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Exclusive interview w/ Thomas Kolbabek, CTO at Golden Whale Productions

Published

2 weeks ago

March 7, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

To kick things off, could you give our readers a bit of background on what Golden Whale does? What is the company’s primary focus and what systems does it have in place to help its customers?

Golden Whale is a next-generation gaming infrastructure supplier that aims to streamline the process of integrating, modelling and orchestrating strategically relevant models derived from large data sets. We use a combination of data science and machine learning to assist companies in taking their player retention to the next level and maximise the expected lifetime value of their customers. The systems we use greatly reduce the time required to generate learnings and insights from a company’s data, which they can then apply to their products. Ultimately, we believe this will change the way that games and gaming systems are built and operated.

Are there any aspects of Golden Whale’s offering that makes it unique from other data tech companies? If so, how do the solutions that you provide differ from what the competition is doing?

While all data science companies claim to have the best model when it comes to making accurate predictions and segmentations, these are typically black box processes with little to no transparency. One of the things that makes Golden Whale unique is that we build a second layer on top for model orchestration and competition so users can compare all the outcomes from similar data sets. This allows companies to be more independent from single sources and helps them build an evolving system around their modelling that easily can be configured to find specific target values.

Apart from that the combination of long-standing domain know-how and latest methods in data-science lets us increase the learning speed of our customers systems significantly and reduces time between general analysis and useful execution!

Being a relatively new company in the iGaming industry, what were the main challenges that you encountered while establishing Golden Whale and how have you tackled these up until now?

The challenges that we’ve faced have been largely the same as any other innovative company aiming to make an impression in market – that is to say converting initial curiosity and scepticism into excitement and opportunity. Fortunately for us, we began operating at a time when the first wave of machine learning companies had already laid solid foundations for how this incredible technology can be used to benefit the industry. Our goal is now to really push the boundaries of what data science and machine learning can do for platforms and game systems and it’s a challenge we’re really relishing.

How has the experience your team has gained in the past helped to shape what Golden Whale does? Have there been any previous learnings that have influenced your approach to data science?

Our team has accumulated a lot of domain know-how from our backgrounds in gaming and data science that has enabled us to fine-tune our models to deliver optimal results. Of course, our previous experience has allowed us to identify gaps in the market that can be plugged by doing things a little differently, but it’s important to also respect the pace at which data science and machine learning is moving forward. In our field, it’s vital to stay on top of the latest developments and ensure this is what’s influencing and enhancing your product, rather than relying on insights from several years ago.

Golden Whale’s mission statement is to provide tools that “convert gaming companies into learning companies” – what are the key insights that they can expect to gain by using your product?

Our main focus is building products that directly interact with customer behaviour and player experience across different levels of product. We build on existing machine learning and data exploration tools to give partners new insights on how they can maximise efficiency and profits by improving their systems. In order to make full use of these insights, our models are ideally connected to gaming systems in real time with the resulting feedback loop being designed in a smart way. Our unique approach in this area can drastically speed up the process of how businesses can understand and enhance their offering based on the information they already have at their fingertips.

What does Golden Whale have lined up for 2023? Is there a clearly-defined plan for what you hope to achieve and can we expect to see any specific product launches over the coming months?

All younger companies in the data science sector are likely to experience a period of exponential growth during their first few years of operation, and Golden Whale is certainly no different in this respect. We currently have a pipeline with new customer launches, a product roadmap that encompasses many exciting projects and a bank of real-life results that we’re eager to share with our customers. We’re really excited about what’s coming up over the next 12 months and believe our future innovations will help Golden Whale make a real splash in the industry.

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BLAST teams up with Fortnite for third year and will operate the entire 2023 Fortnite Champion Series

Published

31 mins ago

March 22, 2023

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

BLAST has teamed up for a third consecutive year with Fortnite, and this year will produce and deliver the entire 2023 Fortnite Champion Series (FNCS) with a combined prize pool of $10 million on the line.

As part of the collaboration, BLAST will work with the Competitive Fortnite team to deliver three Majors and bring FNCS to an epic conclusion for the year when the Global Championship takes place in-person from Copenhagen, Denmark in late 2023 with an eye-watering $4 million on the line.

The new FNCS format consists of three Majors played across February and March (Major One), April and May (Major Two) and July and August (Major Three). All three Majors will see the European and North American regions produced and broadcasted from BLAST’s Copenhagen studios with broadcast talent on-site and players playing remotely.

The announcement strengthens and deepens the esports entertainment company’s relationship with Competitive Fortnite, after having delivered the entire 2022 FNCS schedule and the long-awaited return to Fortnite in-person events in Raleigh, North Carolina last November for the FNCS Invitational.

BLAST first teamed up with Fortnite in 2021, when delivering the FNCS All-Star Showdown and FNCS Grand Royale events.

Leo Matlock, MD of Development at BLAST, said: “Extending and expanding the BLAST and Competitive Fortnite partnership into a third year is testament to the brilliant progress that has been made with FNCS over the last few years. We are really proud of the journey we’ve been on with the Competitive Fortnite team and how we have been able to support them in elevating the FNCS fan experience by focusing on player-led storylines and fan-first production techniques. 2023 is turning out to be another thrilling year, Major One has already been completed from the BLAST Copenhagen studios and we’re excited to deliver the remaining three FNCS events with a combined prize pool of $8 million on the line.

“We look forward to building on last year’s unforgettable return to Fortnite in-person events for the FNCS Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina by bringing the year-defining FNCS Global Championship to our hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark for fans and players to enjoy later this year.”

Latest News

TVBET enters distribution agreement with Golden Matrix Group

Published

2 hours ago

March 22, 2023

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The live games provider TVBET has signed a partnership with Golden Matrix Group, a deal which sees the company incorporate the provider’s top-notch live games into its offering.

TVBET is a provider which offers easy and smooth API integration of TV games based on odds. Its games are a perfect product for casinos and bookmakers, both online and offline. TVBET games are well-known card games and lotteries adapted for online streaming format. Since its launch in 2016, TVBET’s major idea has been to create and then maintain top-shelf and up-to-date content for partners that will literally «glue» any player to their computer’s, tv’s, or smartphone’s screen.

The partnership with Golden Matrix Group strengthens TVBET’s position in the igaming arena and delivers its content even wider.

Golden Matrix Group is an established gaming technology company that develops and owns online gaming IP and builds configurable and scalable white-label social gaming platforms for its international customers. The gaming IP includes tools for marketing, acquisition, retention, and monetization of users. The provided platform is unparalleled in both mobile and desktop website deployment, proving compatible throughout all major operating systems and web browsers.

Utku Sarper, TVBET Sales Lead, states: “We are entering a new win-win deal with a strong igaming representative — Golden Matrix Group. It is proud to welcome the B2B company among our partners, and we are sure the synergy of our companies will bring us mutually beneficial results!

TVBET will enhance Golden Matrix Group’s content offering, and for us, this deal will bring new growth opportunities in the market.”

Latest News

Hacksaw Gaming Signs Content Agreement with Sisal

Published

3 hours ago

March 22, 2023

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Leading iGaming studio Hacksaw Gaming has entered into a partnership with Italian-facing online casino operator Sisal.

Under the terms of the deal, Sisal players will gain access to a selection of popular Hacksaw Gaming titles, beginning with March 2020 release Cubes. Cubes was Hacksaw Gaming’s first 3D-styled release, proving so popular it went on to spawn a sequel with Cubes 2 arriving in February 2021.

Several Hacksaw Gaming games are scheduled to follow over the proceeding weeks, including slot favourites Hand of Anubis, Hop’n’Pop, and Aztec Twist, plus instant win games Mines and Coins, which recently turned one year old. Designed to reinvent non-traditional gaming, the Dare2Win series puts a modern twist on beloved arcade games and offers alternative casino entertainment for players everywhere.

Hacksaw Gaming’s latest partner, Flutter-owned Sisal, is a leading force in Italy with a number of product verticals among its portfolio. In addition to online slots, Sisal players can wager on sports, poker, and lottery games. Sisal’s wide range of lottery titles includes SiVinceTutto, Vinci per la vita – Win for Life, Eurojackpot, VinciCasa, and SuperEnalotto – Italy’s leading lottery title offered exclusively by Sisal since 1997.

Today’s news represents another step forward for Hacksaw Gaming as part of an ongoing strategy to bolster its footing in regulated markets.

Remarking on the partnership, Gabrielle Star, Hacksaw Gaming’s CCO, said: “Hacksaw Gaming goes from strength to strength in Italy following our market entry earlier this year.

“This deal represents a signal of our intentions as we continue to broaden our horizons in regulated markets. Sisal is a household name in Italy, and we’re delighted its players can finally get a taste of our award-winning games.”