SiGMA spoke to FunFair Games’ newly appointed CEO Mark McGinley about the rise of non-traditional gaming verticals and how the studio plans on becoming a leading force in this exciting new space.
Congratulations on the new role!
Thank you!? I’m delighted to be here and can’t wait to get started.
What was the appeal in joining FunFair Games?
I’ve known of FunFair for a while now and have kept an inquisitive eye on their progress to date.? I was always impressed by the production quality of the games. Upon engaging talks with COO Lloyd Purser and CEO and co-founder Jeremy Longley, they sold me on the company and the opportunity at FunFair Games. The chance to work with an ambitious and forward-thinking team to create something new, interesting and appealing really resonated with me.
What will be your priorities be as you start the job?
I will be taking my time to gain a full understanding of all parts of the business and primarily to ensure I find some quality time to meet and get to know the team. I’m looking forward to learning more about all things FunFair Games and what the team has planned for the year ahead. I understand we have a busy industry events calendar already in place for the remainder of 2022 so lots to discuss and plan for in the days and weeks ahead.
You have significant experience from working for an operator, how will this benefit you in your new role with a supplier?
Having worked on both sides of the fence, this enables me to understand the challenges and opportunities from two very different points of view. It also helps me inform and educate my teams accordingly, especially when it comes to preparation of information and associated gaming materials etc. Having some well established operator relationships really helps, plus understanding more about the needs and requirements of our partners means we can better prepare the right offering of product to their respective customers and markets.
You have also worked in the video games sector, what do you take from that experience and how does it compare with the RMG vertical?
Coming from a Next Generation video gaming background I was well educated in the importance of planning, good game design principles and high end production qualities, all of which are built on strong and robust technology. These are key principles that have served me very well to date and which I will be bringing with me into my new role at FunFair Games. Although there’s a lot of shared principles and best practises between both sectors, creating and designing games for a real money player comes with its own unique set of challenges and nuances. We can learn a lot from the video and social gaming world but at its core, the audience we design our games for have a different set of requirements and expectations.
You have almost 10 years’ experience in RMG, what do you love most about the industry?
I’m a gambler myself so have a deep rooted interest in the online casino space. I consume a large volume of content on a weekly basis which helps me keep up to date in a fast-moving and very busy marketplace. I like the pace in which the industry moves and the competitive nature of the online space we work within. Games is at the heart of everything I love about this industry, so working with ambitious and creative teams on new and exciting concepts is my happy place. I’m super excited about the challenge and opportunities ahead for FunFair and I genuinely can’t wait to get things moving.
The crash and multiplayer vertical is fairly new, how do you envision it will develop?
There’s a huge amount of very positive interest, appeal and excitement around the more ‘non-traditional’ gaming verticals, be it Arcade or Crash style games. Add Multiplayer into the mix here and this immediately adds another level of interest. For many years now, the gambling experience has been a somewhat lonely single player experience. Here at FunFair, we plan to challenge that and creating varied and engaging Multiplayer games will be a key objective of ours moving forward. This is where we believe we can add value and really make a difference. Operator interest and demand to date only reinforces to us that the direction we are heading in is the right one.
What makes the vertical so interesting compared with traditional online casinos?
I believe there is a need for online casinos to offer a more varied assortment of real money game types. We see a new, younger generation of adults now beginning to find and explore the online space and their expectations are very different from customers of yester year. Innovation is a word used often in the online real money space, but one I believe is often used incorrectly. In my honest opinion, there is a real lack of true innovation in the casino space and I sincerely hope that we at FunFair can do our bit to contest that with our own unique and diverse portfolio offering.
What can we expect from FunFair Games in the next 12 months?
We have a long road ahead of us and we have a lot of work we need to do in the next 12 to 24 months to get where I would like us to be. We’re in a very competitive marketplace and the bar is higher than it’s ever been. That said, with what I’ve seen so far here at FunFair, we have very strong foundations to build on. We have a very experienced and talented team who is driven, ambitious and keen to succeed. I am very excited about the fantastic opportunity we have here at FunFair Games and I am very confident we will impress and surprise many operators and suppliers in the weeks and months ahead. Watch this space!
Toronto is the perfect hub for SiGMA’s growth in North America, making it a nexus of networking and business development in the region with regards to land-based, iGaming, sports betting, and more. Playing host to a massive iGaming industry, Toronto will be the home for the SiGMA Group’s initiative to link the industry pioneers of the continent together for 3 days of networking, workshops, and awards. To learn more about sponsorship and speaking opportunities or to inquire about attending the event, please contact Sophie on?[email protected].
