A varied and wide-ranging product portfolio has never been more critical as studios aim to navigate the complexities of reaching players amid an ever increasing tidal wave of competition.
This could be achieved in a variety of ways, however, for Platipus Gaming the addition of a new segment is imminent, while its iGaming catalogue could be set to make its maiden entry into one key European jurisdiction.
In conversation with iGaming Expert at SBC Summit Malta, CCO Stanislav Mykhailov pulls back the curtain on each of these, in addition to the introduction of a new brand, as the studio aims to remain on course to hit global ambitions.
A European gambling hotspot awaits
The quandary of solidifying your position in current markets versus continuing a quest for global expansion in one that hovers over many developers. However, for Platipus, the addition of a fresh jurisdiction presents a plethora of fresh opportunities.
“Our next step will be the acquisition of a UKGC licence as a strategic move in our European expansion,” Mykhailov begins.
This, he says, continues the company’s expansion path across the continent. In a journey that began in the Baltics and spread into the likes of Romania and Italy, the UK is hailed as the “logical next step” in a path that has continued to spread west.
“First of all, the UK has a long tradition of gambling,” he adds. “It is one of the oldest in Europe and it’s part of national culture.
“This country is one of Europe’s biggest markets, and that’s the obvious reason why we see it as our next step in our European expansion strategy.”
However, it seems that no geographical conversation can be held at the current time without one particular Latin American nation being brought into the equation.
Alongside Peru, Brazil represents the most recent points of entry for Platipus, with Mykhailov noting go-live has taken place alongside “multiple heavyweight operators”.
“We are currently holding good positions in each market, and we can see improvements each month as more and more operators go live with our content,” he says. “Step by step we can see the influence of this on our market share.”
A wholesale product diversification
However, a deepened footprint is merely one part of the puzzle, and Platipus is accompanying these efforts with an additional pair of arrows to its quiver.
The first of these will introduce the industry to Betora.games, a new brand that boasts a very specific strategy in a bid to capitalise on opportunities possessed by particular regions.
“We are planning to diversify our portfolio with the launch of a second brand for emerging markets with simplified games that are easy to navigate and understand, have a high volatility and a small lightweight size,” Mykhailov comments.
“These will target Africa and Southeast Asia, as there’s some countries in that region that are emerging markets in general. Also we have found that these types of games are also relevant for markets across Eastern Europe.”
Diversification remains a consistent theme as the Platipus gaming catalogue gets put under the microscope. This will see a mixture of mechanics, bonuses and themes become interspersed throughout future releases.
“We try to keep our portfolio dynamic,” he says. “We adjust these across all markets to cover regions such as Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Northern America, to try and produce games for everyone.”
Another key strategy will see the group study data to gain knowledge on its top performing titles, with a view to building on those. This can be achieved in a number of ways, such as sequels, re-invention etc, within specific markets.
However, in the immediate future attention could well be placed elsewhere to a certain degree, as a new addition to the fold is built out.
“We now have crash games, instant win, table games and of course video slots, however our newest product is a live studio,” Mykhailov says. “At the moment this includes roulette titles, but by the end of this year I hope to add baccarat and much more.”
Elsewhere, progression continues on the Plati+ aggregation platform that was introduced last year. With headway said to be happening “quite fast”, integrations have proceeded at an unprecedented speed given its relative infancy.
“We are now aiming to onboard one new games provider each month,” he concludes. “We are also seeing huge requests for the aggregation solution, which is focusing on flexibility for both operators and providers
“It offers a chance to have direct deals or general resale agreements, and grants flexibility to operators around customisation.”
