DemoSlot Exclusive Interview with Andrzej Hyla, CCO at Wazdan
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Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions today. Could you start by introducing yourself and telling us a little about your position within the company?
As Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, it is my job to oversee the work of our sales and account management teams to guarantee that our clients receive the best possible service. With more than 12 years’ worth of experience in iGaming, I have been part of the journey since the very start, and I am so proud of how far we have come, getting our games licensed and certified in more than 20 regulated markets as things stand.
It has been a real pleasure watching the company grow as the industry has continued to expand, and I am so excited to see what the future holds for our business.
Our readers always like to get a little insight into the history of a game developer, so could you give us some background on Wazdan?
Wazdan is a globally recognised slot supplier that blends cutting-edge technology with immersive experiences to facilitate modern player preferences. Established in 2010 by a small group of gaming enthusiasts with a shared passion for innovation in iGaming, we are committed to delivering advanced content that stands out from the crowd.
In an industry as fast-moving as ours, we have managed to thrive by bringing enthusiasm and passion for games that is unparalleled, and this is evident in the finalised products. Now boasting a portfolio of more than 150 HTML5 slots, the catalogue has titles for fans of the classic genre to cutting-edge graphics, mechanics, and gamification tools, ensuring players have something to enjoy regardless of their preferences.
There are plenty of other slot developers out there in the world of iGaming. What would you say makes your games stand out from other competitors in the market?
Plenty of things come to mind when asked what differentiates our games and products from our competitors’, and this stems from our passion for delivering unparalleled player experiences in every game that we develop.
We recently bolstered our roadmap to facilitate the launch of a minimum of 18 annual releases, and by developing an innovative range of in-game features that neatly complement our titles, we have been able to improve the user experience while also driving revenue growth for the business.
Our Freedom of Choice™ initiative, alongside our Player Engagement Suite, cater to every demographic of players while facilitating them in enjoying memorable gaming experiences.
Innovative mechanics such as the Collect to Infinity™ and Cash Infinity™ allow us to fulfil the requirements of modern players, enhancing their gameplay by increasing their engagement and boosting the potential for lucrative wins. We also provide a Buy Feature, which allows players to enjoy all aspects of a game by entering the bonus round at any time, and Cash Drop, which rewards players with random cash prizes.
When it comes to creating and developing an online slot, what would you say are the key factors in making a successful title?
Modern players expect more entertainment and rewards from casino products than ever before, which means it is imperative to explore new concepts and invest in the peripherals of a slot. By developing titles with gripping themes, stunning graphics, and intuitive sound effects, we are able to attract players to our portfolio, and that is when the lure of our innovative features comes into play.
By developing eye-catching products that also provide impressive win potential and cash prizes, we have created a formula that allows us to consistently innovate on successful slot titles and games collections.
We play dozens of slots weekly here at DemoSlot, but we have to say that the overall production of your games is amongst the best we have seen. Have your design team been with you since the beginning of your journey as a company?
We really appreciate it when we get feedback as positive as this – thank you! As previously mentioned, we started as quite a small team of iGaming enthusiasts over a decade ago, and some of the members of our current design team have been with us since the start of the journey, and therefore understand what it takes to remain operational as a leading content supplier.
That said, our company is growing and is always on the lookout for passionate, talented individuals that can bring something useful to the team.
You have a very strong portfolio of games behind you, but if you had to pick just 3 personal favourites what would they be?
There are so many games that stand out to me as strong examples of what we can offer, but a couple of our more recent titles and an all-time Wazdan hit stand out to me as my personal favourites.
9 Lions is a game that needs no introduction, picking up a G2E Asia Hot Product Award in 2018 and asserting itself as a real staple of Wazdan’s collection over the past few years. Featuring a stunning design and a vibrant oriental theme, the game provides players with generous bonuses and seemingly endless action thanks to its nine separate playing fields.
Nominated for various honours at the recent CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards, AskGamblers Awards, and the EGR North America Awards, Power of Gods™: Hades is a Hold the Jackpot title that takes players on a visual journey across the River Styx, allowing them to enter the underworld in the thrilling bonus round with prizes up to 5000x player’s bet.
The recently launched game Magic Spins™ is my last choice, and coincidentally also belongs to the Hold the Jackpot collection, enchanting players with its stunning design, innovative mathematics, and a brand-new Collect to Infinity™ feature that allows players to accumulate Cash symbol values up to an infinite amount!
We’re now firmly into 2022, but how did covid affect you as a company? Particularly in 2021?
We faced many challenges over the past couple of years due to the pandemic with all in-person events being cancelled, serving as a great blow to the industry. While it was very challenging setting up flexible working environments for all our employees and getting them settled in remote locations, we didn’t let it slow us down. However, we couldn’t be more grateful to be back in the office and spending time together again, socialising, collaborating, and brainstorming without any obstacles.
In this respect, our recent entry into the US states of New Jersey, Michigan, and West Virginia should be seen as a huge success and serves as a testament to our team’s incredible ability to operate at full capacity, despite being more fragmented than ever before. We were also able to launch our Hold the Jackpot collection, which now features more than 10 titles and has quickly established itself as a jewel in Wazdan’s innovation crown.
What do you think player preferences will be in the next few years? Do you see VR catching on in the iGaming space?
The latest innovation that we’ve been hearing about is the emergence of VR, the metaverse, and all of the potential it holds for the industry. That said, while its evolution is an area of great interest to us, it’s not one that we are too focused on at present.
There will always be those looking to become pioneers in a specific field in iGaming, looking beyond the horizon in terms of strategy to locate these emerging technologies, but as far as we’re concerned, we’re clear that our focus needs to be on delivering mobile-first games that offer great mathematics, fantastic themes, and a level of customisation that competing products fall short of.
Wazdan really does seem to be going from strength to strength. What are your overall goals as a company over the next decade?
In terms of our priorities in the more immediate future, North America is a region of great importance for us. We’re planning to enter additional US markets such as Pennsylvania, after having recently been granted supplier license in Ontario, Canada, and we continue our mission of establishing footholds in newly regulated markets across the globe.
Regarding our games, we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that they meet the strict standards set by the industry’s regulators. Our roadmap for the rest of the year is packed with more thrilling themes, unique mechanics, and promotional tools that will continue to benefit both players and operators alike.
So far this year, we have ramped up our production to deliver more games than ever before and invested significantly in the infrastructure of markets that we are committed to, which keeps the doors open to a number of exciting opportunities in the future. Furthermore, with a number of exciting trade shows and industry events fast approaching, we look forward to making the most of the networking opportunities available and catching up with our many industry acquaintances.
To wrap up, could you share with us any exciting news or games that you have in the pipeline for the remainder of the year?
It has been an incredibly fruitful year for us so far, having been shortlisted for several awards at a number of recognised shows, and we can’t wait to see what else is in store for us as the year unfolds. We recently received two shortlists at the SBC Awards in the headline categories of Innovation in Mobile and Casino / Slots Developer of the Year, and picked up two awards at the Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards having been nominated for five categories. Though the icing on the cake was being personally recognised with a shortlist for Manager Idol of the Year at the upcoming iGaming IDOL Awards.
There is so much to be proud of in terms of what we have achieved this year alone, but in order to maximise value for our players and clients, we keep our focus on the times ahead of us and how we can use this to better our standings in the industry.
Players will need to keep their eyes peeled for 9 Coins™, which has just been launched with a brand-new Cash to Infinity™ mechanic, as well as the Norse-inspired Hold the Jackpot title, Power of Gods™: Valhalla. Our upcoming Sizzling Kingdom™: Bison slot will feature three exciting bonus rounds, including the brand-new Wild Rampage feature, Hold the Jackpot bonus round, and Free Spins with the player-favorite Collect to Infinity™ feature. It’s a game release worth waiting for!
