Meet The Slots Creators – Caleta Gaming’s CEO Fabíola Jaeger Interview for Slots Calendar

— Can you introduce yourself? Tell us a bit about yourself, please.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Caleta Gaming. I’ve been working with software development for about 20 years and in the gaming industry, specifically,  for around 12 years. I graduated in Information Systems at UFSC, a public University of Santa Catarina State, located here in Florianópolis – south of Brazil, where Caleta is based.

— Can you tell how your career has been developing and how you got into iGaming? What attracts you to the industry?

I worked on the development team of a gaming company around 13 years ago. My task at that time was to create mathematical models for casino games. So once the games were developed, I was also involved in the testing to make sure the RTP of the game was accurate, adjust the math if necessary, tweak the gameplay to make the games more engaging, and so on. During this time, I met Paulo, my co-partner, and we both love games and saw big potential in this market, so we decided to set up our own business. 

— You are a Co-founder & CEO at Caleta Gaming. Can you tell why you decided to open your own studio?

Since I was very young, I have always loved mathematics, and following this path of discovering the universe of mathematics within the Gaming industry was a natural progression.

— Tell us what unexpected difficulties you faced during the opening and the first days of working, and how you solved them.

When we created Caleta in 2013, we were about four people. We didn’t have the resources to hire more people at that time. So we had to do a bit of everything, tasks we knew as math, game development, and tests, and tasks we didn’t know, such as business management, financial, commercial, marketing, art, and sounds. It was challenging, but it taught us a lot about the market. This is one of the reasons why we have a very efficient and effective team today,  as we know exactly what needs to be done and improved in each area of the company.

— What games by Caleta Gaming should every player try and why?

Banana Bingo is a very light game and players looking to get into the world of Bingo will surely appreciate the atmosphere of this one.

World Wild Cup is a cluster slot game that brings the action of a football match to the player and the gambling experience. It has unique features and is all-around great fun.

And for those looking for a classic game, Cherry Cherry is a great option to play.

— What bonus games by Caleta Gaming do players like the most?

There are plenty of types of bonuses to engage players, but free spins are always popular. Even more when they come with exclusive features like increasing multipliers and sticky wilds. Another classic bonus is the wheel with huge wins. The important thing is to provide the player with the fun factor of the bonus game with the chance to reach great prizes.

— Tell what the process of slots development in your company looks like. How many people take part in it and how much time does development of one slot from scratch take?

It all starts with the research and brainstorming of a few ideas with the game design team, then it goes to art development, coding, QA, marketing, and the release process. Around 25 people are involved in any game we develop, between game designers, artists, developers, QA, marketing, and managers. This process can take between 3 to 6 months from the concept to release. It varies from game to game.

— You started your career as a Web Developer, then you became a Game and Math Developer, and then you started working as a сo-founder & CEO at Caleta Gaming. Has your knowledge in development come in handy during working at Caleta Gaming or you don’t take part in it anymore?

My knowledge of development for sure was and continues to be very helpful. I try not to involve myself in game development anymore, but as a leader, I teach and assist my team when needed t or when I feel they could do things in a more efficient way. Spreading knowledge forward is crucial to growing healthily. As a Chief Executive Officer, I constantly learn a lot from other people as well. Having an open mind to not stop learning is very important.

— You launch games in different genres, in your portfolio you already have Bingo, Keno, Lotto, Scratch Card and slots, for sure. Should we expect any other game genres? 

We are always looking for opportunities to bring something new and unique to our audience. Like creating innovative ways to interact with classic games, like Fruitverse, that offer a new experience to Bingo players. I would say you can expect anything from our creative teams.

— In one of your interviews you said that you have focused on obtaining the Malta license. Why is it important for you?

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is one of the most respected in the world, and holding a license from it is seen globally as a vote of confidence. Increasing Caleta’s visibility in the market is a fundamental step for us to grow and solidify our business. We will keep promoting and strengthening our brand and the Malta B2B license from the Malta Gaming Authority will bring us even more notoriety.

— Who creates ideas for new slots? What inspires you to create such amazing games?

In the beginning, my partner and I would come up with titles and themes that were popular and develop them into our games. As the company grew, we built creative teams that research and unfold ideas into concepts and from there they come up with unique features and mechanics. The inspiration comes from being players ourselves, that’s why we make it our mission to make better games with each new release.

— How do you understand that players will like a game? Do you trust your guts or do you have any criteria for this? 

I’d say we try our best to balance both. We do a lot of research and look for data to back up our decisions during development, and we are always looking for ideas that will change the game and give us a differential. But in the end, we understand that the player will enjoy a game that is fun and fair. That is our criteria.

— Can you share the company’s plans for the future? What games should players expect from Caleta Gaming in the future?

Expand our business to regulated markets we are not yet, by obtaining new licenses and certifications. About the games, soon we will release news, but our roadmap for 2023 is filled with unique and exciting experiences. I can’t get into details right now, but players can expect a lot of fun to be had with our games.

Source: Slots Calendar