iSoftBet…Meet The Maker
For this first episode of Meet the Maker we had the pleasure of interviewing Lee McCreery from iSoftBet. Lee took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some of our serious and not so serious questions. Should you not know who iSoftBet is, shame on you! Or did you just not notice the genius behind slot games like Booster, Joker Stacks, Platoon™, 24™, Rambo™ and The Love Guru™? If all these tasty games made you hungry for more, iSoftBet has a whole Game Aggregation Platform on their menu. But enough with all the talk about iSoftBet, let’s hear it from one of the creative minds themselves.
Interview with Game Development Analyst Lee McCreery
Q: How many people work at iSoftBet and what is it like working in the heart of London?
We have a total of 140 employees, with around 40 working in London and 100 in our offices in Timisoara, Romania. It’s great being in central London as it’s a very creative city – we’re based centrally in Southwark so have lots of options for lunch breaks and, more importantly, after-work refreshments! Plus we are within walking distance of many world-famous sights, which can’t be a bad thing.
Q: When you have new people joining your company, is there one thing in particular you are looking for or is there a certain ritual your newcomers have to go through?
We are mainly looking for enthusiastic team members, with a passion for the industry and a desire to help us grow and move forward successfully. We would not pinpoint one thing in particular but a good knowledge of the land-based and online gaming markets and some exciting ideas would both be high on our list. Initiation is likely to include a game of ‘Killer’ at the pool hall – and possibly a trip to Romania, which I can assure you is better in summer than winter! Oh, and an ability to make a good cup of tea is always helpful.
Q: You have a large and very good selection of branded games. How do you manage to extract the spirit of a great movie like The Warriors into a game?
You’re right, The Warriors is a great movie – the Tomatometer never lies! (89% since you asked). Our branded titles are great fun to produce and starting out with a well-known theme is a big plus, allowing our creative juices to flow. We want players to instantly connect with our branded content and we have some very diverse and exciting features across these games.
It always helps if we can find a producer who knows and likes the brands we are using. If not, we lock them in a room with the DVD and don’t let them out until they have watched it at least five times. The guy that produced Platoon is still suffering from PTSD.
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Q: How happy was your team when you announced that you are making a slot for Nacho Libre?
For some reason, the Scandinavian members of our team were particularly enthusiastic about that one – must be their sense of humour! The movie had a bit of a cult following and we could probably say the same about the slot. We think we did it justice – all the characters exist as stacked symbols, so it looks great, and it’s certainly fun to play.
Q: Your portfolio contains an outstanding variety of games. Where do you find the inspiration for the next casino game and how do you manage to always come up with a new theme?
We have a dedicated Games Team who are constantly researching the latest games and bouncing new ideas around. Everyone has their own input and it’s a real team effort, which also helps in coming up with many different themes. We have a good history with classic style slots, so we still make those – but recent releases also include unique themes, such as Beetle Jewels and Forest Mania.
Q: How does it feel to be a Maker, watch other people play your games and enjoy the fruit of your labour?
The production process – from concept to final approval – can be quite challenging so there’s always a real buzz in the office when we release a new game. Nothing gives us more pleasure than to see all our hard work available in the casinos and know that people are playing the game for real. And of course, we always take the chance to try them out with our own cash – with lots of healthy competition among the team to see who can win the most.
Q: Via your Facebook page, you have teased us with a cool summer party t-shirt. How was the summer party and how well did the t-shirts perform?
Our second annual summer party took place in scorching September heat in “Timi” – set to be European Capital of Culture in 2021. We had an all-day pool party followed by a very civilised evening of cocktails and conversation – at least that’s the story we’re sticking to!
The t-shirts were a big hit, with classic slogans such as: “I’m the Managing Director, so let’s just assume I’m the smartest guy here”. He’s actually still wearing it … but we still don’t assume it.
Q: You had your first exhibit at the iGaming Super Show in Amsterdam. Looking back, what was your experience of the event and are you looking forward to more exhibitions?
The big exhibitions and conferences are hugely valuable to iSoftBet, giving us a chance to show off our products and meet with our customers. The Super Show in Amsterdam was another great networking event and we managed to get the ball rolling on some exciting new opportunities.
We also exhibited at EiG (Berlin), MGS (Macau) and Sigma (Malta) in November – and plans are already in full swing for ICE 2018 in London next February.
Q: On your website we find under every category a person next to the quote: “We love talking about our online games, so let’s talk”. What is the main message about iSoftBet that you want to communicate to your players?
Our main objective is to entertain players, we want them to enjoy the experience on our games and have confidence in the quality and variety of our brand. We also offer an extensive Game Aggregation Platform, where we supply operators with hundreds of multi-provider games in one seamless integration. It is vital to us that we offer both great products and a great service to our customers and their players. Our motto – “Simply Play” – sums us up nicely.
Q: If iSoftBet had to save the world from a galactic overlord, how would you do it?
We would make them play our Paranormal Activity slot – which would scare them so much, they would surely abandon their evil plans. Failing that, maybe a few pints of London Pride would make them see the error of their ways – although I suppose that could easily make things worse!
There you have it. If you ever wondered what to do during an Alien invasion, iSoftBet and CasinoEuro have got you covered. A few spins on Paranormal Activity combined with a well fuelled pub crawl will save the day. If you fancy some practice, why not hit the button below?
