partnerships to come this year. We’re working on planning and getting a lot of those ready.
“Like I said, the UK, Ontario, Greece, and later in the year we’re looking into some of the markets that we need through ISO certification, which we’re going through at the moment.
“So, there’s many markets, many operators, and many opportunities. We think it’s going to be a really big year for Swintt and we expect considerable growth across all our products and markets.”
