Vakhtang Mdivani, the host of iGaming Accent, recently sat down with Miranda Guliashvili, the Vice President of Commercial at the burgeoning iGaming powerhouse, SmartSoft. This episode wasn’t just an interview; it was an insightful exploration into the company’s impressive growth, its innovative spirit, and its unique approach to navigating the dynamic global iGaming landscape.
SmartSoft holds a special place in the industry — a company that has undergone a remarkable transformation from a small to a significant player on the world stage. The anticipation for Miranda’s personal story and the “transformational things” SmartSoft is doing to expand globally sets the stage for a compelling conversation.
Miranda’s entry into the iGaming world during the COVID-19 pandemic provides a fascinating starting point. As she recalls, “I joined the industry when there was a booming period of COVID. And you can imagine selling the games, which are totally new for the industry – the crash games – was a new thing, almost a funny topic from the operator’s side and perspective.”
The conversation naturally progresses to the revolutionary impact of crash games. Miranda acknowledges their significance: “The crush games, for the last five years, have been one of the big revolutions that happened in this industry and what evolution it brought to the game, brought to the industry.”
Looking ahead, she emphasizes the importance of keeping pace with evolving player preferences: “We will keep up with innovations, we will keep up with something that is crazy at first to believe in… future calls out for it, younger generation like innovative games and direction of mini games, because no one has time for a long journey.”
The two also pointed out that many companies are now developing their own crash games. However, SmartSoft stands out in this competitive space thanks to its deep-rooted expertise and focused approach. “SmartSoft’s focus right now is on the crash games direction, because we are really good at it,” Miranda asserts.
Mini-games and their localization around regionally popular sports represent another key direction for the company. “We are trying so hard to localize those. We are trying to answer what the local market needs,” she explains, citing examples like Football X for Latin America and Cricket X for relevant markets.
The podcast delves deeper into the topic of localization. While some projects find success without explicit localization, SmartSoft emphasizes a partnership-driven approach: “The case is that we are asking our partners what could be the thing that you will be interested in, because we know that our partners know much about their culture, where they’re coming from, and we’re trying to follow this way.”
This client-centric approach ensures cultural sensitivity and avoids reliance on potentially harmful stereotypes. “We respect their culture, know about their culture, but not use every stereotypical thing that they have in there,” she clarifies.
Miranda also passionately discusses the Partners Club initiative, rooted in Georgian hospitality. “We believe that localization is two-sided, not just one-sided, to know about their culture and everything. But they need to know about us as well,” she emphasizes.
By inviting partners to experience Georgian culture firsthand, SmartSoft aims to build deeper connections. “Once we bring a few individual people into the country, show them our office, and explain that this is part of our tradition, they all have the same realization: Ah, that’s why you act this way.”
This unique approach fosters genuine friendships alongside business relationships, reflecting the Georgian ethos where “our friendships matter the most, sometimes rather than maybe family.”
Moreover, Miranda reflects on SmartSoft’s sponsorship with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), their experience at exhibitions and conferences, and the way they present themselves to the industry, along with advice for how startups should approach their image. She also responded to a question from a previous guest, Sportradar’s Maksim Afanasev, and posed one of her own for the next guest.
To hear more about SmartSoft’s global journey, innovative edge, and Georgian soul, don’t miss the full episode.
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