Björn Krantz: “We’ve always been disruptors - innovation is in our DNA”

Casino Guru News caught up with Yggdrasil CEO Björn Krantz at a particularly exciting time for the company which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023. Yggdrasil has been a known disruptor in the iGaming sector, and this year will see the company double down on its determination to break ground into new and regulated markets. Krantz spoke of the importance of having a good quantity of games but explained how crucial innovation is as well as communicating with the audience, such as streamers and players, to deliver the next great product. The Masters program and its proprietary Game Engagement Mechanics (GEMs) have been another focus of the company which holds a firm ground in 2023.

Q: Yggdrasil has been distinguished as the Innovator of the Year at IGA 2023. What do you think led to this success?

We are celebrating our 10-year anniversary this year but have always been known as an industry disruptor. We constantly aim to think outside the box to create new and exciting player experiences and to bring the most innovative games and products to the market. Being awarded with Innovator of the year right before ICE London was a real honour and a proof that Yggdrasil is one of the very best providers in the world of iGaming. It was our seventh innovation award (!) which is amazing in itself.

Our industry reputation of high-quality artwork and amazing animations is something we are extremely proud of and continue to build upon. Over the last 12 months, we have further invested in developing our proprietary mechanics, the GEMs, and added several new ones to our portfolio. We now boast eight exciting GEMs that all elevate the player experience and boost engagement levels. They have been performing strongly across our own titles as well as games launched by our YG Masters partners, our curation program that allows smaller studios to develop content using our technology. The GEMs accelerate the entertainment of our games and make them stand out from the competition.

Innovation is in our DNA, and we never rest on our laurels and hope for the best, instead we work incredibly hard to not only keep up with the ever-changing iGaming landscape, but to set the pace for the rest of the industry. Our GEMs are a big part of this, but the ambition is always that our entire product offering must be seen as innovative and forward-thinking.

Q: How is 2023 going to be different from previous years, and what are Yggdrasil’s plans for the next 12 months?

Entering our tenth year, we are expanding our portfolio with fresh fantastic games that appeal to a wide demographic of players. The GEMs offering will be a centrepiece and we will develop it further in 2023 while also focusing on innovating in other areas.

We will enter even more markets to provide a greater audience with the entertainment that our games offer. We work closely with streamers as well as our global player audience to improve our offering and to ensure our content really makes our audience tick. Adding to that, our strategic Masters program enables us to offer premium content to the world’s leading operators, global games with local flavors that add strategic relevancy, all compliant with local regulations.

Q: How do slot suppliers manage to stay innovative in an industry that has so many serious players producing slot games at a rapid pace?

It is a hyper competitive industry, but this is what keeps us on our toes and encourages us to continue pushing the boundaries. Quantity is key, but quality is even more important, and it’s vital that the games we release bring value and are relevant to local and new audiences. It’s a fast-moving space but as innovation is one of the key pillars of what we do at Yggdrasil, it’s part of our whole development process from idea to finished product, ensuring we continue to bring new and exciting products to market that take the player experience to new levels.

There is a very fine balance between how we work with math and mechanics in ensuring a standout performer among the hundreds of monthly releases. All of us here at Yggdrasil are extremely mindful about getting the math and mechanics correct in our games, this will continue to be our top priority focus as our Game Engagement Mechanics, IPs and trademarks continue to create a unique niche and competitive advantage for Yggdrasil.

Q: What is your outlook for new and promising markets such as Latin America and North America? Does Yggdrasil intend to engage more in these geographies?

We want our content to be available in as many regulated markets as possible and further expansion in the Americas is definitely on our radar. We have launched a few titles in the US in partnership with IGT and we are preparing to launch more content in additional jurisdictions. North America is a highly exciting space with loads of potential and we want to grow in the region. We have been present in Latin America for a while and our games are performing well there. We are keeping a close eye on other opportunities to further cement our position.

Q: What do you think the biggest development for Yggdrasil this year will be or is this still under wraps?

We won’t be able to reveal all, but what we can say is that we will continue to add exciting, engaging and entertaining titles to our portfolio.

Our key focus during 2023 is to keep laser precision on our product development strategy and how we utilize our modern technology in order to scale up our offering. In 2022 we delivered 12 Yggdrasil core games, and we aim at placing that number at 22 end of 2023. However, this will be complemented by approximately 50 Masters titles that bring a wide range of diverse themes, mechanics and features to our offering.

We are excited to celebrate our 10-year anniversary and mark the great progress we have made over the last decade that has seen us establish Yggdrasil as a leading global iGaming Supplier. That said, we will not take a step back and relax, on the contrary our passion for gaming runs through every facet of our operations and we will continue to shape the future of iGaming with our premium slots and game engagement mechanics for many years to come.

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