Ivan Kalashniuk

What’s the perfect balance between crash games and slots in a developer’s portfolio? And why does everyone develop crash titles today?

Slots are so overcrowded that operator lobbies basically sink under their own weight. Too many titles, yet too little differentiation. Crash mechanics cut through this.

They’re simpler, faster to understand, and they hit emotionally in a way traditional slots often don’t. Players get entertainment here and now, without a long prelude. There’s also a hard-to-ignore demographic shift.

The average player is getting younger. These are people who’ve grown up consuming short-form content. New audiences don’t have the same tolerance for slow-burning mechanics as previous generations.

We all know this “8-second attention filter” set by Gen Z. So, casino game providers design crash games now because it matches the direction where attention and audience are going. As for balance, I’d say we’ll naturally see fewer players sticking to slots long term.

Not overnight, but the trajectory is pretty obvious.

What are the main challenges for a young casino game development studio? And what’s the biggest strength of starting from scratch?

There are a few real challenges game developers underestimate. First, building the right team. Not just “talent in CV”, but people who actually understand iGaming, on both the technical and soft-skill sides.

That’s a rare mix. Second, internal processes. How departments interact, decisions move, and feedback loops are structured.

A lot of teams treat it as secondary early on, and then scaling becomes painful later. Third, legal setup. Compliance, jurisdictions, paperwork.

There’s no shortcut here, only time. Fourth, the product itself. Research, competitor analysis, concept testing, constant iteration.

A/B/C/D testing until you land on something that works in real player behavior, not just theory. And, finally, business development strategy. Because even the best product is invisible without distribution.

As for the biggest strength in starting from scratch for an online casino game provider, it’s definitely the freedom to build everything about today’s player. At Dominator Play, we take inspiration and know-how from the best mobile gamedev practices. They provide a fresh perspective for shaping a modern gaming product.

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What opportunities do you see in the market right now? What would you improve or change in iGaming?

The industry is clearly evolving. It’s becoming more regulated, more structured, and less chaotic overall. At the same time, new categories are appearing.

Take, for example, the phenomenon of prediction markets, early AI-driven game concepts, and even the first B2B tools around forecasting. It feels less like disruption and more like stabilization, with experimentation happening inside it. Game providers try different combinations of products and approaches.

Those who win solve operator problems faster and with the highest possible quality.

You mentioned your first job during the demo. What did it teach you, and how did it shape your path in iGaming?

My first job taught me one thing that proved useful many times: don’t be afraid of uncomfortable situations. I was a student, learning English, trying to find any job in Ukraine where I could actually practice it. I ended up in a place where I had no real option except to communicate with native speakers all day.

There was no gradual onboarding into it. At first, it feels intense. Then it becomes normal.

And, eventually, you stop overthinking mistakes, because practice takes over. The experience from years ago taught me a lot. That mindset stayed with me.

In the iGaming business, it works the same way. Solutions aren’t served on a platter: you need to build, test, and adjust everything. Waiting for perfect conditions is just another form of delay.

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