With more than 50 slots live across 20 countries, Synot Games has more than made its mark on the global igaming industry since launching in 2016, and continues to prove that smaller game developers can compete with the industry’s so called big boys.
In an interview for Malta Business Review, Synot Games CCO Martina Hrabinská spoke about the origins of the company, how her own role has evolved in the last four years, and why we should keep an eye out for major market moves in 2020.
CasinoBeats: For our readers new to Synot Games, what does the company specialise in?
Martina Hrabinská: A company with offices based in Bratislava and Malta, Synot Games primarily develops online casino slots. We create our own inhouse original slot games with remarkable visuals and maximum playability. The slot games are easy to integrate, infinitely engaging and available in different languages, on multiple devices and platforms.
We started off four years ago with only a few people in our Bratislava team developing our first games, and now we have over 100 people. I said primarily because we also develop land-based products from different offices in different countries. We are part of Synot Group – a company with over 30 years’ experience in the gambling industry.
CB: What did you do before you took up your current role and why did you decide to make the change? What was it that drew you towards the gaming industry?
MH Before I joined the gaming industry, I was the brand manager for a company that organises events. I made the move to Synot four years ago, initially holding a marketing position. Back then the company was still developing its first few games, it was literally still the beginning.
That was the main factor that made me want to join Synot actually, as it was something new, not yet established, and a tempting proposition to help build something from scratch.
Despite it being a big challenge for me, I have no regrets. As the company started to grow, I became more involved with clients and together with our CEO we started to build a sales department. One step at a time I started shifting my interests from marketing to sales.
CB: What is the moment in your career you are most proud of?
MH: I think it was the moment I decided to switch my role from marketing to sales as before I never pictured myself doing anything else other than marketing. Yet here I am today and I actually find sales even more interesting, and definitely more challenging.
CB: Do you see a lot of difference in team diversity from when you started to today?
MH: In the beginning we were just a few enthusiastic people here who were trying to do an impossible amount of work in a short period of time. These fundamental people are still here and are the most powerful engine in the company, to be honest.
Whilst the company is growing, different types of people started joining the team and sometimes it is a challenge to transfer this same amount of enthusiasm to them, but we are trying our best. At the end it is all about people and we are all different individuals.
CB: What’s your view on women in gaming in 2020?
MH: I am delighted to say that I now find plenty of strong, career driven women in the gaming business and I tend to find them more organised at times. I think that it is our strongest superpower!
CB: And finally, what’s next for Synot? Any big plans on the horizon?
MH: A lot of things coming our way! We are growing pretty fast, and this year it will not only be product wise but also we shall be distributing our games across many online casinos. We are in contact with some of the biggest names in the industry so now it is just about the technical and legal work to really impact the market with our products. So, stay tuned, Synot Games is coming to town!