Elevating game engagement: Kai Botha discusses Kalamba Games' innovative strategies
Kalamba Games, renowned for its pioneering approach in the gaming industry, continues to set benchmarks with its inventive promotional tools and strategic focus on regulated markets. Slotegrator spoke with Commercial Director Kai Botha to delve into the company's latest initiatives and plans for the future.
SLOTEGRATOR: Which promotional tools do you find most impactful in promoting games?
KAI BOTHA: Kash Drops is currently our most effective tool in both promoting new games and creating uplift in existing games’ bets/GGR. In fact, on average we see a 300% - 1,000% uplift in bets when a Kash Drops campaign is live. With portfolio games, the uplift is even higher, at 5,000 to 10,000% uplift in bets on average. In addition to this, because our cash drops tool is completely self-funded and managed in-house, it makes it very easy to set up campaigns. Kash Drops does not require any API integration, meaning as long as the operator has games live with Kalamba, we can run a Kash Drops campaign.
S: What markets does your company prioritize?
KB: Currently, we’re giving special attention to regulated markets such as Malta, Sweden, Italy, and the Netherlands, but obviously the industry is ever-changing, so we’re always evaluating whether we need to adapt!
S: Can you provide a brief overview of the upcoming releases planned for 2024?
KB: We typically release 8-10 games per quarter, with at least one of these games being classified as ‘Premium’, meaning that the game is created from scratch with its own unique math model. For the first half of 2024, we are releasing 19 new games, with a further 18 games scheduled for the 2nd half of 2024, bringing the total 2024 releases to approximately 37.
S: Crash games or reskin games? Which is a leader?
KB: Reskin games are strong performers for us, and it makes great sense to do so on both a commercial and experiential level. They are of course quicker to produce, but not only that, we’re also leveraging previously successful game mechanics that we already know players love, so it’s a win all round. In fact, our best performing game of 2023 was a reskin title.
S: How do you determine the criteria for selecting B2B partners to collaborate with?
KB: It depends on what we’re collaborating on, but we generally look for partners that want to grow with us and try new things, such as experimenting with different types of promotions, etc. I guess I can say that the operator’s willingness to work with us as partners is more important to Kalamba than, say, their size.
S: What are the distinctive advantages that set your company apart from competitors?
KB: Innovation has always been a core philosophy at Kalamba — developing cutting-edge products such as BullsEye, our RGS, and self-funded promotional tools like Kash Drops has always been at the heart of what we do. We definitely feel we’re becoming more than a games studio and we’re morphing into a technology provider and collaborator that can work with a wide range of partners on many levels, so it’s an exciting time!
S: Could you share some insights on your partnership with Slotegrator?
KB: We are very fortunate to have a strong partnership with Slotegrator. Any partner that is willing to adapt and grow the partnership is very valued, and Slotegrator is no exception here. We look forward to many more years of productive and fruitful partnership with such a valued client.
