The Future of Gaming, With Scott Burton of FansUnite Entertainment
An Interview With Penny Bauder
You need to understand the market so you can create a theme that will appeal to the end user on an emotional level. Players connect with the games they play. They feel them, they live them. It can’t just be a hobby, it has to become a habit. Hit the player right in the ‘feels’ and you’ve got a chance at success.
As a part of our series about what’s around the corner for the toy, game, and video game industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Scott Burton.
Scott is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 20 years of operational experience and is considered a pioneer in the esports betting industry. He co-founded Tedbets.com, a peer-to-peer wagering platform which was awarded the 2014 “Game to Watch” award at ICE Totally Gaming, the leading casino and sports betting industry exposition. Scott was the Chief Executive Officer of Askott Entertainment prior to its merger with FansUnite (CSE: FANS), and has experience securing and overseeing multiple gaming licenses in several licensing jurisdictions (e.g. Malta, Isle of Man).
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share the “backstory” behind what brought you to this particular career path?
After nine years in the lumber industry, I decided it was time to try something else. I went back to school to get my Certified Management Accountant designation (now known as a CPA). But through all of that time, I was consumed by both my love of sports and sports betting. I came up with a concept for a new type of betting product, a social peer-to-peer betting exchange for traditional sports, and was fortunate enough to meet some of the right people at the right time to spearhead the concept into actual business.
Then in 2014, a year into our betting business, I saw an infographic about Twitch.tv that blew my mind and put my world on tilt. The number of hours people were watching video games and the sheer size of the esports audience were shocking. I thought about the number of hours my friends and I spent watching traditional sports and it paled in comparison to the esports figures.
All of our developers were gamers and esports fans. It was a natural progression to create technology that combined traditional and esports betting, which is where we are as a company today.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Our origin story is more happenstance than lighting strike. My girlfriend talks to EVERYONE. She’s a social butterfly. She loves traveling and hearing stories. And while I love her for this, she just can’t help herself — if she hears an accent, she’s going to have some questions. We were in a bar and struck up a conversation with a couple because of their accents. They were quite nice and the guy told me he was an engineer. I thought that meant bridges and buildings. We invited them to join us that weekend at the horse track. We got to talking about my idea for this new business and after laughing at me slightly for wanting to start an internet business (“Yeah, you and everyone else.”), he told me he was a software engineer and he actually really liked the concept. Within a month he had quit his job to join me. That’s how Jeremy Hutchings came to be our CTO and company co-founder. The lesson I took away is to be more open and that my parents weren’t totally correct, good things can happen when you talk to strangers.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are dozens, if not hundreds of people, who have helped me along the way. I could tell stories of people who have given time, energy and resources over the years who have led to significant advancements in the company.
But if asked to narrow it down, there are three people that stand out. Jeremy Hutchings our now CTO and co-founder. Then I have to credit Barry and Andy, who have been successful financiers and entrepreneurs. Early on, Barry told me that he wanted to invest in me. Andy was very similar. They both showed tremendous faith in me and our company, especially in the tough beginning stages. They helped me navigate the world of raising money and financing and were always there for advice on just about everything that pops up when you run a startup.
Without all three of them and the expertise they brought to the table since the beginning, this company doesn’t exist.
Ok fantastic. Let’s now move to the main focus of our discussion. Can you tell us about the technological innovations in gaming that you are working on?
FansUnite is working on quite a few technological innovations right now, but there are two that I would say stand out. The first is our esports stream betting product. It allows viewers to watch the entire event while also being engaged with a plethora of wagering opportunities. For those who don’t bet, it’s still a fun way to watch esports competitions with friends. We were the first company to offer esports in-stream betting and as the industry has continued its astronomical rise in popularity, we’ve continued to up the ante on our in-stream betting options. We see it as the future of the esports betting space.
Our second innovation focus is on Random Number Generated (RNG) casino games. Current slot games and RNG games all look the same — they are simple, target an older demographic and quite frankly, boring. We are creating RNG games that target the younger 18–30 year old demographic, with esports style music and graphics, fast-paced gameplay and non-stop action. This is a prime target of the online casinos our games will be offered in and we believe has the potential to change the way the next generation views slots and RNG games.
How do you think this might disrupt the status quo?
I think it’s more just about the demographic shift into esports. Currently, esports is a sliver of the overall percentage of the online betting marketplace, but that number is about to launch into the stratosphere.
Esports, much like traditional sports, are spectator events. A study by the analytics firm NewZoo showed that more than 40% of those that watch esports don’t play the games they watch. I’m certain the next study done on this will show that number to be higher after the pandemic, and it will continue to grow. In North America, of all the mainstream traditional sports, only the NFL is projected to draw a larger audience than esports.
Gaming companies that haven’t already started implementing an esports plan are already way behind the trend. It’s going to take them significant time and effort to catch up unless they plan to outsource their technology.
What makes a game a good esport? Can you share an example of one?
A great esport game has a balance between strategy and game mechanics that make it not only compelling to play, but riveting to watch. To really be a successful esport, the game needs fans. If the game is too hard for the casual fan to understand, it’ll be a struggle for that title to be sustainable as an esport. The game also needs obvious market options for fans to be able to bet on the game, thus increasing their interest and engagement.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is amongst the best esports games in the industry. The franchise launched in 1999, with the first version of CS:GO in its current form released in 2012, and it has been a force ever since. Through all the updates and upgrades, the core of the game has been the same, and that’s why it has achieved such popularity and loyalty. Anyone can sit down and within a few minutes understand the game’s goals and team vs. team challenges, and that simplicity makes for a great viewing experience — simplistic enough to make for a great fan viewing experience. But it’s also quite technical once you get deeper into playing it, which makes it great for competition for serious gamers.
What are the “5 Things You Need to Know To Create a Successful Game” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- You need to understand the market so you can create a theme that will appeal to the end user on an emotional level. Players connect with the games they play. They feel them, they live them. It can’t just be a hobby, it has to become a habit. Hit the player right in the ‘feels’ and you’ve got a chance at success.
- There is no substitute for themes, visuals and a captivating, challenging storyline. Esports games now surpass the realism of many Hollywood movies. Studios spend more on titles than major blockbuster movies. That level of intricacy is paramount. The details matter.
- The user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) are vital. Your end goal is to keep players on their devices (known in the industry as TOD, time on device) as long as possible. The more enjoyable and streamlined you make that experience, the longer they stay around. If you want to know if a game has long term potential, listen to the players discuss their user experience in the first few levels/challenges. If they are frustrated, the game has a short shelf life.
- Games have to be high quality. That doesn’t just mean they have to look pretty, which they do, but more so they have to perform properly across numerous factors — speed, timing, free of errors, reliable, well designed and efficient loading. Players know when you’ve skimped on design and overlooked quality assurance and they will reject your title for not being up to snuff.
- Any new game is going to face competition from more established titles. You need a strong marketing and sales strategy to get in front of players and to get your message heard. Using established streamers as partners for your game launch is a great way to generate exposure.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up” — Babe Ruth
In the nine years of building the company there have been many hard days, weeks, and months when we could have and possibly given up but we didn’t — now we are a public company with nearly unlimited opportunities ahead.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
