There is an endless stream of new game launches all claiming to be bold and "out of the box." However, industry pioneer Play'GO has always thought differently. CEO and co-founder Johan Törnqvist charts the rise of Play'n GO from its inception in 2005 to the present day, and explains how "The Box" is so far removed from its game development that it's just a dot on the horizon.

 

The beginning of the Play’n GO journey

Although Play'n GO now has a massive portfolio of over 280 online games, building it from the ground up over the past 15 years has required a lot of effort. From finding a strong team that believes in the ethos of bringing entertainment into the spotlight, to understanding players' needs and desires, Play'n GO has been on a rollercoaster ride.

 

Fortunately, for fans of popular titles like Wild Falls 2, Reactoonz, and the Book of Dead series, the roller coaster ride has been a successful one.

 

“Our games deliver results for our partners year after year, and players keep coming back because they love the experience,” explains CEO Johan Törnqvist.

 

"It's no coincidence that Book of the Dead is loved by more people than ever a few years after its release. If your fundamentals are correct and you consistently exceed expectations, players will appreciate it," says Törnqvist.

 

History of Play’n GO

Back in the mid-2000s, Play'n GO was one of the first vendors to try and bring games to mobile devices, giving itself a "bump" ahead of the competition. However, with this intuitive idea came a steeper learning curve for the business, as the adoption rate of mobile slots was much lower than traditional table games at the time.

 

"In our early days, we decided to focus on the mobile channel, building many of the game industry's first mobile-first titles," recalls Törnqvist. “It was obviously a smart decision when you think about it now, but we made it before the iPhone was released, when the vast majority of casino games were played on the table.

 

"It was a bold move that paid off, but at the time, the choice wasn't as easy as it seems today. However, it helped us develop many future games and was a key learning curve for us as a business."

 

The mobile-versus-desktop war isn't the only battle businesses have to face. He went on to say that casino games are "often low-quality" and "designed to be a transaction rather than an actual pleasure for players." This goes against the core philosophy of Play'n GO, but presents a great opportunity for businesses to differentiate themselves from the competition.

 

"Nobody thinks that these games actually need to be entertaining," Törnqvist said. "It gave us the chance to focus on our craft and establish ourselves as the studio behind some of the most popular casino entertainment games in the world."

 

If you visit Play'n GO's website, you're likely to see a cascade of colors and animations that perfectly sums up the company's branding: it's a feast for the eyes.

 

Having such a big and bold branding means Play'n GO is highly recognizable, which makes it stand out from many of its competitors. As Törnqvist emphasizes, branding is everything, especially in such a competitive market. Play'n GO wants to be a market-leading brand, however, bringing its core values and ethics to the forefront, not its revenue stream.

 

"The brand reflects who we are," he said. "Everything stems from these core values, whether it's trust, dynamism or quality. Staying true to our principles has helped us grow to the team of over 700 people we are today.

 

“We’ve always believed that actions speak louder than words. When something doesn’t align with our beliefs or where we think our industry should go, we act. It’s served us well for nearly 20 years and we don’t now will change."