With G2E fast approaching, Yogonet sat down with Ebba Arnred, CMO and co-founder of Swedish iGaming content provider Play’n GO. In this exclusive interview, Arnred discusses the studio’s plans for the exhibition, its expansion in North America and how the brand pushes the boundaries when it comes to creating fresh and valuable content.
How does Play’n GO plan to make a lasting impression at an event as significant as G2E? What will you highlight at the expo?
As we expand our footprint in North America, G2E is becoming an increasingly important stop on the conference circuit for Play’n GO. This edition is our biggest physical event of 2023, and we’re looking forward to welcoming guests to booth 4030 in the new iGaming Zone. We have a lot planned, including various educational sessions, entertainment and the chance to win some great prizes.
What we particularly love about G2E is the chance to exchange different perspectives on the future direction of our industry. Regulated online gaming is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, and whenever we attend the show it’s a fantastic opportunity to share our experience from almost two decades working in regulated jurisdictions worldwide.
What’s new in the company’s portfolio of online gaming products? Which themes are gaining momentum in Play’n GO’s slots?
Our record of producing casino entertainment that raises the bar is unmatched. That’s a never-ending process, resulting from our team’s genuine passion for these games. At its heart, Play’n GO is a group of people creating the type of content we want to play ourselves. This has always been the ethos, and it’s why we’ve never been scared to try something new.
One recent example that is resonating with players really well at the moment is Gerard’s Gambit. It’s a first-of-its-kind release combining in-depth gameplay with a strong educational focus designed to appeal to slots novices, who might have been a little intimidated to try one out in the past.
The game is a masterclass in narrative progression, easing new players into the story while providing enough complexity to keep our more experienced fans engaged. We see it as a really exciting new direction for our sector, and one we’ll certainly continue to explore.
G2E is known for its role in facilitating networking within the gaming industry. Can you share any insights into the type of partnerships, collaborations and discussions Play’n GO hopes to have during the event?
We strongly believe that the operator-studio relationship needs to be a true partnership if it is to reach its full potential. Conferences like G2E are a chance for us to meet face-to-face with many of these partners and sketch out the next few months, not just in terms of roadmaps but also how we plan to forge deeper collaborations.
This year we’re particularly excited to share our newly launched and much-improved clientzone with our partners. It’s a best-in-class feature that’s the result of more than a year of planning and development work, based on feedback from our partners. It is absolutely feature-packed and highly searchable, and all about handing great control to operators so they can get the most out of our 350+ game portfolio.
Many of our partners were asking for this at last year’s G2E, so to be able to return a year later and show them the new clientzone live and ready to use really emphasizes how seriously we take feedback.
Building this type of deep relationship requires careful listening and gaining a proper understanding of our partners’ needs, and we’ll be using these few days in Las Vegas in October to do exactly that once again.
Play’n GO has expanded its presence in North America, securing licenses in several U.S. states and in the Canadian province of Ontario, and teaming up with leading operators such as BetMGM and PokerStars. How does the company plan to leverage this momentum?
In a little more than a year, we’ve taken huge strides in the North American region. Since receiving our first license in a US state (Michigan) back in July 2022, we’ve since added New Jersey, West Virginia and Connecticut, as well as launching with a host of Tier 1 operators, including BetMGM, PokerStars and Rush Street Interactive.
We absolutely plan to build upon this momentum, and that means delivering sustainable growth alongside our partners by consistently offering the best content in the market. The Play’n GO suite of games is unrivalled, and we’re seeing a really solid performance in the US, where players are demanding world-class entertainment experiences every time they log on.
In practice, this means engaging IP (both our own and licensed), distinctive math models that create memorable gameplay and the best audio/video available. We’ll stick to these principles so players in the US are never disappointed.
G2E also serves as a platform for discussing industry trends and innovations. Are there any key trends or developments within the iGaming sector that Play’n GO intends to address or emphasize during the event?
That global dialogue that takes place at events like G2E is really important for our industry as a whole. It’s a chance to ensure we work together to improve, as well as an opportunity to find new solutions to old challenges.
Relatively speaking, the US is still at the very early stage of its regulated iGaming journey, whereas Play’n GO has been focused on this space for the better part of 20 years now. We’ve got a lot to share on how best to build a sustainable industry to the benefit of all stakeholders: operators, regulators and most importantly the general public.
For us, it’s always been about creating a safe environment where the focus is on entertainment. We love having conversations that challenge us and make us think carefully about how best to achieve these goals, and we’ll be looking forward to many such chats in Las Vegas in October.
