iGaming Business magazine iGB 112 Sept/Oct 2018 | Page 32

Casino & Games
TO BRAND
OR NOT
Jonas Strandman takes a fresh look at the branded versus in-house content debate
Jonas Strandman is a mathematician and
game production specialist and Yggdrasil’s
Head of Slots. He has been with the company
since its early days and has been behind
many of its greatest successes. Strandman is
now overseeing the slots product as a whole,
ensuring Yggdrasil slot titles stand apart from
the competition.
Some of the biggest brands in music, TV and film have been turned
into video slots in recent years. It’s easy to see why as these brands
have huge followings and suppliers see their deeply engaged
audiences as a perfect group to tap into and potentially acquire.
Of course, the brand brings with it a sense of familiarity and
trust that an in-house bespoke game won’t have initially, but simply
attaching a famous name or character to a slot won’t necessarily
make it a good game. You only need to look at a historical lis