Lars Kollind is the Business Development Manager at Playson. He spoke with an employee of European Gaming and talked about his experience in the company, as well as the work of the company itself. Below is a translation of the interview.
You joined Playsonin January of this year. What can you tell us about your current job?
Hi, thanks for giving me the opportunity to share my experience with Playson.
When I joined the company I was expecting to see a young provider that still doesn't have clear goals, however after a few months I've been here I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is an experienced, solid company with clear goals and direction that a wonderful culture that is based on the quality of the work experience. Playson games are popular among operators and players due to excellent graphics and animations, which are also technically reliable, which guarantees a problem-free game.
I personally really like the atmosphere in the company. Values such as collaboration, teamwork, peer support and responsible autonomy are key elements of the company culture, which is why we work as a well-knit team. At the same time, I can be myself and this motivates me to perform my role to the best of my ability.
Playsonrecently signed several major clients such as Leo Vegas, ComeOnand Hero Gaming. Tell us about these new deals and the strategic aspects of each.
It's no secret that we're proud of these recent partnerships and that they've given us an extra boost to appreciate our work in a new way. The company has long existed on a small-to-medium scale, and has been a dynamic studio with a clear focus on product quality and support. Recent transactions with major operators and other suppliers have made us aware that our position in the market is changing. We are confidently moving towards the center of European gaming, increasing our coverage of regulated markets and our ambitions.
What was your personal role in these transactions?
It is common practice in a company to value team efforts, even in relation to individual achievement, no matter how small or large. The truth is that even top employees turn to a lot of professionals from other departments to get a contract. These specific deals were coordinated by our sales manager and I only got involved after the contract had already been signed.
How are the new agreements paving the way for Playson's future? What new contracts are planned for the near future?
The most important message from these agreements is that Playson is a mature, stable and reliable provider that intends to stay and grow. Our engines are roaring and we have no plans to slow down our expansion in the near future. We will be making important announcements in the coming months, so stay tuned!
Are there any plans to expand into the US and Asia markets? In the US and Japan, big changes are happening or about to happen in the gaming sector.
At the moment, Playson is focusing on its main markets and only watching non-European territories from afar. We expect markets like the US and Asia to take more decisive steps towards regulation and building the necessary framework to ensure safe, legal and responsible gaming, but this will take time. This year we are committed to expanding our presence exclusively in regulated European markets, but next year it is possible that we may consider other jurisdictions.
Playsonhas already released over 70 omnichannel games. Are you going to launch any new games soon, something like Blackjack HTML5? Would like to hear more details.
Our HTML5 Blackjack game is already available and showing good results. We plan to launch two or three new games every month, with exciting new themes and cool features that players love and come back to over and over again.
Playson has some mega popular slots. How does planning happen before games are developed and published? Could you also tell us more about the most successful Playson games?
Our game development process is quite lengthy and we follow a very detailed approach regarding the themes and details of each product, while at the same time making sure that our products meet the standards of jurisdictions, fit the market we are targeting and the segment of players for which the game is created.
We always go by what is historically popular with players in a particular category, but we also invent new things as much and as often as possible, introducing features like the “daily” jackpot.
Our classic slots like Legend of Cleopatra are still our biggest success. Players love this 100 line slot that can pay out huge wins on the pyramid reels.
Playson has officesin four countries: Malta, Ukraine, UK and Greece. How do you maintain one working culture? Any special HR policy?
We may be scattered around the world, but we have one working culture, and we are constantly in touch with each office. This has been a huge internal success for us and increased productivity, plus it's great to have our employees in different countries as we can meet with clients as often as possible based on the location of the employees. Each office is designed to attract local talent and we have carefully planned this into our recruitment process.
You are participating in CEEGC 2019, which will be held in Budapest on September 24-25. What do you think is special about CEEGC? Why is this event important to your company?
This is the fourth exhibition of the Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference and Awards (Gaming conference and award of Central and Eastern Europe). Several countries in this region are opening up and regulating this market, so the region is becoming extremely important and we look forward to meeting new and existing customers in September.
Our Consul General, Andrei Andronic, is on the Compliance Panel at this event in Budapest, it will be great to hear from and interact with our colleagues about compliance and investment opportunities in regulated jurisdictions in Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia and Slovenia, as well as in emerging jurisdictions: Slovakia, Hungary, Poland.
We really appreciate the fact that we can attend events like this, especially in interesting, emerging territories.
You have approximately 15 years of experience in the gaming industry. How do you rate your career?
I'm very proud of my personal accomplishments, but my main goal is to improve the reputation Playson has built over the years. Also important to me are the company's plans and announcements, which are planned for the coming months and years. We have some seriously interesting developments that we'll be discussing shortly that I can't wait to share.
Lastly, do you think AI will change the industry? What are Playson's plans to take advantage of the opportunities and threats that emerging technologies will bring to the gaming sector?
Artificial intelligence is definitely a very popular concept at the moment, but I don't see many companies getting into this industry. We use advanced AI technology to improve our internal processes and our 70+ omnichannel slot machines. It helps us develop more targeted, localized content that performs better and will only grow in value over time.
Source: https://eegaming.org/latest-news/2019/05/31/33135/exclusive-interview-with-lars-kollind-business-development-manager-at-playson/
