Interviews
Exclusive Q&A with Ivan Lebeau, Founder and President of Gamestream
Ivan Lebeau is a gnawed veteran in the gaming industry, having worked for over 25 years in video games and technology development. Ivan founded Gamestream in 2015 with an ambition to create the most advanced global cloud video game solution for professional industries. t
Here he talks about Gamestream and what it offers. Perhaps, the most illuminating things in the interview are two-fold. First, Gamestop’s rare business model of B2B2C in the gaming industry. Second, its proprietary technology that allows seamless game streaming at internet speeds as low as 4mbps.
He also explains Gamestream’s “magic recipe” of technology. Let’s jump straight to the interview.
Q. We usually begin our founder interviews with a stock question. Here it is: What motivated you to found Gamestream?
A. My key motivation in founding Gamestream was to democratise the joys of video game experiences. I see this as making console-quality gaming available for everyone, anywhere, at any time. Gamestream’s proprietary cloud gaming technology can thrive with relatively low internet speeds, meaning it has great applications in developing countries where expensive gaming hardware and connections aren’t always realistic.
Another strong motivation is to bring video games to the hospitality and healthcare fields. Inspired by the game Re-Mission, which has been shown to help young people navigate their cancer diagnoses and treatments, we at Gamestream firmly believe in the healing power of video games. As such, we work closely with partners such as BePlayer One, which aims to make gaming more inclusive for disabled people, and L’École des Héros, which helps teenagers overcome social anxiety through games. The Gamestream platform is also compatible with the main gamepad adapted for disabled people.
Q. What is the business model of Gamestream?
A. Gamestream is a world leader in cloud video game streaming solutions that provides console-quality gaming experiences on the devices that most people already own, including smartphones (iOS and Android), TV (OTT and Smart TV), PC, Mac and tablets.
We offer our partners a complete end-to-end cloud gaming service. While they are in charge of marketing, billing and hosting, Gamestream supplies our technology, our own highly cost-effective servers, and premium content – AA and AAA titles provided by leading video games publishers – as well as sophisticated data reporting. We help our partners reduce customer churn and increase average revenue per user by enhancing their market position and entertainment hubs.
Following the proven business models of Spotify and Netflix, Gamestream’s partners offer this cloud gaming service to their customers through an affordable multi-device subscription (usually approximately $10 per month). Our customers revert a percentage of this monthly revenue to Gamestream, which we in turn distribute a proportion of amongst the games publishers that populate our catalogue. Aside from this revenue share model, we also receive a non-recurring fee from our telecom partners to adapt, integrate and maintain our service on their network.
Gamestream’s service has been deployed under both white-labelled brands across Europe, the Middle East and Asia through partners in telecoms and hospitality. Examples of this include Telekom Slovenije’s NEO Gaming and Telkom Indonesia’s GameQoo. Customers can also choose to use our consumer brand, Pleio. With Pleio we offer the same proprietary tech and gaming experiences, but under a Gamestream brand which means we take on the community management of our customers’ users who sign up to the service. Bouygues Telecom, one of the largest telcos in France, has been using Pleio since its successful launch in late 2020.
Q. How is Gamestream different from other cloud gaming services e.g. XBOX Game Pass?
A. Unlike many other cloud gaming services which still rely on specialised gaming hardware or purchasing games individually, Gamestream offers console-quality experiences that are entirely cloud based. There are no additional downloads or purchases for our users, and no advertising. Our service is also available on the six main types of device – more than any other operator in the market.
We are one of only two companies in the cloud gaming space that provide a cloud platform with a games catalogue on a B2B2C basis. This means that we typically do not have a direct relationship with the end user – they tend to be customers of our industry partners.
Gamestream’s proprietary technology allows us to offer amazing gaming experiences using internet speeds as low as 4mbps – compared to the 10-15Mbps recommended by other cloud gaming platforms. Unlike other cloud gaming services, we reduce the burden of extra bandwidth usage on telcos by closely integrating with their server infrastructure. By integrating our servers in clients’ data centres, we can offer a much more cost-effective and profitable solution than other providers. It also means our service performs excellently in markets with less developed network infrastructure – but imagine also the incredible experiences we will be able to achieve with 4K, VR and AR as the 5G rollout gathers pace!
Q. In what ways do game publishers benefit from associating with the Gamestream platform?
A. Gamestream currently licenses games from more than 60 publishers including Disney, Capcom, Deep Silver, Codemasters, Focus Home Interactive and many others.
First of all, we provide a welcome additional income stream for them, with both brand new and popular legacy games being a good fit for our catalogue. We make this incredibly simple by porting a single version of their games onto our service and allowing users to play it on TV, Android & iOS Smartphones, PC, Mac, and Smart TV.
In addition, we open up exciting new markets for them. This includes emerging economies in Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe – and soon India – as well as hospitality (starting with hotels, which is a brand new stream of revenue for games publishers).
Q. You have formed partnerships with several telecom operators. How important are these partnerships for Gamestream’s growth?
A. We started our white label deployments in 2019 with major telecom operators in Indonesia and Dubai, then in Taiwan, Europe (2020) and very soon in India.
These partnerships are a key part of our growth, providing ready-made access to millions of potential subscribers and existing marketing and billing infrastructure operated by the telcos themselves. The reach of our service will hit 80m potential users by the end of 2021 and 400m by the end of 2022 – how else could we reach so many potential subscribers so rapidly?
Secondly, launching in these markets helps us to better understand the local gaming trends. We add local games to our catalogue, and have a growing expertise on local usages as well as the best marketing strategies for user acquisition.
This global understanding of markets and user bases is allowing us to launch dedicated cloud services for video games publishers themselves. High-quality content is vital to creating successful cloud gaming services – so who better to launch them than the content creators themselves? Using Gamestream’s technology, developers can offer demos of their games in the cloud, or even start their own cloud gaming service to become media brands in their own right.
Q. Gamestream also caters to the hospitality industry, for instance hotels and cruise ships. How has the response of the hospitality industry been, especially during and the aftermath of Covid 19 pandemic?
A. Much of the hospitality industry has of course been negatively impacted by the Covid-19. However, with the wider growth in gaming we have seen throughout the pandemic, it has become even more pressing for hospitality providers to find ways to integrate gaming into their offer to customers.
We have a number of growing partnerships with innovative brands such as Accor, which requested that their cloud gaming services be reactivated immediately after reopening, and expect to cultivate more throughout 2021.
Q. What are the benefits and advantages a business – a hotel, hospital or a cruise ship – can gain from Gamestream?
A. Innovation is a key topic in the hospitality and tourism industries to recover from the global pandemic. We travel to escape, to socialise, to boost our wellbeing. Increasingly, people and families do this via the medium of games. Likewise, encouraging millennials and Gen X to choose a hotel or resort over an AirBnB means catering directly to them.
We’ve already seen brands such as Atari plan gaming-theme hotels. While it isn’t possible for most hospitality companies to tear up their business model and start again, it is very simple to integrate a world class cloud gaming offering for their customers. The upshot is retaining customers and attracting new ones, as well as boosting spend in communal areas.
At Gamestream we can do this for our global customers via data centres or local installation, meaning it’s possible for them to offer a cloud gaming service even without fibre optic broadband. We can integrate the service directly with Samsung, Phillips and a large selection of Android Smart TVs, or via a discreet plug-in where TVs have not recently been upgraded. As with telcos, there is no capital expenditure on the part of the hospitality brand.
As well as in-room we have seen great demand in communal areas such as lobbies and kids’ play areas. Our service is likewise perfect for resorts, holiday camps, cruise ships, ski areas – the list is limitless. We are also exploring how our service can be used to provide esports experiences in shared spaces.
Q. In which countries do you operate now? Any immediate plans of expansion?
A. Our cloud gaming service is available on three continents already. From France and Switzerland to Taiwan, Slovenia, Indonesia, the UAE and soon India, people are enjoying unlimited access to our catalogue.
In terms of expansion, we have tripled our revenue over the past year and are on our way to doubling the size of the organisation this year. We expect to continue growing our global customer base in telecoms, hospitality and healthcare – our cloud gaming service can be deployed rapidly in any territory!
Cloud gaming is the best use case for 5G, and you can expect to see us grow particularly in Asia and the Middle East where 5G is rolling out. According to Newzoo, the value of the cloud gaming market is on track to exceed the five-billion-dollar mark in 2023, demonstrating the sheer scale of opportunity available.
Q. Finally, could you share some insights into the technology on which Gamestream platform is built?
A. Gamestream’s magic recipe is a combination of tried and tested, industry-grade technology with a seamless modern interface, leading games catalogue and multi-device strategy.
What enables us to provide such a high-quality experience even on relatively slow connections is our ability to compress and scale graphics using a video compression standard called H265. We also go into the very code of the games in our catalogue to define the processing power they need and are incredibly agile at distributing server load. In essence, we use cloud technology to inject the processing power of the most powerful computers into the ordinary, everyday devices that people own.
Powered by WPeMatico
3 Oaks Gaming is beginning to establish itself across regulated European markets, but now it has a focus on gaining a footprint in the rapidly evolving Latin American region.
We spoke to 3 Oaks Gaming’s Account Manager LatAm, Henrique De Simoni, about the distributor’s plans for LatAm and the overall appeal of the region.
3 Oaks has recently signed multiple deals in LatAm. How did those deals come about and are there plans for any more partnerships in those territories?
It is fantastic to sign a range of deals across LatAm, initially in Colombia and Mexico before sealing a number of agreements in Brazil. Colombia, in particular, is now a mature jurisdiction and entering the market there first ahead of other regulated territories was something that we felt was a sensible move for us.
Luckia and BetPlay are two of Colombia’s foremost operators, with a huge network of suppliers under their remit. To sign deals with those two giants undoubtedly bolsters our reputation within the region.
We also have Bet7K and F12.bet with our portfolio in Brazil and many more operators that are almost ready to go live in the next semester.
Overall, we have connected with multiple casino platform providers, such as Vibra Solutions, Alea, Hub88 and Salsa Technology, extending the reach of our content across the continent and we are excited at what the future holds for us with these partnerships.
Why were Colombia and Mexico first on 3 Oaks’ list when entering LatAm?
Colombia and Mexico emerged as the top choices for several compelling reasons. Firstly, both countries exhibit substantial market potential, with burgeoning populations eager for new and exciting gaming experiences. Additionally, the regulatory landscapes in Colombia and Mexico have been evolving positively, offering conducive environments for the expansion of the gaming industry. This regulatory stability provides a solid foundation upon which we can build our operations and establish long-term success.
Despite Colombia’s rapid maturity within the gaming sector, our thorough analysis identified continued high potential for growth. By securing certification for our games in Colombia, we’ve positioned ourselves to capitalise on the evolving landscape and seize lucrative business opportunities.
Mexico is now the second market in terms of volume, internet betting traffic and great demographic numbers related to gambling in LatAm. This opportunity of offering casino games for Spanish speaking countries that adores sports is something that challenges us and makes the industry more competitive in terms of generating the best premium slots.
What other LatAm regions are 3 Oaks targeting over the next 12 months?
With some provinces in Argentina already regulated, such as the capital Buenos Aires, this is a key market for us as we look to expand across the continent. Argentina has shown substantial numbers in the iGaming market and can easily become the third largest country in terms of GGR.
However, we are also looking at other regions in LatAm as we try and finalise further partnerships here so watch this space as our journey continues!
With Brazil on the cusp of regulation, how do you think the space will pan out over the next 12 months and what plans does 3 Oaks have for the region?
It’s no secret that Brazil has been our number one target and we are thrilled to be live in the jurisdiction through a number of agreements already. Certain analysts predict that the market is expected to be worth over US$3 billion by 2028, which is an astonishing prediction, but also an incredibly exciting one.
We will see an increase of mature companies trying to expand in Brazil and can expect to reach the biggest operators with our approach and outstanding customer experience. We have premium slots, a team that believes in the market and everything to make our brand visible for our Brazilian customers.
These numbers ensure Brazil will be the jewel in Latin America’s crown once it fully regulates, and thanks to the deals we have in place, we feel we are well positioned for future growth when regulation finally kicks in.
Would you tell us about the idea behind the Xprizo fintech platform?
It’s a story that started several years ago when the founder was conducting business on the ground in several emerging markets. Xprizo was founded to respond to the needs of emerging market consumers and merchants, whilst also addressing the limitations of Western banking systems.
This full-service payments platform combines all functionality needed by merchants, with a product tailored to unbanked consumers, bringing this market together in one, seamless ecosystem. What’s more, we drive adoption and consumer education through a network of agents, supporting cash deposit and withdrawal in a way that our target audience is accustomed to.
Xprizo’s mission statement is to ‘revolutionise the future of fintech’. What gaps in the market is Xprizo working to find solutions for and improve in the fintech space?
We are primarily targeting countries which have substantially large communities which are under served when it comes to fintech or banking. Therefore, we are operating in a challenging environment where we truly believe we can have a life changing impact connecting these people to several national and international services. We are delivering a comprehensive financial service where our clients are usually just served with either mobile money or cash and with the introduction of Xprizo our customers can benefit from p2p payments, card processing and full integration to the local mobile money ecosystem, debit cards, crypto and much much more.
How was the development process in building the platform? Were there particular challenges along the way and how long did it take to get the platform ready for market?
We wanted to build the platform from the ground up using local knowledge and tenants so we are working with people coming from Africa, India, Southeast Asia and also Latin America. To arrive at where we are it took several years actually and it is always developing. Having said that in the last 12 months the platform and the wallet took the shape it has today and we covered a lot of ground. Main challenges were the territory we operate in since we needed to make sure the platform can run smoothly with less than ideal infrastructure. One has to keep in mind that we are operating in a space where lack of electricity is the norm, interrupted internet is an everyday occurrence, regulatory matters are still very complex and more.
How does the Xprizo platform set itself apart from other fintech offerings? What can the service provide that others can’t?
As explained earlier, we build the platform from the people to the people. Most other offerings are a one-size fits all where they are adapted versions of what is available in the western world. Moreover, we are offering a truly comprehensive payment orchestration for users and merchants. One just needs to get on our platform and doesn’t need anything further. You can get the local payment methods, our own p2p, cards, etc.. No other service out there has such a complete offering.
Xprizo’s platform features a number of payment service providers such as M-Pesa, what benefits does this bring customers?
The idea is that our clients don’t need to use several systems to make their life or business. Using or integrating to Xprizo gives you a number of payment methods in one place where for the business side you would integrate one API and you can pick and choose what you wish to use.
How is 2024 shaping up for the business and what plans are in place to continue to develop the platform?
2024 is proving to be an incredible year for Xprizo. We are very happy to be overwhelmed with businesses that are recognising the benefits of using our system and we are having internal discussions to be integrated with very well known businesses and also by Tier 1 banks. Our ground reach though the agent network will also keep expanding month on month and the product offering will keep being a one of a kind setting the standard for other Fintech companies to keep up to.
2024 will also see us expand our reach in Africa launching several other countries and more importantly we will be launching our first operations in South East Asia. We will be beginning with the Philippines in June with the goal of expanding our reach across the following months.
The post Exclusive Q&A w/ Richard Mifsud, Chief Vision Officer at XPRIZO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
In the vibrant gaming industry in Chile, Francisco Leiva’s figure emerges as a key reference. A trained industrial civil engineer, his professional journey spans 35 years, from his beginnings in the public sector to his prominent role as Superintendent of Casinos, and more recently as Corporate Manager of Strategic Development at Marina del Sol. His entry into this industry, marked by challenges and significant achievements, reflects his commitment to progress and innovation. In this interview, Francisco shares his vision, experience, and accumulated wisdom over the years.
Could you tell us a bit about your career, professional trajectory, and path to where you are today; What motivated you to enter the Gaming industry?
I am an industrial civil engineer, and my career started in the public sector 35 years ago. Initially, I worked at the Ministry of Health and then at the Ministry of Finance, where I was involved in the drafting and legislative processing of various bills, such as the anti-money laundering law and the gaming casinos law.
Given my work in the legislative process of the gaming casinos bill, after its enactment in February 2005, President Ricardo Lagos appointed me as the first Superintendent of Casinos to implement the law. It was a significant professional and personal challenge as it involved bringing an industry that was far behind similar developed countries as Chile up to date.
During your time as Superintendent of Casinos in Chile, what were the most challenging tasks you undertook, and what would you say was your legacy in the gaming industry?
The main challenge was implementing the new gaming casinos law, which involved setting up the Superintendency, hiring staff, and preparing all conditions for private investors to apply for new casino operation permits. This led to 52 projects being submitted for the 18 available casino permits, with investments exceeding US$ 755 million at the time. Foreign investment accounted for 55%, and national investment for 45%.
The result was the construction of 18 new casinos along with complementary facilities such as hotels, convention centers, restaurants, and other leisure facilities that turned these areas into tourist attractions in the cities where they were built.
Undoubtedly, the main challenge was meeting the tender requirements within a tight timeframe. We managed to have a competitive process with operators from around the world, radically changing Chile’s gaming casinos industry.
The legacy was transforming the gaming casinos industry from seven municipal casinos to a modern industry with 24 top-level casinos and facilities.
What significant lessons have you learned throughout your career? And what message would you like to leave for future generations?
One lesson is that ambitious goals can only be achieved through dedication and by building motivated teams with clear objectives. It’s impossible to do it alone in tasks like these.
I believe the message is to work with honesty, dedication, and without losing sight of the task entrusted to you.
Knowing you personally, not just professionally, what activity inspires you or helps you achieve balance in your life?
Since I was a child, I have been passionate about playing tennis, and I have tried to maintain this passion even as a senior player. In this sense, I think engaging in sports helps maintain a healthy mind and body, which is essential to counter the stress that comes with demanding and complex work.
Similarly, one cannot neglect family life, as they are the ones who will ultimately support you in difficult times.
In summary, the only way, although not easy, is to harmonize work demands with a balanced life.
Finally, what is your opinion on hosting such an important international event in your country? And in a way, being one of the hosts to such important international personalities.
It is very important for the country to host such events that allow interaction among different actors in the gaming industry. It facilitates the exchange of experiences and networking, allowing the industry to continue developing. It is also important for public authorities, especially regulatory ones, to participate so they can understand the industry’s reality and see where the industry is heading given technological and cultural changes.
Francisco Leiva’s story in the gaming industry in Chile is an inspiring testimony of determination and success. From his crucial role in implementing the gaming casinos law to his contribution to the industry’s growth and modernization, his legacy endures as a beacon of positive change. Beyond his professional achievements, Francisco reminds us of the importance of balancing work and personal life, as well as the need to stay focused on values such as honesty and dedication. His optimism and commitment to the future of the gaming industry in Chile are a reminder that success is achieved through effort, teamwork, and a clear vision.
-
Baltics6 days agoHitting the Networking Jackpot: Iconic MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit Launch at Tallinn Olympic Park Casino
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
NIGC Announces Acting Chair
-
Australia6 days ago
AUSTRAC and SkyCity agree to proposed $67 million penalty
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
CT Interactive Certifies 60 Games and Hot Luck Jackpot for Peru
-
Africa5 days ago
EGT Tanzania consolidates its status as a leader in Africa with a major installation at Grand Leone Casino in Sierra Leone
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
Spillemyndigheden: Anti-Money Laundering- A report to the police must be followed up by a notification
-
Asia5 days ago
WorldMatch Certifies Games for the Philippines
-
Latest News5 days ago
GambleAware responds to inaccurate and misleading claims
