1. Brief history of the studio.
Neko Games was founded in 2019 out of Buenos Aires, Argentina by three B2C iGaming veterans who have run operations for multinational companies such as Jackpotjoy, Codere, PaddyPower and others.
The founders noticed there was a lack of games focused on Early Life players and decided to found Neko Games in order to target this blue ocean market segment. Neko´s mission is to design and develop casino games that target developing online gaming market, to turn regular customers into mature players, while keeping them engaged thereafter. As such, Neko’s mission statement is based on adding features to the games which will maximize the player value in the long term.
2. Tell us about your studio personality and style direction?
To target Early Life players, Neko decided to focus on designing and developing Bingo themed games, as Bingo mechanics are easy to understand! For example, the basic winning patterns are very simple: just complete one line, two lines or a full bingo ticket to win a prize.
Furthermore, Bingo is a globally known and socially accepted game. While in immature markets there is a negative preconception about gambling as an entertainment proposal, bingo is typically seen as a more friendly game, which facilitates the access to the Early Life player segment.
Finally, our games incorporate a second stage in its mechanics, which is the extra ball stage. Here, players can purchase additional balls for an extra price. The extra ball stage is full of features and excitement, allowing operators to maximize player value and lifetime values; always fun and engaging entertainment.
3. Why did you choose to seek funding from RNG Foundry?
So that we could start this new venture, we needed investment; but not just that, also support and distribution capabilities. RNG Foundry is not only an investment resource, but also a true iGaming accelerator which provides intelligent support for entrepreneurs which adds substantial value. While we could have raised funds via other sources, by partnering with RNG Foundry we got much more than financial support. We also received industry expertise, access to the centre of excellence and we are now part of global network of game studios working together to produce the best possible games.
4. How was the investment and subsequent onboarding process?
RNG is very flexible in terms of the investment structuring and adapted to our business plan needs. The investment was organized into milestones and always making sure we had enough funding not only to kick off, but more importantly to accelerate our growth. Given RNG’s specialization in iGaming, the onboarding process is a very well structured from an operational and technical perspective. The process has helped us meet the highest quality standards to minimize technical issues and maximize global distribution of our content.
5. What’s it like working with RNG foundry?
They're part of our team. We work together, they participate in all our calls, they help us grow and have our best interest in mind. It is a demanding organization with a strong focus on quality, RNG will make sure to take your company and team to the next level of success.
6. What have been or are your biggest challenges?
By bringing a new category of games into RNG’s portfolio (Bingo themed games), we had the challenge to adjust some of the processes to the specific mechanics of Video Bingo. Nonetheless, this was proof of RNG’s willingness to take things to the next level. We worked hard together to make sure the industry could better understand our games and their key competitive advantages. Our games have now been certified in the UK, Spain, Malta and Gibraltar; some of these jurisdictions had not accepted this new game category until then.
7. What are the main benefits to you by being part of RNG Foundry?
The key benefit is that you can focus on your core competencies, which are designing and developing the best games. On all other parts of the business, you will have a strong support of RNG, who make the process much easier for areas such as testing requirements, certifications and distribution needs for your studio.
8. What are your main goals for the studio going forward?
Our future goals are to continue to build our unique pipeline of new titles while increasing our distribution to key markets where Video Bingo will perform well. At the same time, we want to always be very attentive to the everchanging needs of our current markets, customers and technology.
9. What would you say is the biggest lesson you have learnt since being part of RNG Foundry?
The key lesson as entrepreneurs has been how key it is for a company to succeed quickly is to find the suitable partner that can add value to your business. If you want to think big and global, we learnt to be humble enough to understand that we cannot cover everything alone.
10. If you could give one bit of advice to a studio seeking funding from RNG Foundry, what would it be?
The iGaming industry develops in a global ultra-competitive market, with ever changing legal requirements but also technological challenges that need experts in every area paying attention to what is coming. With all this in mind, it becomes very difficult for a single organisation in a few locations to tackle and understand it all. We would strongly advise seeking a partner that can give you a broader spectrum of intelligence to keep you competitive along the way.
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