Interviews
Q&A with Rory Kimber, Account Management and Marketing Director at 1X2 Network
Can you talk us through the structure of 1X2 Network and the various divisions and subsidiaries it contains?
1X2 Network is the overall entity that encompasses the two supplier studios 1X2gaming and Iron Dog Studio. 1X2gaming provides a broad range of gaming concepts, with retail-feel slots, table games, arcade games and more. While Iron Dog Studio’s onus is on offering premium slot releases, having produced a significant number of Megaways™ titles and other tier one releases. The 1X2 Network also includes 1X2 Network Partnerships, where we aggregate a wealth of content from 3rd party suppliers on the 3PI (3rd Party Integrations) platform – these are then distributed via the network, a combination of direct integrations and other aggregation routes.
Why did you decide to structure the business in this way with two different studios?
1X2gaming was the original brand that began the journey, but a lot of that philosophy has continued into the structure we have now. 1X2gaming is primarily a studio producing classic games, arcade style content and market specific slots. Iron Dog Studio is our premium studio and has a different framework, that allows more innovation and flexibility. The two work in tandem with some shared central resource but the split allows us to release a variety of games without diluting either brand to players and Casino Managers. 1X2 Network sits above that as the company brand and is what we’re known as – underlining that everything operates under one leadership team and with a clear, defined direction.
How do you decide which games get developed and released by which studio?
Both Iron Dog Studio and 1X2gaming have their own individual brand, so the development process for a given game begins within one or the other. The two studios’ portfolios are different without being totally separated – which is what allows 1X2 Network to provide such a broad variety of gaming experiences. We have on occasion moved a project over when it is in development but in general games live in one studio from conception to go live to allow the clarity of thought to carry through. In general, the styles of the game and their target markets make it very easy to decide which studio will develop a concept.
How do you ensure that each studio has its own identity but that both still align under the 1X2 Network umbrella?
While 1X2 Network encompasses two separate studios, they are not treated in isolation from one another. There is shared resource amongst the studios and whilst some maths, design and product ownership is separate there is still a core product team who drive strategy for the entire network. Games are ultimately delivered under the 1X2 Network umbrella, and thus we seek to maintain an overarching brand mentality which all our games subscribe to; this mentality could be surmised in our focuses on player experience, innovation and quality.
Do most of your operator partners take games from both studios?
Yes absolutely, every operator has content from both studios as the delivery routes are identical. 1X2 Network is the brand that operators deal with and they understand that the studios are part of something bigger. That’s not to say that all operators see the same performance between the studios, depending on markets, player demographics, style of site and many other factors, we have tier 1, 2 and 3 customers who perform better with Iron Dog and the same for 1X2gaming. We obviously work to promote the games that will be most successful but it’s extremely rare that we don’t see success across both studios in one form or another.
Anything else to add?
1X2 Network has been operating for 20 years, so I guess it’s no surprise that some elements require a bit of explanation, but in general we feel the two studio set up under an overarching brand is a solid, clear and efficient set up that allows us the flexibility we need to provide to all our customers and take a good share of the market.
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