Q&A with Habanero: a real international success

Habanero was among the first providers to enter our free slots online catalog and even today their slot machines are among the most played by our users. For this reason we contacted Vera Motto, Business Development Executive at Habanero for more than two years now, to have a chat and get to know this developer more closely.

Habanero is a software house with more than ten years of activity and their catalog includes slot games, table games and video poker for more than 100 games. They have business in 16 different markets, from Europe to Asia, but not only. Habanero recently signed an important agreement with Betway Africa, ensuring the distribution of its games also on this continent. Furthermore, the Latin American market also presents many development opportunities for this operator.

With Vera we talked about the international success of Habanero, the reasons that led them to this international expansion but we also asked for some previews and news!

Hi Vera! How would you describe your mission? Do you have a particular philosophy when producing your games?

Our mission is to offer the best product and service to our operators by catering to both slot and table games fans, and we believe that the core of a great product always comes down to the mathematics and the gameplay.

We focus on producing roughly one new release a month with help from a workforce that is dedicated to delivering the very best user experience, ensuring that the maths being utilized is original, and that the graphics and sounds are pitch perfect.

At the moment you have business in Europe and recently you reinforced your position also in Africa with an important deal with Betway Africa. What are the biggest differences you notice on such heterogeneous markets at the marketing level?

At Habanero, experience showed us that a truly great game can be popular wherever it is played, regardless of the unique cultures on show in different regions across the globe. Take our timeless hit Scopa for example – it was loved by everyone in Italy when it launched in 2020 because it represented the classic, timeless card game that Italians know and love.

That said, we did not expect it to explode like it did, with everyone outside of Italy in the global markets loving the game as it provided a deep dive on the culture of one of the world’s most interesting countries and iconic tourist destinations.

As I said, it’s not about localised marketing, but more about creating experiences that every player around the world can recognise and enjoy, providing them with a true taste of the wonderful world of Habanero.

In terms of content, have you noticed any differences between one market and another? Do you think there are particular differences in what LatAm and European players prefer for example?

In LatAm, the heritage of land-based casino is even stronger than in Europe, so for the time being, classic games and table games are more popular in LatAm than Europe since they represent the land-based heritage players know so well.

In most of Europe, more mature markets require that the RTP of Casino products is higher than in LatAm. However, this does not imply that LatAm players are used to the RTP being lower, rather it shows that they are more accustomed to a land-based level of payout. LatAm audiences are therefore more used to products that feel different and are therefore less demanding of the RTP being higher.

What do you think has been the key to your international success?

The key is the fact that we like to keep things simple – from product to business model to our internal team – it’s all about being as dedicated and efficient as possible without making things unnecessarily complicated. Everything we do is streamlined to give our partners the best product and service.

Our titles feature strong, innovative mathematics, rich graphics, and truly immersive storylines. All of this, merged with an intuitive UI, enables us to provide bespoke adventures to our players that shows them the best of what we offer. The dedication we put into delivering the best gameplay experiences on the market really shines through in everything that we do.

What are the most innovative slots in your catalogue so far?

We pay a lot of attention to tradition in our development and research practices since we believe a successful game is all about striking a careful balance between innovation and tradition.

Of course, we like to introduce innovative new games for new audiences since they are filled with droves of the next generation of player. A product like Orbs of Atlantis, which has been shortlisted for an SBC Award, is a great example of this, showing that it’s all about taking something traditional and offering a new innovative twist.

Hot Hot Fruit is one of my favourites if I had to choose, as it showcases our great maths models and the thought that goes into developing popular products, without the need to introducegraphics or other elements that extremely differ from a slot . At Habanero, it’s all about taking from what works and staying true to the core disciplines of a slots game, offering an exciting new twist to proven ideas.

How do you imagine the future of slot machine games? And what new technologies do you think will shape the iGaming panorama?

For me, gamification is going to see the biggest expansion in the coming years, and inspiration from video games will be important here. We don’t believe that the next ten years will be purely about innovation since it will not be able to sustain itself – rather it will be all about building on the existing tenets of slots that everyone has grown to love and offering a fresh version of the same. After all if the maths, gameplay and immersive experience is on point, what’s not to love?

Technology also offers plenty of opportunities which we already see reflected in the momentum gamification has grown in the industry. This influenced our recent launch of our revamped tournament and gamification widget “Up”, which is sure to go down a treat with our partners and players.

Do you have any interesting news for our readers? Maybe about new special releases for Christmas?

We’ve got some great news lined up for the festive period! Habanero is about to launch another release in the coming weeks, and in addition to this, we will also be adding to our world-famous collection of festive-themed slots!

Our holiday-themed slots have proven really popular all year round globally, so we’re excited to add a new one into mix. This time is going to be about New Year’s Eve, stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for news of the launch. It’s going to a party to remember!