“ We are working on a 45-point predictive performance model . We ’ re trying to understand how a game could perform in the field as we ’ re developing it , before we ’ re releasing it , to plan our product roadmap . Agility really helps us understand and fine-tune our predictive instincts .”
— Mike Brennan , Chief Product Officer , Bluberi
These U . S . and Canadian teams working in concert was the reason Bluberi landed awards for Top Performing Game from an Emerging Supplier for its Devil ’ s Lock game and Most Improved Supplier at this year ’ s EKG Awards . And while it may have been perceived as overnight success by some , the fact that Devil ’ s Lock and other Bluberi games have consistently performed above house average and land in the Eilers top 10 performing slots repeatedly is no fluke . It is , rather , the result of a meticulous , multi-phased growth plan that executives predict will catapult Bluberi into the top echelon of slot suppliers .
The Five-Act Play
Burke and Brennan describe the ongoing Bluberi story as a “ five-act play .” And don ’ t leave yet ; we ’ re only in Act Three .
The first act was the history of quality and earnings of the original Canadian business . “ The business was started in Drummondville , Quebec ( in 1994 ) with an eye to being a technology-focused , game-focused studio ,” Burke says . “ And they attracted a fanatical group of folks that were really dedicated to the best quality , and to pushing the edge at the time on technology , particularly on the Class II side of the business .”
According to Burke , Bluberi was one of the original Class II suppliers in the Canadian market , and had established several hit games by the early 2000s . Ultimately , that led to the distribution deal with AGS .
The core of the Drummondville team is still at the company . “ Their loyalty and determination have bred this recent success ,” says Burke . “ They were starting their careers in that time , and cutting their teeth and learning a lot of really great things in those early days . But what it has done to the nucleus of this business was to establish a culture that is really focused on developing 100 percent player-focused fun games and being creative .
“ Creativity within confines sometimes breeds next-level thinking , and , that ’ s really how the team started . And a couple of years later they really started to dive into Class III .”
When Burke arrived , the company was seeking to recover from missteps that had led Bluberi to declare bankruptcy . In addition to gathering talent , Burke oversaw the launch of new game development studios . A second Drummondville studio was added to the original studio , and a new studio was established in Reno . This year , a fourth studio was established in Moncton , New Brunswick .
The team complete , Bluberi established its first mega-hit with Devil ’ s Lock , a unique game on the Novus Series b49 cabinet featuring a cash-on-reels bonus and several mystery events hosted by the game ’ s devil character , which is rapidly becoming a signature character for Bluberi itself .
The die for Bluberi has been cast , and what Burke now calls Act Two , “ The Turnaround ,” is complete . Now it ’ s time for Act Three , “ The Growth .”
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