Online casino and sports betting group LeoVegas has set its sights on becoming a game developer with the establishment of its in-house studio, Blue Guru Games.
The company revealed that it has created this new division to produce unique and innovative content. The first titles from the new studio are expected in late 2021.
Blue Guru Games was established through LeoVegas’ investment arm, LeoVenture, with the operator holding an 85% share in the new iGaming studio. The team assembled to staff the new venture boasts over two decades of combined industry experience.
The games the studio produces will be created exclusively for LeoVegas, its brands, and other operators. The company intends to develop and release 20 new games over the next 2 years.
The studio’s games will supplement the titles currently accessible via the lobbies of LeoVegas’ brands that include content supplied by over 60 leading online casino game providers.
The forthcoming proprietary content will give LeoVegas IP rights that will enable the company and its brands increased flexibility regarding how the games and their characters can be employed for better player retention.
Striking out
LeoVegas CEO Gustaf Hagman commented on the new development, saying that the company has featured exclusive games in its offering for some time now. This has been thanks to the efforts of external providers, but the brand feels that now is the ideal time to “take the step to do game development entirely on our own.”
Hagman further stated that the brand would be employing its collected data and online casino industry knowledge to innovate content that will engage and entertain its players.
He went on to say that the brand’s planned games portfolio will feature a wide range of content. from niche, local games for individual markets to titles intended for broader audiences. Further to this, the operator intends to use Blue Guru Games to create unique game characters that will play a part in its marketing initiatives to engender stronger loyalty for its brands.
The company intends to leverage this flexibility to gain a competitive advantage and ultimately generate new revenue streams.
LeoVegas has been busy over the past few months. In late 2020, the operator launched its Pink Casino brand in Canada, its first market excursion since it launched in the UK.
March saw the company establish itself as the first iGaming operator to pass an extensive approval procedure to launch its online casino app with Google Play. In the same month, the company bolstered its foothold in the Nordic region when it acquired Expekt Nordics, a pioneer in gambling services provision for the region.
