You’d be forgiven for having a slightly gloomy outlook over the past year with all the headlines warning of impending financial meltdown. Despite recognising tough trading conditions, SWP specialists FatSpanner have remained determined to forge ahead with their ambitions and are being rewarded with some encouraging results.
New Business Director Alfio Monterosso explains some of the background to what the company hopes are exciting times ahead. “Autumn/Winter 2008 had a really gloomy feel. At the height of what would normally be our busiest period, we, like most others were feeling a real slowdown. The press was full of talk of recession, pub closures and plummeting consumer confidence and not surprisingly that was pervading through to our customers who, like everyone else, were becoming increasingly nervous about spending money.
We were acutely aware of the temptation to reign in our investment plans but whilst it was of course prudent to limit the outgoings wherever possible we felt strongly that without continued investment in both product and people we ran the risk of falling victim to a short term state of mind. As a result of much discussion we decided it was the time to take a long hard look at the company structure and roles of individuals, directors included. Not, as would have been tempting, with a view to making cutbacks but to building on what we had.”
As a result the company employed Clive Barrett, formerly of Maygay and Astra, on a consultancy basis to observe and report on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the business; Monterosso continues, “We felt we could benefit from a fresh perspective. Sometimes in business you get swept along with the day to day and can’t see the wood for the trees. Clive has a wealth of experience in logistics, processes and general management and with the board being predominantly from a creative, development background we felt it was a perspective we could benefit from.”
Barrett, whose position as General Manager has now been made permanent adds, “There were some obvious improvements that could be made to the general running of the business but the overriding feeling I had after a short period was of real excitement. The creative talent on display for a company of this size is quite incredible and I really felt with the addition of a few key personnel and the redefining of a few roles, the Directors could focus that creativity firmly on the future.”
The recruitment didn’t stop there. In addition to Barrett the company has bolstered its software resource with the appointment of Mark Bedford from content provider Alternative Universe and most recently a new Sales Executive in the form of Jamie Parkinson. Parkinson, who parted company with Games Warehouse recently after nearly 2 years of service, brings lots of enthusiasm and a good web of contacts in an attempt to maximize the potential of some exciting products both here and in the pipeline. Even as this goes to press they are advertising for a graphic artist to further strengthen an already prolific Game Content Team.
Content director Paul Slavin explains the expansion. “Our O.P.E.N. content system, in its various forms, is the driving force behind quite a few products now. In addition to our own range of products we have the DICE to support in our joint venture with Barcrest and that’s an opportunity we are anxious to make the most of. DICE test figures are extremely encouraging as is the continued performance of our O.P.E.N. ‘Black’ and there is only one way to keep it that way, by the continued production of high quality game content. The addition of Mark Bedford provides new strings to our bow in terms of 3D presentation and of course more software resource means more graphics resource to support it, hence the latest advertisement.”
Slavin goes on, “We continue to invest in what we identify to be good quality licensed content as you’ll see with the launch of ‘TalkSPORT Quiz’ on the latest O.P.E.N. Menu 7, out this week. The relationship with Barcrest means access to their game licenses, which already means we’re working on what should be a fantastic ‘Star Wars’ SWP game and let’s hope many more to come. We’ve got plans for later in the year to revise the update DVD’s to a seasonal format, giving us the flexibility for anything from 2 to 4 updates a year and to respond to special events such as next year’s World Cup. Over and above all this we have an exciting new internet application in the pipeline which we hope will enable us to bring broadband connectivity to our machines at no extra cost, with all the potential benefits that implies.”
The company believes the latest ‘Menu 7’ update for its O.P.E.N. ‘Black’ terminal is its strongest to date and hopes it will help them to build on what they perceive as an increased goodwill towards them amongst both operators and retailers alike. Monterosso said, “We’ve made a real effort to forge relationships with key players in the industry and we seem to be making an impression in areas where we may have passed under the radar before. It means we are now testing machines in many more premium sites with the top operators and showing the kind of consistent performance we always believed we were capable of. We’ve also been able to establish relationships with finance partners, meaning we can offer our customers a range of payment options. In current climate this is a big help in getting product to market.
As well as strengthening our position with direct sales we continue to push ahead with distribution partners. Our relationship with RLMS continues and we’ve recently forged new ties with AMG which we are very excited about. We’ve got some great ideas for new rebuild product to favour the not so premium sites, it’s about having all bases covered.”
Monterosso summarises, “We’ve invested significant 6 figure sums over the last 12 months in tooling for new product, in game licenses and in personnel. Despite this and the ongoing recession our financial results for ‘08/’09 were more or less a match for the previous year. Together with the investment and a great deal of hard graft our hopes for the coming years are very high. You never know what business will throw at you, all you can do is try to stay positive.”
Seventh Heaven.
22nd Jul 2009
‘Menu 7’ is the very latest content update release from SWP terminal provider FatSpanner for its successful O.P.E.N. terminal and it will be winging it’s way, free of charge, to all O.P.E.N. customers in the next few days. The new release includes an impressive 13 new top titles, 4 of which will be exclusive to O.P.E.N., such as licensed title ‘talkSPORT Quiz’ and ‘Round the Board’, a darts game endorsed by legends of the game Eric Bristow and John Lowe.
FatSpanner have stayed true to their promise to deliver content updates on time and fully tested. The company co-ordinate an extensive pool of test sites specifically designed to improve both software reliability and quality of released content. It also gives them a really good feel for the potential of any particular game prior to full release. Director Dave Ash said, “We’re really excited about this update, we’ve done a very extensive test over a sustained period as we always do. Over time we’ve built a reputation for reliable updates and it’s something we work very hard to preserve. We’re acutely aware of the cost to the operator of repeated trips to site to update machines, it’s no use us advertising the merits of the latest game pack if we then wipe out some of the cashbox with the cost of a service call. As well as proving very stable generally, there are some encouraging performances from some of the new content on ‘Menu 7’. ‘Tribal Towers’ is a great example, a popular format of card based game which has shot to No.1 in our test charts.”
In addition to their own content there are some strong titles from other developers; Ash added, “Whilst obviously focusing a lot of attention on our own games we still feel it important to take the best of the content available from other developers in order to offer the player the greatest possible choice. This time we’ve got ‘Crystal Maze’ from Cool Games, based on the classic TV show, ‘Ultimate Spot the Difference’ a £1 play version of the old classic from Men in Back and ‘Eliminator’ from RES which is a novel twist on your usual SWP game and is proving to be very popular.”
FatSpanner say O.P.E.N. ‘Black’, the latest incarnation of the terminal is rising in popularity all the time and they hope the latest release will serve to strengthen its performance further still.
FatSpanner Boosts Sales Team.
14th Jul 2009
SWP specialists FatSpanner have appointed a new Sales Executive to help further their ambitions of expansion within the highly competitive sector. Jamie Parkinson has joined the firm having recently parted company with former employer, Games Warehouse, where he’s been for the last two years during their most successful period of sales.
The appointment is consistent with FatSpanner’s ambition of becoming the market leading SWP terminal and content provider and is unlikely to be the last as the company look to exploit the rising popularity of its O.P.E.N. terminals. General Manager Clive Barrett said, “It’s great to welcome Jamie to the company, we’ve been looking to strengthen the sales team for some time now and to bring on board somebody with the industry experience and contacts he has is a real bonus. O.P.E.N. is enjoying a real rise in popularity and we have a great chance to significantly increase market share, we need to exploit the situation to the full, Jamie is a vital part of that.” Parkinson himself added, “FatSpanner are an exciting company, very customer focussed with a refreshing view of the industry. I’d been looking for a new challenge for some time and this position is perfect, I’m thrilled to be on board.”
Land’s End to John O’Groats.
1st Jul 2009
FatSpanner continue their tradition of charity donation by backing a bike ride the length of the country in aid of Leukaemia Research. The challenge was completed by Eddie Collins and Jason Brookes in ten gruelling days and raised an impressive £6500 for the charity in memory of two family members who were sadly taken by the disease. Around 25,000 people are diagnosed every year in the UK with various blood cancers and sadly a considerable number do not survive. Leukaemia Research is the only registered charity dedicated to research into treatments and cures for the various forms of the disease, thanks to their work survival rates are improving year on year. FatSpanner is only too pleased to be able to help out, well done Eddie and Jason!
To find out more and donate by visiting their website Click Here
FatSpanner Appoints General Manager.
14th May 2009
UK SWP terminal and content provider FatSpanner has just announced the appointment of long time industry professional Clive Barrett to its ever growing staff. Barrett formerly of Maygay, RES and more recently Astra Games will take on the role of General Manager with day to day responsibility for Sales, After-sales and Support, Accounts, Purchasing and Manufacture.
FatSpanner Director Alfio Monterosso said, “As the business has grown we have seen a greater need for the right person to co-ordinate more of the day to day running of the company and help free up the Directors to concentrate more on new business opportunities and an exciting list of new developments. Having known him personally from our Maygay days we invited Clive to work on a consultancy basis to assess some of our strengths and weaknesses and offer suggestions to the board. After a short period it became clear to all that Clive was a perfect fit for a permanent role, hence we’re extremely pleased to make this announcement.”
Barrett himself added, “It’s a sign of the potential of FatSpanner that they are still recruiting in significant positions during a time of such difficult trading conditions. It has the feel of a company which is really well positioned for the future and I’m over the moon to be part of the team.”
FatSpanner teams up with talkSPORT.
7th May 2009
SWP game and terminal provider FatSpanner have signed a license agreement with UK national radio station talkSPORT to develop branded SWP content. The deal will run provisionally over 2 years and will potentially include several game releases.
FatSpanner Content Development Director Paul Slavin said, “Strong licensed content is a fundamental part of our ongoing development strategy particularly when it comes to strengthening the OPEN and upcoming DICE platforms. We’d been looking for a powerful sporting brand for some time and the opportunity presented itself to work with talkSPORT, after meeting them it clearly seemed like the right fit. A well known brand like talkSPORT always gets the team excited and we’ve generated some great concepts for this project. The relationship has meant we can offer some interesting new elements such as licensed picture questions. I have high hopes for this license, I’m convinced it will be well received by players”.
Piers Collins of talkSPORT added, “As a brand we are always looking for new sources of exposure and revenue and the SWP sector is not an area we’ve previously had the opportunity to exploit. It’s been great working with the FatSpanner guys so far and we look forward to a long and lucrative relationship”.
The first game under the talkSPORT license is due for release in July.
FatSpanner Adds Weight to Development Team.
20th Apr 2009
SWP manufacturer Fatspanner has announced the appointment of Mark Bedford to their already prolific content development team, a man who’s been on their radar for some time.
Bedford brings with him a wealth of SWP programming and development experience from over 20 years in the industry with the likes of Maygay, Channel 1 and more recently Alternative Universe where he was responsible for successful titles such as ‘Heads Up Poker’.
Bedford said, “It’s great to be working with FatSpanner, I’ve known many of the guys personally for a long time and it’s going to be great to work with likeminded creative people. They’ve built a company here which is really going places even in current trading conditions. The joint opportunity with Barcrest on the ‘Dice’ cabinet is very exciting and there are some great licenses in the pipeline like ‘Star Wars’ and ‘talkSPORT’.
Content Development Director Paul Slavin said, “We’ve been looking to strengthen the development team for some time and Mark fits the bill perfectly. Fatspanner has always been development led and with what we feel is now the complete package for high quality content provision we can really stay ahead of the pack. The amount of content we are capable of turning out allows us to offer our customers exclusive content for the ‘Dice’ and ‘Open’ platforms and puts us in a really strong position for the future”.
‘Menu 7’ is the very latest content update release from SWP terminal provider FatSpanner for its successful O.P.E.N. terminal and it will be winging it’s way, free of charge, to all O.P.E.N. customers in the next few days. The new release includes an impressive 13 new top titles, 4 of which will be exclusive to O.P.E.N., such as licensed title ‘talkSPORT Quiz’ and ‘Round the Board’, a darts game endorsed by legends of the game Eric Bristow and John Lowe.
SWP specialists FatSpanner have appointed a new Sales Executive to help further their ambitions of expansion within the highly competitive sector. Jamie Parkinson has joined the firm having recently parted company with former employer, Games Warehouse, where he’s been for the last two years during their most successful period of sales.
FatSpanner continue their tradition of charity donation by backing a bike ride the length of the country in aid of Leukaemia Research. The challenge was completed by Eddie Collins and Jason Brookes in ten gruelling days and raised an impressive £6500 for the charity in memory of two family members who were sadly taken by the disease. Around 25,000 people are diagnosed every year in the UK with various blood cancers and sadly a considerable number do not survive. Leukaemia Research is the only registered charity dedicated to research into treatments and cures for the various forms of the disease, thanks to their work survival rates are improving year on year. FatSpanner is only too pleased to be able to help out, well done Eddie and Jason!
UK SWP terminal and content provider FatSpanner has just announced the appointment of long time industry professional Clive Barrett to its ever growing staff. Barrett formerly of Maygay, RES and more recently Astra Games will take on the role of General Manager with day to day responsibility for Sales, After-sales and Support, Accounts, Purchasing and Manufacture.
SWP game and terminal provider FatSpanner have signed a license agreement with UK national radio station talkSPORT to develop branded SWP content. The deal will run provisionally over 2 years and will potentially include several game releases.
