Andre Nogueira: “Rivalry shapes what the future of betting feels and looks like”

Andre Nogueira, Senior Manager of Game at Rivalry, dives into Rivalry’s innovative and forward-thinking game design process which allows the company to build games that are not only more fun, but which also remain proprietary to the platform, giving Rivalry an air of exclusivity and uniqueness.

The novel approach to game development is tailored for a next-generation audience and it also focuses on maintaining robust quality standards while speeding up production pace to satisfy player expectations and meet business targets. Read the full interview with Nogueira in which he speaks about Rivalry’s high hopes and ambitions for its place in the ever-evolving gambling industry where the company wants to stay one step ahead.

Q: Andre, you have been with Rivalry for almost a year now, and joined the company as part of one of its most exciting expansions and transformations as a pan-gaming company. What has changed in Rivalry under your watch these past several months?

My role within the company is to oversee and lead our internal games team. It has been a genuinely incredible experience thus far.

Rivalry had begun experimenting in game development with the launch of our first in-house title ‘Rushlane’ in 2021. Since then, we’ve taken a step back to digest what we’ve learned from Rushlane, conduct user focus groups, and incorporate everything into what we’re doing in this next phase of the games team.

We have also made an important shift in our approach to game design that will allow us to produce more new games more quickly without compromising the quality or entertainment factor. We’re focused on adding new titles to our catalog of original games and continuing to leverage them as a unique value proposition of Rivalry and its overall product offering.

Q: Rivalry has put a great emphasis on developing its iGaming vertical with options such as Rushlane, original crash-genre games, and more. How has this panned out so far? Are you seeing the level of success you are comfortable with?

It’s only been a few weeks since we’ve released Cash & Dash but we’re already seeing some very inspiring early results.

Of course, we hope that our original games perform well from a business perspective, but the benefits we gain from producing our own titles goes well beyond that.

Games like Cash & Dash and Rushlane add to a unique betting experience exclusive to Rivalry; it gives customers incentive to come play on our site versus elsewhere. Online casinos are a dime-a-dozen, so having games that are not only more entertaining to play but also proprietary to our platform is a major advantage.

Not only are our original games more engaging to play, but they are also more engaging to watch. Gaming creators are livestreaming Cash & Dash and their fans have been responding positively because there’s depth to the gameplay and it’s fun to watch. From that standpoint, we see a lot of added value in organic, word-of-mouth marketing where customers want to play Cash & Dash because it’s more akin to the type of entertainment they are used to consuming.

We’re excited about the momentum we’re seeing with our original games and looking forward to adding more exclusive titles in the future.

Q: You started purely as an esports platform - what made the company branch out to more "traditional" verticals such as sports betting and online casino?

Rivalry started as an esports betting company but has evolved a lot since then.

The bigger thing that we’re doing here is creating an online betting product and experience built for a next generation audience.

Once we recognized that was the north star, the product philosophy and what we wanted to do in the space became a lot clearer. The expansion into other verticals was a natural evolution of the company and our offering, but the key has always been presenting them in a way that resonates with this specific customer cohort.

With Cash & Dash, we’ve created a unique and engaging game that fits into Casino.exe, which in itself is an interactive and entertaining platform for our casino offering. Everything that we’re doing with casino all points towards building premium experiences for users, which is a thread you’ll see across the broader product suite.

Q: What are the main challenges for Rivalry today to stay competitive - you already bolster a remarkable reach with Generation Z and Millennials. How do you take on the biggest companies in the industry that have been around and have much bigger war chest?

Competing on cash is a race to the bottom and not only has it sent many sportsbooks to the grave, but it ends up diluting the product and the value proposition offered to customers.

Rivalry wins by creating a fundamentally entertaining product. It’s about tying together a combination of world class creative, proprietary technology, and industry-leading entertainment in a way that’s cohesive for the customer.

Executing this well is not something that can be solved with a bigger warchest – it takes a special team, unique culture, and an intimate understanding of next generation consumers and their entertainment preferences.

Our advantage, and what we’ve been able to do so well over the years, is continue to shape what the future of betting entertainment looks and feels like. That’s the inspiration for us and what we believe will lead us to create an incredible consumer product enjoyed by millions of people.

Q: What new is brewing in Rivalry's kitchen and will we see more innovative iGaming in future? If so, can you tease some of what is to follow and the impact you think it would have on your brand?

As I mentioned earlier, we’ll be producing new original games and continuing to add more depth to Casino.exe.

For example, we recently launched a dedicated slots page on Casino.exe that features a clever early-2000’s internet design and other interactive features to further separate Rivalry and its product offering in the space. The unique integration also allows us to continue scaling our iGaming catalog without compromising the premium experiences that users come to Rivalry for.

We’re constantly finding ways we can inject entertainment into the traditional betting product suite and have been able to demonstrate that presenting classic products in a novel and unique way can drive noteworthy growth.

Image credit: Casino Guru News