Innovation and integrity in creating a successful iGaming product: an exclusive interview with Mancala Gaming

April 11, 2024

Innovation and integrity in creating a successful iGaming product: an exclusive interview with Mancala Gaming
Today we have a chance to talk with Nikita Gorshkov, CEO at Mancala Gaming, online slot game provider. He’s going to break down boundaries and limitations and share some honest secrets about creating appealing games for all experiences and generations.

1. Mancala Gaming has been on the market since 2019. Tell us how you manage to keep your ideas fresh and innovative for 5 years now, creating a successful iGaming product?
We started the business with the ideology of creating innovative games with elements of skill based on the video games market. From the beginning we strived to deliver products that set themselves apart from the competition. With this said, to this day, we continue coming up with such ideas using our experience both in gaming and Igaming.

2. Where did the idea to name the company Mancala come from? What was your inspiration?
Mancala is a 2 player turn based strategy board game whose existence goes back to 5000 BC. It predates chess and is considered the original strategy game on which many games are based on. When creating Mancala Gaming we wanted to incorporate our love of strategy games with which we could showcase our ability to create interactive slots.

3. How do you see the strategy and vision of your business compared to other gaming operators in the industry?
As many providers we strive to create that one hit game to rule them all. What sets us apart is our approach to the new generation of players. As someone who is part of the millennial generation of gamers I have a decent understanding of what players are seeking and the challenge is to find the best way to translate that into an interactive and fun slot experience.

4. Tell us the 3 main principles of your work and why do you adhere to them?
Innovation
Motivation
Integrity
My belief in ensuring that our team stays happy and creative is the forefront of our business. I try my best to lead by example and keep the whole team motivated and take part in the creative process of our games, no matter if they are a tester, BDM or developer everyone is able and encouraged to participate and give their thoughts and ideas for our releases.

5. What is the average and highest RTP on your slots now?
All our games are set at 95% RTP.

6. What is your most popular game of all time?
Our most popular title is Buffalo Goes Wild.

7. In which countries are your games best known?
We have a very strong presence in the CIS, Latin American and South East Asian regions. We are currently developing the African market which we are very much excited about.

8. What are your plans for the company's development in 2024? Are there any interesting releases expected?
This year will be a major year for Mancala Gaming as we will be releasing multiple titles with never before seen mechanics. One of the games that we are planning for the end of the year will certainly appeal to a major public bringing one of the most beloved mechanics from the mobile gaming industry.

9. What changes do you think we should expect on the iGaming market in the future? What new trends may appear?
I think in the foreseeable future we won’t see anything drastic; however in the long run a change from the classic gameplay will start to divert towards a more interactive and engaging style as we are currently already seeing these trends appear. Certainly within the next 10 years the Igaming sector will have to adapt towards the new generation of players.

10. Has the behavior of the players changed in the 5 years you've been on the market? If so, what have you emphasized in your game production and what have you had to move away from?
The general change in player behavior hasn’t been as substantial within the last 5 years as I believe it is still too short of a period to see any drastic changes. We have noticed a general preference in new mechanics and that trend is growing year by year.

11. What’s the hardest thing about being a game provider?
These days the market has become oversaturated both on the providers and operators scope which results in a huge selection for players. This can be seen as a good and a bad trend; however for providers this means a requirement to create more products and sometimes quality gets foreshadowed. Mancala Gaming from the start strives for quality over quantity which means for us that we have to stand out on the uniqueness of our product rather than producing 10 games per month. This is essence is an issue for most game providers on the market and everyone has their own approach towards this.