Marcus Cordes: “We’re lucky to boast some incredibly sharp, creative minds among our ranks.”

Marcus Cordes is the Chief Executive Officer at Hacksaw Gaming, a well-established iGaming supplier that has focused on regulated markets and innovation. Over the past years, the company has obtained licenses in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Malta, the Isle of Man, Ontario, Greece, Romania, and many others. To this day, the focus lies on expanding in regulated markets and bringing disruptive innovation to a market that is saturated with competition. Cordes walks us through how Hacksaw Gaming navigates the challenging realm of online casinos and how it delivers innovative and player-favorite concepts. Read our full conversation with Cordes below.

Q: Hacksaw Gaming has been expanding rapidly on a global level with your company securing a number of prominent partnerships. What drives your expansion forays these days? Are you particularly focused on a specific region, or do you want to establish yourself as the global go-to when iGaming content is concerned?

We’ve grown our international footprint at a remarkable rate since launching just four years ago, with our games available to thousands of players via the world’s most respected jurisdictions including the MGA, Isle of Man, UKGC, Sweden, Ontario, Greece, and Romania.

We’re not looking to pool our resources into one region in particular, per se; instead, we’re committed to penetrating regulated markets as part of a broader global strategy. It’s our belief that operating with transparency within robust regulatory environments, and ensuring player protection, are key to longevity in this fast-moving industry - a survival of the fittest.

Q: One of your notable achievements has been the entry into West Virginia, the United States. What's the outlook for the iGaming market in the United States as a whole, and Hacksaw Gaming's position in it?

From a regulatory perspective, the US is a hugely fragmented and complex iGaming landscape, yet one that offers enormous potential. Our recent West Virginia license approval capped months of hard work behind the scenes and we’re super proud to get our first deal over the line - but we’re far from finished.

As the overall outlook towards iGaming continues to liberalize, we’ll be ready to expand our US horizons by breaking into additional states over the coming months and years, and we feel well positioned to realize this goal.

Q: You started as a scratch card supplier, but your most recent efforts have been about innovating the slot experience. How do you as a studio arrive at innovative concepts? Is it player feedback, your own unique insight, or something different?

We’re lucky to boast some incredibly sharp, creative minds among our ranks who are always encouraged to pitch any new ideas they may have. The themes we employ derive from a variety of sources; flashes of inspiration can really come from anywhere.

From the charming, retro-flavored Stick’em - our first ever slot game, to more daring creations like Hand of Anubis - a decidedly dark Ancient Egyptian-themed game with a twist, and Mayan Stackways - another that takes a familiar trope off in an entirely new direction, we’re always looking to break with convention by applying fresh coats to common themes, which, when paired with compelling gameplay, deliver elevated player experiences.

When it comes to gameplay, innovation lies at the heart of what we do, evidenced by the growing number of proprietary features added to our arsenal like DuelReels - made famous in the Wild West mega hit Wanted Dead or Wild; Stackways; EchoSpins, as found in classic creation Itero; and our recent Drop feature that has been extremely well received since debuting in Drop’em.

Needless to say, there are many universally recognizable themes that resonate with players everywhere, and we’d be foolish to ignore these entirely. However, we’ve always prided ourselves on pushing the envelope when it comes to themes, concepts, and features - and we pledge to remain true to our roots in this regard.

Q: What is the biggest challenge that you feel you need to overcome today in iGaming as a supplier?

Continuing to disrupt in an industry saturated with competition poses a huge challenge. Every month sees at least one new supplier throw their name into the hat - forcing everyone to remain agile and alert. With literally thousands of casino games to choose from and new releases dropping daily leveraging the very latest technology, modern-day players have never had it so good!

That said, competition is healthy. It keeps us on our toes, ensuring we remain at the very top of our game, and in general, the industry is the better for it.

Q: So far as content goes, have you seen a change in player preferences that gives your products an advantage?

Working close with the community, we remain constantly abreast of player trends, often tweaking our offering in direct response to customer feedback. The hugely-anticipated upcoming release of Chaos Crew II on September 28 incorporates various elements added on the basis of player input, with one or two ground-breaking extras of our own thrown into the mix. We’re always willing to lend an ear to give our audience more of what it wants.

Moreover, as a relatively lean and agile outfit, we’re able to react swiftly to emerging trends and any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.

It’s true that high volatility slots have become all the rage in recent times, but that doesn’t mean there’s a diminishing market for ‘softer’ games geared towards a more casual player base. Far from it.

Unlike some providers, we do not believe in a ‘one-size-fits-all’, cookie-cutter approach. From Vending Machine and Drop’em, to Ronin Stackways and Le Bandit - a glance at our last few releases reveals a mix of themes, volatility, features, and max wins on offer designed to satisfy a broad range of tastes and preferences.

Complementing our slots offering, the popularity of Dare2Win titles such as MINES and PLINKO has surged in markets where sports betting is booming due to evident parallels between the two verticals - placing control in the hands of the player who has the ability to configure the odds to their liking, for instance.

Q: What can we expect from Hacksaw Gaming the rest of the year?

More kick-ass games!

On a serious note, our slots roadmap for Q4 2023 contains a few surprises that we’re sure will delight our players who remain some of the most loyal in the industry. Against the backdrop of a hyper-competitive marketplace, that represents a significant achievement in itself and we remain appreciative of their continued support.

As alluded to, we’re doubling down our efforts to enhance our standing in regulated markets and look forward to announcing tie-ups with more tier-one operators as we embark on continued international expansion.

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