Kalamba enters Italy – Interview

GIO: What strengths do you and Tuko bring to each other that you believe will make this a fruitful partnership?

CN: We have a really broad portfolio of titles from our long-time favourite Joker series to newer, unique games like Ducks Till Dawn. With our 50th game also just being launched, we have a really strong line up that offers something for all players. Within our library, we boast a range of different themes and have been working hard to develop our signature features, including HyperBet and HyperBonus, which allow players to adjust the volatility level of the game and to shortcut into bonus rounds. Coupled with exciting themes and a slick user interface, this means we can really cater for all demographics. We have a packed roadmap for 2021 which will see us take our content to new heights.

But that in itself isn’t always enough when entering a new market, we’ve chosen to align ourselves with the right local partners to gain the best possible insight and that includes Tuko. It’s one of the fastest-growing game aggregators in Italy and through its THS technical solution, it delivers suppliers rapid access to the Italian market via a single integration, which is key for getting our content in front of the right operators efficiently. We speak to all our partners in detail about their domestic market trends and work that insight into our game development processes. We’re confident that our approach and unique offering will carve out a decent market share with our fresh approach towards slots.

GIO: Is there still room for growth in Italy, or is it a mature market for online slots and mobile gaming?

CN: The Italian gambling market is one of the most proven and lucrative in Europe, if not globally. From land-based and online to esports and sports betting, there’s little that a bettor can’t wager on in the country thanks to the regulated landscape it operates in. For us a new entrant, there are certain benefits in that we have been able to identify some player preferences and trends which have assisted us in hitting the ground running. The market’s maturity also helped us to quickly get a handle on general market conditions and how regulation has progressed. Given our success in other European markets, we are sure that there will always be an appetite for fresh content such as ours and we are excited to introduce it to the Italian players.

GIO: Kalamba is expanding rapidly across Europe, what is the next step for the company? Any particular markets or regions?

CN: Spain is the latest territory that we are about to move into with a chosen aggregator partner there that we recently announced. It is a great milestone for Kalamba in our quest to become a global brand and to be a recognised partner in regulated markets. It’s a mature market where the online casino segment is rapidly increasing in popularity and we believe that our growing games portfolio will be a perfect fit for local players. We will work together with our Spanish operator partners to ensure we optimise our content to the specifics of the market. LatAm is on our radar too – it is still an emerging market with great potential if appropriate regulation continues to be implemented. We will follow developments closely.

GIO: Your RGS software, Bullseye – how did it get its name? And what exactly does it do for your gaming partners?

CN: Well, we were looking at a lot of options, but we wanted to convey the essence of a combination of precision targeting and insight, but also success for our partners – and the name Bullseye certainly ticks those boxes. Bullseye enhances play with features and promotional power via tournaments, leaderboards, meta games and more, with standard progressive and mystery jackpots allowing operators to utilise powerful and exciting technologies on up to three tiers of jackpots simultaneously. A dynamic RTP feature allows RTP to be adjusted and for any Kalamba game to be converted into a jackpot game on demand. It cements our position as a next-generation supplier as we continue to invest in creating a strong brand and further expanding the company.

GIO: What do you think will help Kalamba Games stand out in the Italian market?

CN: Italy has a very strong land-based heritage and many online operators also run betting shops. This gives us a good insight into what this slightly different player demographic enjoys. We will be looking to develop new content for the Italian market that offers the mechanics, features, and themes that the local player base knows and loves. It is all about knowing your customer and making sure our content is tailored to attract them and we will learn as we go and improve our content along the way.

GIO: Are there any particular titles in your stable that you think will work particularly well in Italy?

CN: Our games are always developed with a broad audience in mind but we do have certain titles that we expect to fit well in the Italian market. Our Joker games series now feature several titles such as  Joker Lanterns, Joker Supreme, Joker Max and has proved to be quite appealing across our target markets. I’m confident that we’ll see the same positive feedback in Italy as well. Another title that I would keep an eye on is Burning Diamonds. My colleagues did a great job by developing this, making use of our cool features to bring today’s dynamics into a classic themed slot.