Hello Ivan! We are pleased to welcome you to our interview series. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the company?

Evoplay Entertainment was only founded in 2017, but since then the company has gone from strength to strength. I started out as Creative Director; overseeing art direction, concept development and game design for our ground-breaking portfolio that now includes the launch last week of the industry’s first RPG-inspired ‘hack and slash’ slot, Dungeon: Immortal Evil.

At the start of 2020, I had the honour of becoming Evoplay Entertainment’s CEO, overseeing the production process for our innovative and ever-growing gaming suite and leading our business through the planning stages for a succession of key market entries and upcoming high-profile commercial agreements.

I expect to see an era of fundamental change being ushered in over the coming years as we continue to move towards a normality of high-quality content.

While Evoplay Entertainment was only founded in 2017, you’ve certainly achieved plenty in two short years! Any particular achievements stand out?

We have come a long way, and I could not be any prouder of what the team has achieved. Since launching, we have developed an action-packed catalogue of over 70 slots, table and instant games, answering the call from a new generation of players that demand more innovative gameplay with a pioneering approach that has seen us achieve a series of hugely popular industry-firsts.

Notable among these is the new era of 2D-slots we ushered in through Nuke World and Reign of Dragons, both are immersive entertainment experiences driven by genuinely captivating storylines. Of course, our most recent release – Dungeon: Immortal Evil – is another highlight, showcasing our revolutionary introduction of 3D, third-person cameras to the world of slot games, which I’m incredibly proud of.

What would you say has been key to Evoplay Entertainment’s success?

Put simply, everything we do is designed to enhance the player experience. Our online games offer full HD resolution, with some of the highest quality graphics, animation and sound effects available on the market. Evoplay Entertainment’s operator partners use our content to give their users a gaming experience that they won’t find elsewhere.

And how about the driving force behind the team? What is your company’s mission?

Our founding mission was to create a plethora of fresh casino content which fundamentally alters traditional slot gameplay without abandoning the classic features that players love most. The team’s impressive execution of this objective has been key to our growth. More than just a hollow slogan, we want to make ‘innovation’ a reality.

Can you tell us a bit about Evoplay Entertainment’s core values?

A huge part of our drive to be different is a gameplay offering that goes beyond just spinning reels. We know that this industry is built on the time-old thrill of a potential win, so we seek to innovate without compromising this excitement.

Every passing year brings a realignment of player preferences, so it’s critical to keep pace. For example, we have observed a strong desire for Virtual Reality (VR) experiences on the part of customers, but technology continues to lag behind this shift.

Adapting to trends ahead of the competition – whilst remaining faithful to the emotional fulfilment of a massive win is a big part of our core values, and one that I am sure will never change.

And what about any particular standout releases for this year?

Dungeon: Immortal Evil has undoubtedly been front and centre. The gameplay goes beyond anything previously seen in the casino industry with a multilayered and inviting narrative that sees our main hero take on host of perilous enemies leading up to the terrifying final boss.

As the world’s first RPG-based ‘hack and slash’ slot, the title puts a twist on both traditional fantasy games and conventional slots. It also brings a new level of enjoyment to gaming by rewarding victory in combat with a loot-themed prize that is equal to money. The use of RNG means that wins are routed in luck, rather than fighting ability.

What is the most important aspect of Dungeon: Immortal Evil from your perspective?

There are a number of different factors that make Dungeon: Immortal Evil unique. From my perspective, critical among these is its storyline. Set in an ancient mountain temple, the game’s absorbing characters range from terrifyingly agile spiders to a deceptively powerful imp, all there to be conquered by the main hero as massive wins await.

The need to provide a next-generation immersive experience that goes beyond the usual ‘spin and win’ format is essential – the younger demographic has very different values when it comes to gaming entertainment, and to be frank – the majority of flat, uninspiring slots we see produced with very little effort simply aren’t going to cut it.

What is key to the Evoplay Entertainment creation process? How do you approach gaming development?

A mobile-first approach is key to our development process. However, our greatest challenge is always to create visuals that live up to our reputation for show-stopping content, while ensuring that we don’t exclude players using older smartphone models.

Thanks to some of our fantastic tech, we’ve been able to ensure that our games use up very little data; and I’m delighted that our fans can enjoy our games anywhere in the world.

Of course, our games are still optimised for desktop players, but while having a PC was a historic prerequisite for online gaming, the meteoric rise of the smartphone brought a corresponding increase in flexibility. Emerging markets have only accelerated this change; as territories such as Africa and LatAm bypassed the desktop as part of a rapid technological revolution.

And how do you see the future of gaming?

iGaming’s capacity to utilise technology from outside the sector will be of particular salience to its future. The world of tech sees incredible developments all the time; but the casino industry has not always been able to keep up.

As the latest tech innovations filter through, I expect to see an era of fundamental change being ushered in over the coming years as we continue to move towards a normality of high-quality content. The main driver of course behind this will be the advancement of mobile-first gaming, and we’re already integrating a range of highly advanced solutions with our content, such as a flat UI, HD graphics, and a simplified UX to ensure that every gaming experience is as seamless as possible.