Mark McGinley: “We want the non-traditional content space to embrace our iGaming vision”

Today we sit down with Mark McGinley, six months after he took his position as chief executive at FunFair Games. Dedicated to building innovative products, FunFair Games is a leader in what can be described as the non-traditional content vertical in the industry. McGinley himself has been part of the industry since 2013 and has seen it evolve over the years.

The arrival of the type of content that FunFair Games now builds to innovate iGaming for all has not taken him by surprise at all. In fact, he is very much optimistic about breaking the mold through his work with FunFair Games and helping set up new gameplay paradigms. From talking about the company’s general strategy to outlining FunFair Games’ plans for the North American market, our conversation with McGinley was indeed fulfilling.

What’s been your biggest lesson since you joined FunFair Games?

Well, I’d say adjusting from working at a larger company to a smaller studio has been a learning curve for me. In regard to getting involved and delegating tasks to others, I had to get the balance right and not having a large team around me has resulted in myself and other team members having to multitask, diversify and wear many hats.

Additionally, coming from a traditional casino background and now working around non-traditional and arcade games meant that I had to start working in different ways and focus on a strategy that complements a new vertical.

From an operational perspective, I’d say learning more about our distribution and relationship with operators has been an important lesson so far. Perfecting your distribution is always a challenge and an Achilles heel for most studios. Meanwhile, understanding the needs and requirements of a variety of operators means we need to do our best to sell our vision for the non-traditional content space.

As more time passes, the team and I will learn more about who we are, what we want to achieve and how we can position ourselves to stand out in a busy and crowded online casino marketplace. This is a significant thing for us, and something we’re actively working on behind the scenes, especially when thinking about our 2023 strategy.

Has the meteoric rise of the non-traditional content vertical surprised you?

Absolutely not. I remember entering the iGaming industry in 2013 and I always felt that this ageing sector needed to be awoken with a new and fresh offering. I was also very much aware of this emerging and exciting space in my previous roles and although I didn’t believe the market was quite ready for such a vibrant offering back then but I absolutely do now. 

The attraction of this new vertical is one of the main reasons I decided to join FunFair Games. That combined with the shared vision both Jeremy Longley (Co-Founder of FunFair Technologies) and Lloyd Purser (COO of FunFair Ventures) had and sold to me during my interview. 

I’m very passionate about this space and am a firm believer that there’s a huge need for content that reinvents the industry and moves away from traditional formats. I’m excited about what the future holds for this genre and for FunFair Games moving into 2023.

How do you see the non-traditional content vertical evolving over the next 12 months?

It’s quite evident that there’s been excellent progress in a short period of time, with several game types now making positive inroads into many casino lobbies. This is something that I feel will only grow and develop further, with non-traditional titles going from strength to strength, both here in the UK and Europe, as well as across the pond in the US.

There’s an excellent opportunity to drive positive change across the industry and at FunFair Games, we’re extremely keen on becoming a key player in this rapidly expanding space.

What can we expect from FunFair Games as we enter 2023?

First and foremost, we will expand our team and continue adding experience and quality to our ranks to drive the business forward in 2023. We have a clear vision of what we want to do and how we plan to position ourselves, so we’re looking to build on our good work so far and evolve this further.

Our main goal is to make fun, unique and interesting games that we can offer to operators, including a diverse portfolio of non-traditional/arcade content that they simply won’t find anywhere else. We’re not here just to make up the numbers, we’re here to add value and make a real difference. We have ambitious plans to become a leading provider of exciting and modern content.  

I’m quite excited about what we have planned for 2023, and I’m confident that we will have a diverse, unique and attractive suite of games next year.

It’s hard to ignore the hype around the US markets, is the North American region on FunFair Games’ radar?

Definitely, entering North America is one of our main strategic goals. Like everyone else, we’re enthusiastic about the prospect of our content in this market, and we believe we can add something new, unique and different to the American online offering.

The opportunity is hugely appealing to us, and we will be doing everything in our power to get our games live in the US in 2023. We see huge potential here and are eager to work closely with key players in this new and growing marketplace.