What is the key to unlocking the untold riches that the Latin American landscape promises? For Belatra, the answer to such a conundrum is a very simple one – the human touch.
With numerous clients spread across many of the region’s 33 territories, the ability to be personable, empathetic and on hand at any time to go above and beyond is what truly positions the studio in a light of its own.
Those are the opinions of LatAm Commercial Director, Andres Troelsen, who took time out of a hectic SBC Summit Americas schedule to sit down with iGaming Expert to pull back the curtain on the company’s strategy for further success.
Rich history shapes future narrative
Learning the lessons of the past is often critical in ensuring that the road ahead is as smooth as possible. However, Troelsen is keen to cite that in Belatra’s case, this also demonstrates an ability to not only adapt but thrive.
With a lifespan of 32 years and counting, a recent significant anniversary is cited as “very important” as it clearly showcases the weighty experience possessed by the group.
“We took the decision to start operations in Latin America in 2008,” Troelsen begins. “We first established our office based in Buenos Aires when we started to be near clients in all Latin America. In 2015, we launched our first flight of online games including Piggy Bank, An Escape from Alcatraz и Princess of Swamp – all of them are still in demand nowadays, and now we have a portfolio that consists of more than 110 titles.
“It’s a very nice and important history in the industry. A company with a lot of experience, with great success built on having numerous clients all over the world.
“We are growing. We have more than 350 people working in the company. I’m proud to be part of the team.”
This experience, he continues, always plays a crucial role in helping Belatra navigate current market dynamics. A competitive advantage that may not be possessed by competitors.
Possessing such rich history permits the company to make quick decisions. A necessity due to the online market progressing at lightning speed, and coming with many challenges.
“The adaptability of Belatra to find the best experience for the players is our goal,” Troelsen says. “We have 32 years of making content, producing games for machines. That gives us a lot of experience that we can use now.
“This is the big challenge. The online space moves very quickly. Artificial intelligence is now ushering in a big change for everyone. We really are in the middle of a big change in the industry.”
Negotiating market complexities
The current Belatra footprint across LatAm is certainly far reaching, and with the locality representing “our main focus” that certainly shows little signs of slowing down.
In addition to detailing that Mexico stands firm as a “very good market” for the supplier, significant ambitions are possessed across a multitude of nations.
“We also have very good experience in Venezuela, and are working very hard working on expanding the presence of our games in Brazil and Peru,” Troelsen continues.
“In addition, we have been working in Chile for many years and this is also a key market for us – we have a very good partner that is the biggest casino there.
“In the future we are thinking of growing in Colombia, there is a big opportunity for us, as well as our core markets of Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Brazil.
“Speaking about Peru, we are actively working on integration in this market, not only in the legal field, but also in terms of communications. For example, we will be represented at the PGS exhibition in Lima this June. At stand 43, each of our potential partners in Peru will be able to learn more about the company’s new products and talk to our team.”
Central to this success is tailoring its output to the specific wants and needs of players. Despite boasting a footprint across much of the region, modifying its developmental practices to differing local preferences has certainly paid dividends.
For Belatra, this all boils down to the group’s overarching strategy that sees a deep study of each jurisdiction undertaken, as well as possessing a specific game plan for its gaming output.
“Markets can work differently,” he explains. “The things that worked very well in Brazil may work differently in Argentina and Mexico for example. That’s why it’s very important to make the localisation of our business in each country. We make sure to speak to native language in each country.
“It’s very important for us to study each country. That’s why we travel. We make specific business trips to each country to see the customers, to hear what they need, to try to be near close and make a specific commercial, proposals for our games to try to give visibility.”
Plentiful LatAm opportunities
Product diversification is not simply a luxury. It’s a necessity to make any real headway within any targeted jurisdictions, no matter how vast a footprint may be across the globe.
When it comes to specific titles themselves, Troelsen reiterates the need to understand the themes and topics that have demonstrated resonance with players.
“In each market we understand that some need more games with some specific themes,” he comments. “You need to understand the topics and see what’s happening with the preference of the players.
“We work with our product team to develop the roadmap and the games that each market needs. We have many years working and understand that we have to develop a specific game for each market.
“We are lucky that we have iconic and recognisable games like Mummyland Treasures, but then we also have specific games that we launch with different topics. And even different formats. For example, we are actively expanding our portfolio with Instant games – look at the variation of our bestseller, our recent launch – Mummy’s Mines. This is always based on the study of what has happened in the market here, and the information provided by the operator.
“We try to launch two games per month and we have some very good news for all of the markets that we are going to launch.”
As the conversation pivoted to address Belatra’s online gaming pipeline, it was inevitable that the curtain was drawn with Troelsen quizzed on what the future could bring for the studio.
This, he says, is relatively simple. The overriding ambition is to take advantage of the numerous opportunities that lie ahead to grow in the maximum way possible.
“We are a great company,” he concludes. “We have a lot of clients, but we have a lot of opportunities. We have all the tools to hit our targets.
“We are working very hard and we are growing each month. In our case, the way to get the most success is to have more partners and make the best business with our clients. Growing with them, and getting new potential clients. Our target is to never stop growing.”
