Gamevy and Gluck Games gives SlotCatalog an exclusive Christmas interview

We met the London G-team in their Farringdon office and then connected with the wider team over their virtual office. Because Gamevy and Gluck operate a ‘work where and when you want’ policy, they have office hubs in Newcastle, London, Berlin and Bilbao - but at any given time most of the team may be working from home. It makes for an interesting interview as people frequently join in on the laptop using their always-on, video software.

17.12.2019
Helen

Helen Walton, the CCO of gamevy

Hi! It’s a pleasure to do this weeks SlotCatalog interview series with you. Could you tell us how it all started out for you?

We took our first bet four years ago now. Since then we have launched over 260 games including award-winning lottery, scratch, bingo, keno, instant, skill, slots and table games! We serve games all over the world with lottery and iGaming customers and have paid out millions in prizes! We are consistently recognised for our game and product innovation - especially in creating new cross-genre game types that attract a younger, digital audience - our new slot Snake with a real-skill snake bonus game was a huge hit, for example.

It’s a time of rapid growth for us as we scale up and it feels as if every day brings new challenges - but when we look back it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come!

Mixing the classic slot mechanics with the skill element is definitely interesting. What would you say is the reason behind your success?

We believe in innovation - both in our game design and the way we work. Some of our best game ideas have come from developers or new joiners, not more established or professional ‘game designers’. It means that we take risks which others will tell you ‘just don’t work’. Of course sometimes we get it wrong! We have plenty of failures in the closet! But sometimes we get it wonderfully right - and in unexpected ways.

So, for example, some of our games have retention rates ten times that of any other product on the site; others have high appeal to those who don’t think of themselves as traditional casino players (a game that offered a conversion rate 4.5 x any promotion the operator had previously tried, for example).

There’s a sound strategic reason as well - we managed to carve out a niche that no one else was interested in with extended play casual games and then we began to expand into more traditional genres such as table and slots - but always with a little crazy twist on the experience that we like to think of as the G-magic.

I imagine those wonderfully right moments are awesome! What is you company vision going forward, finding more of those opportunities?

We think i-gaming should be more fun - more connected to the kinds of experiences large numbers of people enjoy on their phones every day.

Paul Dolman-Darrall We want to help brands use more casual games to attract larger numbers of people. Fundamentally, we think that i-gaming should be an accepted social form of entertainment that appeals to many people - and that’s simply not the case for slots companies always hunting for the next VIP player.

That’s partly why we enjoy lottery so much - a game with a really broad appeal, supported by lots of casual games that entertain players, from scratchcards to bingo, keno and arcade games as well. Sure, for some of those players there’s huge pleasure in a slots product as well - but we’re always interested in making it more mobile-friendly, more interactive, more accessible to new players - just more FUN!

We see ourselves as filling every five minutes with fun - with products to appeal to sports-bettors, bingo customers and lottery players. The perfect, snackable, enjoyable game that gives you a chance at big prizes and ensures you feel good about your play, even if you’re not taking the jackpot home this time...

Today that means partnering with The Health Lottery, Norsk Tipping, and with major brands such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Sky and even Manchester United to deliver authentic games like nothing you’ll see elsewhere in the industry. Tomorrow? - well, we have ambitious plans - just wait and see!

How do you incorporate this vision into you corporate culture?

We have a non-hierarchical structure; ‘no bosses, just minions’ as we sometimes describe it. We value people who act and think like owners, who learn quickly and work hard. We think ‘experience’ tends to be over-rated in comparison, so we passionately believe in freeing people to grow with the company and do their best work with full autonomy.

G-team

We value dissent as a means of getting the best creativity and ideas (which is a nice way of saying we argue a lot!) and we all value freedom in the way we work (some might say we have a bit of an authority allergy). Most of all, we want to have fun in what we do - if it’s not fun for too long, then we should be doing something else.

We operate a ‘work where and when you want’ policy, and have office hubs in Newcastle, London, Berlin and Bilbao - but at any given time most of the team may be working from home.

A big software company once called us “a bunch of over-ambitious hippies” - they probably didn’t mean it as a compliment, but we’re ok with it!

Haha, I almost feel that could be a slot game, “Ambitious Hippies” :) But maybe not now, as it’s close to Christmas. What about your upcoming releases?

christmas stockingI have to mention HoHoHo, which is a really beautiful Christmas slot - and actually one of the most classic titles we’ve done really. It just looks so perfectly Christmassy and the music is so wonderful - you can’t help getting in the spirit when you play!

PsychoCandies is a lovely looking game - as you collect clusters of particular candies, you trigger a bonus round where you must crush the candy monster (there are 5) to release the cash. It’s fun, it’s highly interactive and our designers have made it look mouth-wateringly tasty.

Looking forward to trying them out! What is your personal favourites already released?

This is subjective and highly personal! From games already launched it would have to be a choice between Vomiting Unicorns (who can resist a rainbow-vomiting unicorn and from the click-through rate it seems players can’t either!) and Diamond Deal (highest retention of any of our games so plenty of players also love this one!).

Then again Snake was one of the top launches of all time for GVC - delivering great numbers and holding players’ attention for far longer than is usual in a slots title. It’s not surprising really because the bonus game is enormously enjoyable to play. We showed the video of the gameplay where one skillful player steered his snake to the £15,000 bonus jackpot!

unicornThat must be a good moment for sure, especially when you know your Snake skills had an affect on the outcome! Talking about unique moments, do you have a specific story about one of your productions?

We run unique video lotto games for The Health Lottery and SkyLotto. Both involve filming with the talented and warm hosts who draw the numbers and explain the games. While we were filming, one of the other studios was doing scenes for Fantastic Beasts. It was kind of satisfying to sit in the green room watching extras going past in beautiful 1940s outfits while preparing to pretend to avoid dragons! Plus we feel it helped our host get in the mood to wish people the very best of luck with real sincerity!

That’s a contrast! Let’s dive into some quick questions.

How would you describe your competitive landscape?

Very few suppliers are in this particular space - but of course we look at other types of games and not just in the real-money space! We think that we should be matching the art and production values in the best mobile social games, e-sports games and more - nothing we like more than a challenge ;-)

What is the most important aspect of the game from your perspective?

Anyone who claims to have the secret sauce to what makes a game succeed is lying.

From the volatility and win rate to the art, theme and music, there’s no one thing which will make a game a hit. Perhaps all we can say is that we experiment and we try to learn.

Why should players try your games?

wreathSomething different - from games where you’re in charge to games with unexpected moments of comedy (did you spot who the singer is in SpaceForce? That’s right - it’s Trump himself).

What’s your predictions about the Gaming industry going forward?

There’s a real risk that the industry is focusing too much on its most valuable players and producing products that appeal only to them and are hard to understand or access if you are not already a slots or casino player. In doing so, it becomes separated from general society and so instead of being something that is part of daily life, i-gaming becomes seen as niche; instead of being a casual ‘flutter’ that everyone can afford, becomes seen as dangerously hardcore.

It’s one reason why we think that operators should look at games with a broad appeal - introducing players to instant win and scratch games as well as accessible, easy way to understand slots and casino games. If not, we think they risk ever tightening regulation, ever rising acquisition costs and a resulting margin squeeze that will reduce innovation even further.

We think that those who differentiate themselves with casual games and focus on a broad customer base, will have the soundest long-term business footing.

That’s an interesting thought, and not that unlikely. Is there anything you would like to say to our readers before we wrap this up?

For those who dream i-gaming should be at the forefront of entertainment, try out our games, get in contact and let us know what you think. We’re always happy to speak to players, customers, and other game-makers ;-)

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