Ivan Kravchuk: “New generations want dynamic gameplay, we deliver”

As the year 2023 is now behind us, Evoplay CEO Ivan Kravchuk takes stock of what transpired over the past 12 months. He notes that there has been a significant focus on engaging with new generations of iGaming players who are keen to experience the industry in new and exciting ways, something that Evoplay has been fully committed to. The outlook for 2024 remains unchanged, Kravchuk shares, with the company focusing on both building up its geographical footprint as well as developing exciting new products, among which is the forthcoming Adrenaline Rush.

Q: Evoplay had an unprecedented year of success in 2023, which new markets have been standouts in your growth?

The past year has seen Evoplay achieve unparalleled success by entering new markets such as Portugal as well as reinforcing our position across Europe and Latin America. The latter has become one of our most noteworthy markets of the year, showing remarkable growth compared to 2022, with increases across all significant indicators like Bet Sum, GGR, and Rounds. Europe has also been a source of continued growth, especially in the Italian market, where we'll be intensifying our focus this year.

In addition to new market entries, we also focused on expanding our partner network, resulting in a significant 82% increase in the number of commercial agreements across all regions by the end of 2023.

Q: Last year you continued to update your portfolio with exciting new releases, can you tell us a bit about some of the standouts and how they shaped your content strategy for the future?

In 2023, Evoplay expanded its portfolio with the introduction of 57 dynamic new releases whilst also crafting our upcoming flagship game. Standout titles include our instant game Penalty Shoot-out: Street, video slots Hot Mania and Treasure-snipes and the captivating Long Ball crash game, each refined to suit the ever-evolving preferences of players. Classic themes enhanced with innovative game mechanics and features have also continued to prove popular with audiences, evident in our fruit-themed Thunder Mega Sevens and mythology-inspired X-Demon video slots.

Data-driven analysis from our 2023 releases reveals a growing demand among iGamers for sports-inspired games and specific cultural themes. Utilising this to fuel our 2024 roadmap, our upcoming titles target diverse entertainment realms, encompassing sports, football, mixed martial arts and car racing to resonate with even more players worldwide.

Q: Evoplay's portfolio spans a diverse range of sectors in the industry, what is the importance of this in the company’s success?

Expanding our portfolio across a variety of verticals fuels the mission of Evoplay as a company - to elevate iGaming to an advanced space within entertainment. While we continue to value classic themes, we also aim to drive the industry forward by meeting the expectations of the new gamer generation and their diverse interests in sectors like sports, cybersports, as well as computer games.

Our flagship titles, such as Star Guardians target such a cross-channel audience and have proven pivotal to our success in the highly competitive iGaming landscape. By creating unique offerings that mirror the quality of a computer game we not only enhance global recognition of our brand but also foster heightened interest in our portfolio among the new generation of iGamers. We are eagerly anticipating the release of our upcoming flagship title, Adrenaline Rush – an innovative 3D racing game that transcends traditional iGaming boundaries, presenting a distinctive blend of sport, gambling and computer game quality graphics.

Q: Evoplay’s games have an ability to resonate with previously untapped demographics, in particular with younger generations, what can suppliers do to appeal to a broader audience base and ensure continuity?

In order to resonate with younger generations, suppliers must be willing to push the industry forward with cutting-edge graphics and action-packed gameplay that prioritise the entertainment value found in the games. Marketing campaigns should unveil our industry in novel ways, leveraging gamification tools — tournaments, quests, competitions, and others — to attract a younger audience and those seeking new emotions.

Recognising the new generation's preference for dynamic gameplay, Evoplay focuses on diversifying its portfolio with modern sectors such as instant games and crash titles as well as innovating in the more traditional slots sector. What sets us apart is not merely following trends but initiating a movement. In the theory of supply and demand, we embrace both approaches — creating supply and anticipating demand, and vice versa. Our ambition propels us to lead industry transformation, ensuring continuity by staying ahead of the evolving gaming landscape.

Q: What are Evoplay’s plans for 2024 and what can we look forward to in the months to come?

In the year ahead, Evoplay has plans to fortify its existing partnerships as well as establish new alliances to aid with further global expansion. LatAm will be a key focus for us in 2024 and we’ll also be venturing to North American markets, beginning with entry in Canadian provinces while regulated US states also remain firmly within our field of vision.

We’ll also be enriching our portfolio with cutting-edge games. As we touched on previously, our upcoming flagship 3D racing game Adrenaline Rush is a hugely exciting release on our content roadmap. It transcends a standalone game, presenting a comprehensive package that features the instant game Adrenaline Rush: XCrash and video slot Adrenaline Rush: Super Boost. The games incorporate innovative features that are tailored for diverse audiences, giving operators a strategic advantage to engage more players as we strive to deliver unparalleled gaming experiences.

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