"We don't see challenges per se, but opportunities everywhere we look"

Vera Motto, who has previously held commercial roles at Habanero and Espresso Games, has recently been appointed as the new Sales Manager Southern Europe and LATAM for global gaming content provider Play'n GO. Her official debut in the new position was at GAT Expo Cartagena earlier this month, and after her participation there Yogonet has interviewed Motto to further learn about her goals at this stage of her career. "There aren't many suppliers whose titles can keep delivering years after initial launch, that's the power of Play'n GO," she says.

Could you tell us about what markets you will be covering, and the wider commercial team at Play'n GO? 

My new remit covers the dynamic LATAM marketplace in addition to Southern Europe. It's a big region to cover for sure, but Play'n GO is in an envious position comparatively in that we already have base commercial agreements in place with a majority of operators in key European markets. 

Latin America is one of the most exciting regions in the world at the moment for Play'n GO. The speed of change in the creation of newly regulated markets is impressive, and there are still some major markets like Brazil to bring into the fold too. Thanks go to my predecessors at Play'n GO because we're already in a good position in many countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and others. But of course, there is always room to do better and I'm looking forward to working closely with our operators to help them achieve their business objectives using our unmatched portfolio of content. 

The commercial team at Play'n GO is a really strong group driven by a shared purpose and company mission – to be the best gaming entertainment supplier there is. 

Most companies have a mission or vision statement that is similar to ours, of course, but the critical difference that I've seen in my short time with Play'n GO is that this really does guide everything the company believes, and how it behaves. 

Entertainment – it's right there in the mission. Play'n GO wants to make games that are fun , games that players come back to and that's why we've got the most entertaining portfolio in the industry.  

Play'n GO has a busy roadmap of new game launches and an envious number of agreements with operators. What challenges lie ahead for the company? What have you been tasked to achieve? 

It's true that it's an exciting time for the business. We started the year off with a bang, with titles like Gigantoonz and 15 Crystal Roses A Tale of Love becoming instant classics and performing exceptionally well in regulated markets everywhere. I was personally quite excited too to see how well Raging Rex 2 is doing lately, and have really enjoyed the renaissance of Rise of Olympus too. 

Rise of Olympus is a fascinating case study that shows just how strong Play'n GO's content portfolio really is. That title was originally released a few years ago and has done very well, practically in every market, since launch. 

But Play'n GO titles are never just a short flirtation; players form bonds and deep love affairs with our titles and Rise of Olympus is a case in point. With a little bit of focus placed on that title, we're seeing sustained growth in all metrics and markets. There aren't many suppliers whose titles can keep delivering years after initial launch – that's the power of Play'n GO. 

We don't see challenges per se, but opportunities everywhere we look. 

Many of the markets in LATAM in particular are young, vibrant and thriving. Those markets have a lot of room to grow, especially in the regulated space, and we think that we have the content to help operators improve their player engagement and retention. I'm certain that whoever gets retention 'right' over the new couple of years will be the winners in the long run, and that requires a hyper-focused strategy on working with content suppliers that provide value over the longer term. 

Our strategy is quite simple. We want to make fun and entertaining, high-quality games, and we want to work as true partners with our operators to help them achieve their business goals. 

Now that the calendar of face-to-face events is going back to normal, what will be your tradeshow strategy as part of Play'n GO team in your role and what are you most looking forward to? 

Although my time at Play'n GO has been short I've already been lucky enough to attend GAT in Colombia. It was a pleasure to be back to face-to-face events. Sometimes you don't realise fully what you've been missing until you're back among industry friends and colleagues. 

We will need to wait and see what the global situation is of course, but I'm looking forward to attending key shows across LATAM and Southern Europe to talk about what Play'n GO brings to the table. 

From my perspective that driving ethos of focusing on high-quality, entertaining content that can stand the test of time and create the same buzz beyond its initial release, above everything else, is what has put Play'n GO at the top of our industry.

I'm very excited to join Play'n GO and help operators to achieve their business targets.