GoodLuckMate Talks With Espresso Games Tiziana Cannizzaro
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Established in 2002, Espresso Games has evolved remarkably from its origins in the UK. Now firmly rooted in Milan and despite nearly two decades in the industry, they keep their youthful spirit alive, always cooking up something fresh.
We have been lucky enough to sit down with Head of Sales Italy, Key Account Manager, and Head of Marketing for Espresso Games -Tiziana Cannizzaro.
First of all, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at Espresso Games?
Thank you to GoodLuckMate for giving me the opportunity to share my experience at Espresso Games in this space. I've been the Italy Head of Sales, Key Account Manager, and Head of Marketing for Espresso Games since 2017 and have been in the iGaming industry since 2014. My initial foray into this industry occurred in Malta, where I started working in the Customer Care department of an online casino.
My previous experiences were mainly in commercial and marketing roles, and for 5 years, I also held creative positions in the entertainment industry, working in film, theater, TV, fashion, art, and web productions. All my knowledge and professional experiences have been beneficial at Espresso Games, where my creative calling and business experience have harmonized.
Espresso Games says, ‘Games have never been this tailor-made!’ Can you share some of the creative processes for creating games at Espresso Games?
The Management Team of Espresso Games, boasting over 20 years of industry experience, leads product development with a vision to create gaming products tailored to its customers, with the attention to detail typically associated with Made in Italy productions.
Branded slots have become legendary, and the renowned ones continue to be favorites among players even without constant promotion. The entire production process, from the creative phase to game development, is influenced by constant interaction with different industries.
Examples include partnerships with FTVGG, a branch of the prestigious TV channel FashionTV, aimed at producing online games with themes of luxury and lifestyle reimagined by Espresso as new and cool games. Another example is the collaboration with the luxury design brand Alexander & Maximilian Rich, offering sophisticated and exotic environments and games, perfect for VIP players.
Espresso Games also draws inspiration from the cinema industry and has been an ambassador of the iGaming industry at various editions of the Cannes Film Festival, where two slots were presented: Cinema and Cinema One, paying tribute to this wonderful visual art.
Therefore, when Espresso Games identifies with the phrase "Games have never been this tailor-made," it intends to convey to all B2C operators that there is no better Games Studio capable of creating a branded game that is genuinely exclusive, in such a short time, with a graphic choice that is immediately identifiable by players as belonging to that brand with which players identify, thereby deserving the utmost trust and preference.
In such a competitive market, what has been Espresso Games' secret to remaining relevant over the last two decades?
The passion for online gaming and the desire to broaden horizons are the main advantages of Espresso Games and the key to continuing to be strong in this industry since 2002. But also, the flexibility and speed in adapting to changes have allowed Espresso to keep up with the times. Espresso's technology is cutting-edge, supported by various devices, and optimized for lower data consumption, making Espresso's games appealing yet lightweight and easily accessible, especially on smartphones.
Espresso Games' watchword is "Everyone, Everywhere." In seeking to capture the trend and the need of new generations to be part of a community, Espresso Games has created a series of Social Slots characterized by three elements: sharing a common goal, competition between players, and overcoming the human-machine relationship in favor of the human-human relationship.
The company has an extensive and impressive games portfolio, what three games would you choose to highlight what Espresso Games is all about?
I believe that the first 3 slots that fully represent Espresso Games are:
- "Lupin III - Casino Heist," inspired by the famous and beloved manga series, focusing on the character Lupin III. This slot is the result of a co-production with SISAL, our premium partner in Italy. The slot is playable exclusively on Sisal.it, and I highly recommend it for its straightforward math and its 3 Bonuses: Lupin Bonus Great Escape, Jigen Bonus Gunshot, and Goemon Wild Slash Bonus.
- "Angel or Joker" for an immersion into the world of diamonds and desire. This slot was born from a co-branding project with Fashion TVGG, and we noticed that it's loved by both men and women. Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, and the Angel or Joker Bonuses leave players speechless and can yield substantial winnings. This slot is renowned as it's consistently showcased during international luxury events organized by Fashion TVGG and shared across all their social channels.
- "Apple Temptation" is a captivating slot, especially if lucky enough to trigger the TAO Bonus where players can enjoy frequent Apple Re-spins and 5 special prizes. I'm sure players won't want to leave the game.
Are there any unique bonus features or mechanics that Espresso Games has developed?
One of the latest additional features created by Espresso is the Cash Pocket, an innovative bonus feature created by Espresso Games that can be activated or not by players during regular gameplay. The Cash Pocket Feature allows players to gamble their accumulated wins.
Espresso Games is also the inventor of two alternative jackpot engines: Racepot® and Reelpot®. They are patented engines and award players shared prize pools based on wins and not on bets. Since the prize is calculated in the RTP, the casino won’t have to accumulate money to pay the winner: the Racepot will be calculated and delivered directly by the system. These systems are very popular among our clients because the operators' advantages are many, as well as our 4 sister Race slots that allow the operator to create races and decide the length and the initial seed.
The Buy Bonus Feature, highly appreciated by players who want direct access to the heart of the slot, is also present in Espresso Games, even though it's not our creation. By paying an extra percentage of the bet, there's a higher mathematical chance of getting big wins. It's well known that the RTP is fully realized during bonuses, making it a great reason to pay more and have access to it.
What are your key markets at Espresso Games, and do you have plans to move into any new ones in the near future?
Our biggest markets are Italy, Colombia, and the Middle East, where Espresso Games is highly popular and appreciated.
In Italy, our games are continuously sought after by operators, platforms, and aggregators. Our special partnerships with some major Italian operators enable us to create the best-branded slots and games.
In Colombia, we were the first provider to integrate with the largest casino, Betplay, and our market share in Colombia has been high since 2018.
Looking ahead, we believe that the rest of Latin America will become one of our strongest markets as it is the only region where we currently see the opportunity to increase our global casino share.
What have been some of Espresso Games' stand-out moments in 2023?
2023 was a year full of partnerships and new successful creations that have marked significant milestones for Espresso Games. We have seen exponential growth in our market share both within existing networks and in new networks. This growth has allowed Espresso Games to acquire more technological skills, optimizing performance and further pushing our product to become increasingly attractive and competitive.
Can you give us a sneak peek of what 2024 and beyond look like for the company?
Future projects can only be partially disclosed; we enjoy surprising the market and writing significant milestones for Espresso Games.
I can hint that our focus is naturally on new market trends where player-machine and player-player interaction are gaining more prominence, and partially on analyzing new gaming behaviors for creating new slot models. All of this can be realized through the development of promotional tools that allow players to better understand our games and leverage the entertainment that Espresso offers to compete and interact with other players.
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