egdf:-unity’s-install-fees-are-a-sign-of-looming-game-engine-market-failure

EGDF: UNITY’S INSTALL FEES ARE A SIGN OF LOOMING GAME ENGINE MARKET FAILURE

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Step by step, video game engines are becoming key gatekeepers of European cultural and creative sectors. Currently, Unity dominates game engine markets, Unreal being its primary challenger. These two engines are not just clear market leaders in the game industry but increasingly vital market actors in film, architecture, and industrial design and simulations. In 2022, Unity reported that globally, 230,000 game developers made and operated over 750,000 games using the Unity Engine and the Unity Gaming Services portfolio of products.

Unity’s new fee structure is going to have a drastic impact on the game industry.

Over the years, the Unity game engine has reached close to unofficial industry-standard status in some game markets. Its well-designed tools and services have lowered the market access barriers in the game industry. Furthermore, it has played a crucial role in removing  technological barriers to cross-platform game development. Now, Unity has informed the game dev community that it will move from subscription-based fees to subscription and install-based fees, which will significantly increase the game development costs for most game developers relying on their services. EGDF finds it unfortunate that Unity has significantly damaged its reputation as a reliable and predictable business partner with these sudden and drastic changes in its pricing principles.

Bigger game developer studios have the luxury of being able to develop their own game engines. Consequently, market uncertainty and significantly increased service provider risks caused by Unity’s new fee structure will hit, in particular, SME game developers. It will be much harder for them to build reliable business plans, make informed decisions on game engines, and run a profitable business. Many of these studios struggled to access risk funding before Unity’s announcement, and it has only worsened their situation.

Unity’s decision will have a broader impact on the whole game industry ecosystem. Many professional game education institutions have built their curriculum on the Unity game engine. If Unity’s new pricing model starts a mass exodus from Unity’s engine, it will lead to rapid changes in professional game education itself and place many young industry professionals who have built their career plans on mastering Unity’s tools in a very difficult position.

Although Unity’s decision will cause significant challenges for the industry, EGDF kindly reminds that instead of focusing on blaming individual Unity employees for the changes, it is far more productive to focus on taking measures that increase competition in game engine markets.

Unity’s anti-competitive market behaviour must be carefully monitored, and, if required, the European competition authorities must step in. 

Unity is an increasingly dominant market player in the game markets. According to Unity’s own estimate, in general, 63% of all game developers use its game engine. The share can be even higher in some submarkets. Unity estimates that 70% of top mobile games are powered by its engine. Unsurprisingly, Unity’s game engine is now a de facto standard in mobile game markets to the extent that whole formal professional game education degree programmes have been built on training its use. However, Unity’s market dominance is not just based on the quality of its game engine. It is also an outcome of aggressive competition practices and systematic and methodological work of making game developers dependent on Unity services.

How Unity bundes different services together potentially distorts competition in game middleware markets. Over the years, Unity has, step by step, bundled its game engine more and more together with other game development tools under the Unity Gaming Services portfolio. Unity is not just a game engine; it is also a player sign-in and authentication service, a game version control tool, a player engagement service, a game analytics service, a game chat service, a crash reporting tool, a game ad network, game ad mediation tool, an user acquisition service and in-game store building tool. This creates a significant vendor lock risk for game developers using Unity services. It also makes it difficult for many game middleware developers to compete against Unity and, all in all, significantly strengthened Unity’s game engine’s market position compared to its rivals.

Now, Unity is strategically using install fees to deepen the lock-in effect by creating a solid financial incentive to bundle other Unity services even closer to its game engine: “ Qualifying customers may be eligible for credits toward the Unity Runtime Fee based on the adoption of Unity services beyond the Editor, such as Unity Gaming Services or Unity LevelPlay mediation for mobile ad-supported games. This program enables deeper partnership with Unity to succeed across the entire game lifecycle.” This will, of course, drastically impact Unity’s direct competitors.

Unity’s install fees are an excellent example of Unity’s potentially anti-competitive market behaviour. It is clear that if Unity’s pricing model had, in the past, been similar to the now-introduced model, it would likely never have achieved the level of dominance it enjoys today, as more developers would have chosen another alternative in the beginning.

The fact that Unity’s new install fees are only targeted at video games and do not apply to other industries logically leads to a question: Is Unity setting prices below cost level at different market segments, or is Unity charging excessive prices in game markets? Furthermore, does the fact that Unity is now introducing an install fee on top of the licensing fee mean that licensing fees have before been below cost level? Or does the introduction of install fees on top of the licensing fees of their game engine allow them to provide other, lock-in generating, services below cost level?

In the end, Unity has built its dominant position in game markets for years and systematically made game developers more dependent on it. It is a good question if Unity has now crossed the line of abusing its market dominance on weaker trading parties that deeply depend on its services. Game productions can take years, and game developers cannot change their game engine at the last minute, so they are forced to accept all changes in contract terms, no matter how exploitative they are. Unity must know that if they had given more notice, many more developers might have had a realistic chance of abandoning Unity altogether by the time the new pricing came into play.

The new install fees will limit game developers’ freedom to conduct business as it pushes them to implement Unity ad-based business models even in games that otherwise would not have ad-based monetisation. Furthermore, this will create a competitive disadvantage for those game distribution platforms that do not use ad-based monetisation at all (e.g. subscription services and pay-per-download games), as Unity is de facto forcing them to increase their consumer fees compared to channels that allow the use of Unity’s ad-based monetisation tools.

The new install fees will likely lead to less choice for consumers. Install fees will allow Unity to extract value from games that generate a lot of installs through, e.g. virality, but do not necessarily generate money. Install fees will lead to markets where game developers want to limit the downloads and try to avoid installs from the wrong players. This can potentially kill part of the game market. For example, indie developers that have an unfortunate mix of being a success on the number of installs but that are struggling to generate revenue, or hyper-casual game studios based on combining a huge install base with minuscule revenue generated per game.

In the long run, the EU needs to update its regulatory framework to answer the challenges caused by dominant game engines.

Unity’s install fees demonstrate why the EU needs a new regulatory framework for unfair, non-negotiable B2B contract terms. Contract terms Unity has with game developers are non-negotiable. With the new non-negotiable install fee, European game developers have to either withdraw their games from markets, increase consumer prices or renegotiate their contracts with third parties. For example, if a game memory institution makes games available for download on their website, a game developer studio must now ask for a fee for it or ban making European digital cultural heritage available to European citizens. The three-month time frame Unity is providing for all this is not enough.

The Commissions should introduce a specific regulation for non-negotiable B2B contract terms. The regulation should provide sufficient time (e.g. in a minimum, six months) for markets to react to significant changes in non-negotiable terms and conditions that a service provider has communicated to their business users in a plain, clear and understandable manner (e.g. now it is unclear how Unity counts the installs). Furthermore, the Commission should bring much-needed market certainty by banning retroactive pricing and contract changes.

The Commission should include game engines in DMA. While reviewing the recently adopted Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Commission should consider lowering the B2B user thresholds and adding gatekeeper game engines under its scope. This would, for example, ensure that Unity cannot use data it collects through its game engine to gain an unfair competitive advantage for its other services like advertisement services.

The Commission should increase its R&D support for the European game industry. The fact that there is no major competitor for Unity Engine that does not require constant back-end server connection is a market failure in itself. The Unity Game engine is not fully scalable because Unity has built its engine in a way that it calls home every time it is installed to report instals for Unity. Consequently, the Commission should strengthen its efforts to support the emergence of new European game technology and business service providers. In particular, the Commission should increase its support for privacy-friendly open-source alternatives for game engines, like for example Godot or Defold or similar, that do not require constant back-end server connection and thus have no need for scalable revenue-based fees or install fees.

united-kingdom-video-games-studio-numbers-rise-and-employment-surges-as-new-research-identifies-regional-hubs

United Kingdom Video Games Studio Numbers Rise and Employment Surges As New Research Identifies Regional Hubs

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TIGA’s Making Games in the UK 2023 report also reveals increases in tax revenues and investment and showcases the games industry’s contribution to the Levelling Up agenda

Employment in the United Kingdom’s games development sector has surged by 11.4 per cent while studio numbers have increased by almost 18 per cent according to new figures released today by TIGA, the trade association representing the United Kingdom (UK) video games industry.

During the period from December 2021 and April 2023, wider games industry employment, tax revenues and investment also grew markedly.

The findings come from TIGA’s definitive report on the state of the UK video games industry, Making Games in the UK 2023 (TIGA, 2023), which is based on an extensive survey of UK games businesses with analysis by Games Investor Consulting.

TIGA’s research shows that in the period from December of 2021 to April of 2023:

  • The number of creative staff in studios surged by 15.2 per cent and at an annualised rate of 11.4 per cent from 20,975 in December 2021 to 24,155 full-time and full-time equivalent staff in April 2023. The total workforce including freelancers grew to 25,026.
  • The number of jobs indirectly supported by studios in the supply chain rose from 38,348 to 44,162.
  • Studio numbers grew from 1,528 to 1,801, an increase of 17.8 per cent.
  • Combined direct and indirect tax revenues generated by the sector for the Treasury are estimated to have increased from £1.2 billion to £1.5 billion.
  • Annual investment by studios rose from £1.3 billion to £1.66 billion.
  • The game development sector’s annual contribution to UK gross domestic product increased from £2.9 billion to £3.68 billion.

“The UK video games development sector is powering ahead,” the Chief Executive Officer for TIGA, Dr Richard Wilson, OBE, said. “Employment is soaring and studios are continuing to hire at near record rates. With high growth games studios in many regions, the sector is supporting economic growth across the UK.

“Our sector’s outstanding long-term prospects are underpinned by strong consumer demand, rising foreign direct investment, which is attracted by our highly skilled workforce and Video Games Tax Relief, which reduces the cost of games development.

“If the UK is to win an even larger share of the growing market for video games, then the UK government should enhance the generosity of our Video Games Tax Relief (soon to be transformed into a Video Games Expenditure Credit), introduce a Video Games Investment Fund to help more small studios to scale up and establish an Industrial Secondments Programme to drive skills development.”

Meanwhile, the TIGA report has highlighted that almost 80 per cent of the UK’s games development workforce is located outside of London. While London employs over 22 per cent of the games development workforce across 587 companies, 77 per cent of all games development staff in the UK are employed outside of the capital. While approximately one-fifth of development staff are located in the South East of England, the third, fourth and fifth largest centres of games development by headcount are the North West of England, the West Midlands and Scotland, respectively.

Including indirect staff, games development companies support over 53,000 jobs outside of London. In percentage terms, the strongest headcount growth over the period December of 2021 to April of 2023 was found in the North East (45.7 per cent), Yorkshire and Humber (33.9 per cent) and Northern Ireland (33.5 per cent).

UK regions 2023 share of UK development workforce
London 22.4%
South East 19.9%
North West 12%
West Midlands 10%
Scotland 9.1%
East of England 6.7%
Yorkshire & Humber 5.8%
North East 5.4%
East Midlands 4.9%
South West 2.5%
Northern Ireland 0.7%
Wales 0.6%

“While London employs over 22 per cent of the games development workforce across 587 companies, 77 per cent of all games development staff in the UK are employed outside of the capital,” Wilson said. “Approximately one-fifth of development staff are located in the South East of England, while the third, fourth and fifth largest centres of games development by headcount are the North West of England, the West Midlands and Scotland, respectively.

“Including indirect staff, games development companies support over 53,000 jobs outside of London. In percentage terms, the strongest headcount growth over the period December 2021 to April 2023 was found in the North East (47.5 per cent), Yorkshire and Humber (33.9 per cent) and Northern Ireland (33.5 per cent).

“The video games industry has immense potential to contribute to the Levelling Up agenda, not least due to the 44,000 people working in the games supply chain, which is mostly based outside of London. Providing high-skilled employment opportunities, the sector has established strong creative industry clusters right across the UK.”

“TIGA’s research illustrates the video games industry’s strong potential to drive regional economic growth,” the Chairman for TIGA and the Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director for Rebellion, Jason Kingsley, OBE, said. “My personal experience at Rebellion Developments further reinforces this notion as our studios actively contribute to the economic expansion of cities and regions such as Liverpool, Oxford, Warwick and Yorkshire. By enhancing Video Games Tax Relief, improving access to finance and bolstering skills development, we can empower and fortify the UK’s video games clusters, thus making a positive impact on the overall economy of the country.”

The findings in this press release come from TIGA’s definitive report on the state of the UK video games industry, Making Games in the UK 2023 (TIGA, 2023), which is based on an extensive survey of UK games businesses, with analysis by Games Investor Consulting.

Research methodology

Games Investor Consulting in conjunction with TIGA and its partners conducted surveys concluding in July of 2008, September of 2010, November of 2011, December of 2012, December of 2013, December of 2014, March of 2016, November of 2017, November of 2018, April of 2020, December of 2021 and April of 2023 of all known games companies involved in the creation of games (including developers, publishers, publisher studios, service companies and broadcasters with games divisions) in the UK. Assessments of every database entry are made on a company-by-company basis with strict vetting and verification rules to ensure each entry is discrete (to prevent duplication via subsidiary or parent companies) and confirmed to be active in games development. The survey counts staff working in development and development support roles in games studios, games publishers and development service companies. A broad array of additional data is also captured including studio location, primary platform focus and company ownership structure as well as company start-ups and exits/closures.

Games development

Games development is defined as including all production staff, QA, support, localisation and technical staff but excludes admin, finance, sales, marketing and commercial staff not directly involved with games production. Full-time equivalent staff comprise multiple part-time staff aggregated based on typical usage throughout a year to represent a single full-time employee.

betfan-with-pln-3.75-million-net-profit-in-first-half-of-2023

Betfan with PLN 3.75 Million Net Profit in First Half of 2023

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Betfan, a legal Polish bookmaker and one of the industry leaders, generated a total turnover of PLN 213.5 million (EUR 48 million) in the first half of 2023. This is an increase of 8% year-on-year. Bookmaker’s NGR from January to June this year increased by 26% year-on-year to PLN 20.7 million (EUR 4.7 million).

In Q2 2023 alone, the company’s NGR growth was even faster and amounted to 44% year-on-year. In the first half of this year, Betfan generated a net profit of PLN 3.75 million (EUR 0.8 million).

Betfan is an online bookmaker with 98% of its turnover in the first half of 2023 coming from online betting. Hence, the organization primary investments are directed towards the mobile application. In 2023 users saw its new version, both on iOS and Android. The bookmaker focused on the transformation from a marketing-oriented organization to a technology oriented one. The company intends to invest further in this area in the future.

“In 2023, we have been operating according to a new strategy that is already bringing measurable results,” the Chief Executive Officer for Betfan, Lukasz Lazarewicz (pictured), said. “The dynamics of the total turnover, after deduction of bonuses and ‘free bets’, exceeded 10% in the first half of the year and our NGR has been growing even faster. In the first quarter it increased by 23% and in the second by 44%. This shows the high effectiveness of the introduced changes.

“As an e-betting company, we put emphasis on constantly improving our product and the customer experience. We want the Betfan website and the app to be even more engaging, intuitive and fast. We have built solid internal competences in this area and we rely less and less on external partners. We want to actively listen to users because it is for them that we build our product.

“At the same time, we pursue a prudent customer acquisition policy with targeted marketing based on analytics without the industry-wide artificial boosting of bonuses. The result is a high net profit in the first half of this year worth PLN 3.75 million.”

One of the positive effects of the new Betfan strategy was an increase in conversion from registration to the first deposit to 76% and in users activity on the platform. In 2023, the customer base grew substantially, which at the end of June 2023 was 37% higher than in June 2022. One of the ways of its further development is also the newly launched affiliate program and unique media partnerships with market leaders.

At the same time, Betfan is developing a network of stationary betting terminals. As a result, at the end of June Betfan had over 100 of them in Poland. The turnover and NGR in this area have been growing by leaps and bounds. In the first half of 2023, these were higher by 161% and 228% respectively, compared to the first half of 2022. The bookmaker plans to launch another 30 terminals this year.

bede-gaming-appoints-dan-whiteley-as-its-new-chief-technology-officer

Bede Gaming Appoints Dan Whiteley as its New Chief Technology Officer

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Bede Gaming has appointed Dan Whiteley as its new Chief Technology Officer.

Whiteley brings 25 years of experience in complex technology solutions and digital products, having previously held senior leadership positions at Jugo, CTS and the global sportsbetting company, Flutter. He specialises in setting innovative technology vision and strategy for digital transformation, product engineering, architecture, IT service, security and operations.

“I’m proud to become part of Bede’s journey. It’s a company with proven strength in engineering excellence, and the potential to build upon Bede’s current capabilities is an exciting prospect. I’m looking forward to working with the team to deliver cutting edge technology for the igaming market,” Whiteley said.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Dan to the team. As CTO, he will be pivotal in driving our technology strategy, collaborating with all teams across the business to ensure Bede is an industry leader in innovative and cutting-edge solutions. He will be an integral part of Bede operations, both internally and externally, and his extensive experience in technology leadership makes him an excellent fit for this role,” said Colin Cole-Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at Bede, said.

This leadership appointment is the latest in a series of notable announcements from the premium software supplier, which named Cole-Johnson as CEO in March 2022 and recently appointed Kirsty Stewart Chief Legal & Client Services Officer in 2023. The addition of Whiteley’s expertise to Bede’s Executive team is further testament to Bede’s commitment to its customers, through innovative technical solutions, strong commercial relationships and customer-focused products.

The Bede platform currently runs a live portfolio of five globally-renowned customer operators (including one of the largest entertainment corporations in the world, Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation) and is maintained by an international staff of more than 300 across 3 continents.

Whiteley’s new role took effect from 3 July 2023, following the departure of Bede’s previous CTO, Andy Wardle, earlier this year.

egdf-publishes-2021-european-video-games-industry-insight-report

EGDF PUBLISHES 2021 EUROPEAN VIDEO GAMES INDUSTRY INSIGHT REPORT

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The European Game Developers Federation (EGDF) is pleased to announce the release of its highly anticipated 2021 Video Games Industry Data Report. For the report 25 national game industry trade industry associations have processed their 2021 data in a comparable format. The report, produced with the support of Video Game Europe (VGE), provides comprehensive insights and analysis on the current state and trends of the European video games industry and highlights key statistics and industry trends.

Key highlights of the report include:

  • State of the EU game industry: The report presents a comprehensive analysis of the European video games industry, including its size in terms of number of studios and number of people working in the industry, turnover, and its growth (page 28)
  • State of the national game dev hubs: The report examines the distribution of game dev studios and highlights the major game development countries in Europe. (p. 7, 29-58).
  • Employment and economic impact: The report showcases the number of professionals employed in game development, and it celebrates the diversity in the workforce, as well as the economic value generated by the sector. (p. 9-11)
  • Game Platforms: the report explores the popularity of various game platforms among European game developers. (p. 14-15)
  • Game Education: the report presents the list of formal and non-formal educational institutions for the European countries. (p. 18-19)
  • Public support: the report celebrates the wide range of public support instruments available for game development across the continent. (p. 20-26)

The 2021 Video Games Industry Data Report is now available for download on the EGDF website.

spider-cms-of-egt-with-a-brand-new-exciting-feature

Spider CMS of EGT with a Brand-New Exciting Feature

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The casino management system of EGT Spider has released a brand-new bonus feature: Win the spin. It enables operators to set up a range of rewards, which can be different amounts of money or items. Players accumulate progress based on the bets they place and get the chance to play roulette wheel. What they earn from it generates a bonus that can be cashed out.

“We developed Win the spin with the idea of further enriching the gaming experience of players, as well as giving another powerful tool to operators, with which they can attract and retain customers in their gaming facilities. One of its biggest advantages is that operators have the freedom to control and define almost everything: from stakes to prizes and configurations, which can be unlimited. I believe that Win the spin has great potential that is yet to unfold,” Petar Spasov, Head of Casino Management System Department at EGT, said.

ct-interactive-lifts-up-gaming-experience-with-amazing-jackpots-and-cascading-games-at-igb-live

CT Interactive Lifts up Gaming Experience with Amazing Jackpots and Cascading Games at iGB Live

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CT Interactive is going to present a full list of its diverse, exceptional and expanding portfolio of slot games with different mechanics and jackpots during this year’s edition of iGB Live, Amsterdam in the period 11 -14 July.

The company’s top experts will present the brand’s latest slot releases – Power Storm, Fruits and Sweets, Giraffe Wild and the rich palette of cascading and cluster games.

“We are investing a lot in our team and products to be sure that we offer content that meets the highest industry standards. Each year the number of gaming companies that prefer to use our products increases. This is only one of the proves of the quality of our games. Another is the fact that our products have won dozens of awards from prestigious ceremonies, one of which ‘Online game of the year’ at last year’s ceremony of BEGE for the game Win Storm. The game was able to raise recognition with its intriguing mechanics and math model, multilayer sound system and universal symbols of luck. We are really proud of the way our content is developing and we will continue to follow this path,” Lachezar Petrov, CEO at CT Interactive, said.

The company offers two exclusive jackpots that are designed to bring maximum glee to the players – Hot Luck and CT Interactive Mystery Jackpot. Hot Luck is a 3-level Mystery Interactive Jackpot and gives additional awards.

The team of experts representing CT Interactive at iGB Live includes Lachezar Petrov, CEO at CT Interactive; Milena Tsankarska, Head of Business Development EMEA; Antonio Donov, Business Development Manager EMEA; Silvia Hristova, Head of CRM; Kiril Kirilov, CRM and Smilena Ilieva, CRM.

vixio-launches-data-hub-delivering-comprehensive-data-and-insights-to-customers-in-the-global-gambling-markets

VIXIO Launches Data Hub Delivering Comprehensive Data and Insights to Customers in the Global Gambling Markets

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VIXIO Regulatory Intelligence, the trusted provider of regulatory and business intelligence to the global gambling and payments industries, has launched “VIXIO Data Hub,” a portal for strategic planning and analysis that updates the regulatory parameters as they change, to make business forecasting more accurate.

VIXIO research predicts that projected growth in online gross gaming revenues in Europe and the Americas is expected to exceed $50bn by 2026. As a consequence, it is becoming increasingly crucial that the industry has a centralised access point for reliable data, information and insights to support strategic growth opportunities and empower accurate market projections.

VIXIO Data Hub offers three main use cases to support the due diligence, strategy and development initiatives of global gambling companies, as well as their investors and advisors.

  1. Global coverage of verifiable market data. With over 400 data sets and 4 million data points, industry professionals can access all reported, verifiable data from regulated gambling markets and publicly traded companies, on one easy-to-navigate portal. Real-time updates and VIXIO’s proprietary Market Monitor reports consolidate the data and facilitate easy comparison on a regional basis.
  2. Forecasting dashboards. Data Hub uses VIXIO’s proprietary forecasting methodologies to provide users with customisable dashboards enabling them to generate market forecasts in key global gambling markets, based on their growth strategies and future regulatory assumptions. These dashboards are constantly updated to incorporate new legislative or market developments, supporting internal forecast benchmarking and underpinning operating strategies.
  3. Industry-leading analysis. VIXIO’s expert team of analysts helps clients identify the latest market trends before the competition and expand their understanding of the global gambling landscape, including new verticals and jurisdictions.

Data Hub enables senior executives, investors and advisors to validate internal assumptions, quantify the size of new business opportunities and prepare for future market growth with confidence.

Roseanne Spagnuolo, VIXIO Chief Content Officer, said: “In an era of expanding regulations and the pursuit of new opportunities, industry executives and advisors require access to the broadest range of verifiable data and accurate, transparent forecasts to ensure their business plans are aligned with regulatory and market realities.”

Spagnuolo added: “Data Hub provides a 360-degree view of the global gambling industry, simplifying the due diligence process and empowering clients to swiftly and easily develop their growth strategies.”

smpl-consulting-and-wander-announces-joint-venture-offering-best-in-class-igaming-recruitment-services

SMPL Consulting and Wander Announces Joint Venture Offering Best-in-Class iGaming Recruitment Services

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SMPL Consulting Ltd, an iGaming specialist consultancy, and Wander, a purpose and people-led recruitment and executive search company, announced a joint venture to bring Wander’s refreshing approach to recruitment product, process and pricing to the iGaming industry, with a particular focus on mid, senior and exec-level opportunities.

“I’m thrilled to be able to introduce and facilitate Wander’s entry into the iGaming industry. Ricky and I share many personal values and believe we can make a positive impact on the industry through the people and businesses we work with. iGaming recruitment, like many industries, has been in status quo for too long at a time when the world has changed dramatically – there’s a huge space for fairer, partner-led, and ethic-led recruitment where all parties can win. Wander is that solution,” Simon Pilkington, Founder of SMPL Consulting, said.

“In a recruitment landscape driven by algorithms and automation, it’s easy to forget the impact of a deliberate, considered and thoughtful approach, where taking the time to understand individuals and build genuine connections leads to remarkable results. I am so excited to be working with Simon and looking forward to all the new partnerships we hope to make in this sector,” Ricky Wilkes, Founder and MD of Wander, said.

superbet-group-announces-new-international-leadership-team

Superbet Group Announces New International Leadership Team

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Superbet Group has announced new appointments to its leadership team.

Stephen Parry is taking on the role of Chief Operations Officer (COO), leading a newly created hub of operational excellence for the group including retail, trading and business operations. Stephen’s most recent role was CEO of William Hill International, while previously serving as William Hill Group COO. Prior to this, he was the Chief Integration Officer at Flutter, and led Operations at the group. Before entering the gaming industry, Stephen held a range of leadership roles in telecommunications, at Vodafone, working in areas such as Business Transformation, Customer Service and Strategy.

Andrei Dușu has been appointed Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO). The Romanian senior executive will be leading mergers & acquisitions, international expansion, business intelligence and strategy for Superbet Group. Andrei is the co-founder of Flawless, an AI powered, real-time support application for business operations teams. Previously, Andrei held a range of leadership roles in Strategy, Product, Data and Commercial teams across companies like Google, McKinsey & Company and OLX Group.

Glyn Hughes has been announced as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Superbet Group, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience from various executive roles, in both publicly listed and privately-owned companies, across a range of international businesses and industries.

Glyn Hughes was previously CFO and Executive Vice President at International Workplace Group (IWG) PLC, as well as CFO and Interim CEO at Mothercare PLC. Prior to that, he held a range of executive positions within the Jardine Matheson Group and Dairy Farm Group across Asia.

As part of the central leadership team, Stephen Parry, Andrei Dușu and Glyn Hughes will report directly to Johnny Hartnett, CEO of Superbet Group.

Johnny Hartnett, CEO of Superbet Group, said: “As we embark on the next stage of our growth journey, it is incredibly exciting to add experienced and capable leaders like Stephen, Andrei, and Glyn to the Superbet management team. Their experience across a range of sectors and geographies means they will be a critical part of executing our ambition – to take the business from our home in CEE to the rest of Europe and beyond.”

Adam Lamentowicz, previously CEO and Country Manager for Superbet Poland, has been appointed VP of Superbet International. While leading this newly created division, he will supervise international operations under the Superbet brand, excepting the Romanian market. Adam Lamentowicz will report directly to Adam Shaw, Chief Revenue Officer for the group.