Get to know Kalamba Games in our exclusive interview with the CEO, Steve Cutler, and COO, Alex Cohen. Just over a year old, the company has some exciting things coming up in the new year. As a developer of online video slots, they intend to hit the ground running this year with the launch of one new game per month. Find out more about the company, unique game features and what else is in the works for 2018 including the upcoming entry into the Scandinavian and UK markets.
Steve Cutler - CEO & Co-Founder of Kalamba Games (SC)
Alex Cohen, COO & Co-founder added (AC)
Q: Some LCB’ers may be unfamiliar with the company. Please introduce Kalamba Games including how it came to be and the products offered.
SC: “Kalamba started a little over a year ago with a vision to create great engaging slot games. We want to offer a top-quality gaming experience by entertaining players with fun meta-features and promos, while still playing to a core slot mechanic. There is a lot of content on the market but our opportunities lay too in building a multi-channel framework, that can scale with all the awesome stuff we have coming out in the future.”
AC: “So far we have 3 games live, and we anticipate one game per month from next year onwards. Goldfire 7s is a classic Vegas feel slot with a locking wild respins feature that gives it an extra punch. Fire Eagle is a unique game that is geared towards high wins and excitement in everything from the reel layout to the meta layers. Double Joker is a 3-reel joker game that has fun volatility, giving players a shot at massive wins via the locking joker respin. Each of the first 3 games features Kalamba's integrated missions, where players accumulate symbols over up to 100 games to win up to 1000x bet. We have an awesome backlog of games coming out, which come with a variety of meta-features and great promo opportunities. Our games will be available via multiple operators very soon too.”
Q: As a young company, how has it grown since first entering the international market?
SC: “A year and a half ago, we were just an idea. Now we're small but growing and we like to think we can adapt to what players really want faster than many of the big guys. We all come from a variety of gaming backgrounds and thus are collectively passionate about the many sides of what makes a great game.”
AC: “The main thing over the past year has been building the scalable framework relative to our vision and creating our first few games to get them launched with a select group of casino partners. We are live in DACH and Asia and soon to be in the Scandinavian and UK markets. Now that the games have been running for a couple of months, players are responding well to the quality of the games and are engaged with the metagame features that we have designed so far.”
Q: How many employees are there between the two offices?
SC: “We have a team of 10 people full-time and use some really talented contractors, who essentially take capacity to over 16. As mentioned earlier, we are growing and this year we will see both the Malta and Krakow offices taking on new people.
Q: As a provider with a focus on slots, how do you approach development from concept to design?
AC: “Feature-wise, a goal is to give players the excitement they want, and to be aesthetically attractive. We want to make sure we have a fantastic offering, and we are not afraid to take onboard feedback, in order to meet the expectations of players as we continue to release games.”
Q: Are any features unique to your games?
AC: “Our meta-game features and best in class game maths should prove themselves over time, but each game is its own production and comes with a unique combination of standard, meta and prom features. With the metagame features, we want to give the players’ experience an extra dimension, and so we have worked hard to build them on top of core guts of the games. The first three titles have a variation of a mission mechanic, involving collecting symbols to win prizes with an extra unique twist being that a player can choose the volatility profile they want. They can select a mission (Bronze to Platinum) that lasts 30 spins up to 100 spins and which symbols to collect. They can always try and beat their best mission scores too or others, if part of a promotion. We thought this was important to give players the right feeling that they want from the game, while still giving everyone a chance to win big and have a lot of fun doing so.”
Q: Can you dish any details about upcoming game releases or projects?
AC: “Expect some really cool themes, as well as plenty of variety with our metagame features. It is an exciting time ahead and we are looking forward to getting better and better. Of course, we are happy to give your readers some sneak previews to upcoming games and take on any valuable feedback.”
Q: Do you have any predictions for the iGaming industry in 2018? Also, which direction will Kalamba head in the new year?
AC: “There is plenty of scope to integrate meta and promo features into games that drive up the player engagement. However, it is also a fine line between having too much, that can distract from the core guts, rhythm and excitement of a good slot. There is plenty of content on the market to choose from, as well the many different preferences and trends amongst segments. Kalamba’s innovation will come from identifying the balance between the guts and the meta-features relative to the player demographics. It will come from knowing how best to localize the games in certain markets in order to give the players the best possible experience. It comes too from the promo tools, so operators and players can have a whole new set of exciting things to do around the games. Finally, it also about ensuring a multi-channel experience and all our games are designed to work seamlessly across all devices, be it in landscape or portrait mode.”
coolsongss 6 years ago Hero Member
Ho, I just went to kalamba Website and there are 8 games available for free play. I just opened and played Fire Eagle and Dino Odyssey. These games are great in graphics and sounds, and the game features are good too, with multipliers and bonuses. Both games are not in the 3x5 frame, so, some players would avoid them. And...
Ho, I just went to kalamba Website and there are 8 games available for free play. I just opened and played Fire Eagle and Dino Odyssey. These games are great in graphics and sounds, and the game features are good too, with multipliers and bonuses. Both games are not in the 3x5 frame, so, some players would avoid them. And the line wins are too small, though. The line wins are as small as those of Quick Spin slot. So, overall feeling is that these software is good for fun and wagering, rather than big wins. Good luck.
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Kalamba_Games_LTD 6 years ago Newbie
Fantastic reflecting on this interview from just 5 months ago and looking at where we are today. Impressive startup phase with 7 games in 7 months and we will maintain the 1/month velocity throughout 2018. Game sheets can be downloaded here http://kalambagames.com/games/ RELEASED (as of April 2018) GoldFire 7s Fire...
Fantastic reflecting on this interview from just 5 months ago and looking at where we are today. Impressive startup phase with 7 games in 7 months and we will maintain the 1/month velocity throughout 2018. Game sheets can be downloaded here http://kalambagames.com/games/ RELEASED (as of April 2018) GoldFire 7s Fire Eagle Double Joker Tiger Claws Dino Odyssey Tree of Gold Mammoth Chase NEXT UP Gates of Babylon - May 2018 Monkey God - June/July 2018 PEER RECOGNITION Fire Eagle Shortlisted for the “Game to Watch 2018” at ICE 2018 Nominated for 2 EGR B2B Awards (award ceremony June 2018) --- “Software Rising Star” --- “Innovation is Slots Provision” http://kalambagames.com/games/
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nirvana 6 years ago Super Hero
Any idea if they take NZ and AUS players?
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KalambaGames 6 years ago Newbie
Hi All.! Many thanks for the great feedback and, of course, to the awesome "feelin froggy".!. We still have an exciting journey ahead and value your input enormously. We are always keen to involve those with a shared interest in our games and ideas. Feel free to contact us on via the emails on our site, get access to some...
Hi All.! Many thanks for the great feedback and, of course, to the awesome "feelin froggy".!. We still have an exciting journey ahead and value your input enormously. We are always keen to involve those with a shared interest in our games and ideas. Feel free to contact us on via the emails on our site, get access to some up-coming games and features and help us create some fun. We are early stages but eager to deliver and get better every step of the way. We are pragmatic and don't expect everything to be a winner with everyone but, as a collective, we will learn, evolve and be proud of what we achieve. Thanks once again and look forward to hearing from you. From, the growing, Kalamba Team. Onwards and upwards.!. :-)
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Sylvanas 6 years ago Admin
The founders are not newbies, you can see it in the games. There aren't many right now, but what I had a chance to see looks great. Good move to work on player engagement with those mission features and unlockables, things are getting a bit monotonous despite so many software studios launching every day.
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Andreas_V 6 years ago Full Member
That was a really informative interview. I agree with the sentiment that there is too much content to choose from today and that it can distract and sway players and developers. Looking forward to see what the future brings.
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Mil E Na 6 years ago Full Member
"A year and a half ago, we were just an idea."- I am so glad to hear that new small companies are entering the iGaming market. After reading this interview, Kalamba games seems really promising to me! Eager to try them on! :)
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MelissaN 6 years ago Almighty Member
Very nice interview. This is the first time we have two interviewees! It's great to learn more about new software providers and their products. Look forward to seeing more games in the near future.
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jade 6 years ago Super Hero
Enjoyed the interview froggy. I like reading about new, young gaming companies, just getting started in this business. You can hear their excitement for the future when they talk about their vision of the industry and the games they are creating. This new company may have much to offer the gaming market place. They...
Enjoyed the interview froggy. I like reading about new, young gaming companies, just getting started in this business. You can hear their excitement for the future when they talk about their vision of the industry and the games they are creating. This new company may have much to offer the gaming market place. They speak confidently about their games and they impress me with their knowledge and understanding of the many facets of the industry they are taking into consideration. Some of the things I liked were, Kalamba wants to "give players the best possible experience,"great promotion tools for "exciting things to do around the games" and no matter what device I'm using, "our games are designed to work seamlessly." They have a big job ahead of them and right now, they're a little fish in a really big pond, but I like what I heard. As a slot player, they've got my attention.
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