DELULU Gaming: “Players don’t remember feature lists. They remember how a game made them feel”

DELULU Gaming recently announced the integration of its game portfolio with SoftGamings, making its content available to a global network of operators.

The partnership, the company stated, reflects its belief that memorable content deserves more than visibility. It deserves the right environment to reach operators focused on player engagement, retention, and long-term growth.

Yogonet spoke with Arthur Sheikhaliev, CEO of DELULU Gaming, about the thinking behind the integration with SoftGamings, what the partnership means for operators, and how it fits into DELULU’s broader growth strategy.

DELULU has only recently launched officially, so first of all, congratulations to you and the team. Shortly afterwards came the news of your integration with SoftGamings. Why did SoftGamings become one of DELULU’s first distribution partners?

Launching DELULU was a major milestone for the entire team, but from the beginning, we knew that building great games would only be part of the challenge. Getting those games in front of the right operators matters just as much. 

That’s one of the reasons SoftGamings became one of our first distribution partners. They have built a strong reputation over many years by connecting operators with content that creates real, long-term value. We saw a partner with deep industry experience, strong commercial relationships, and a clear focus on quality. 

We are selective about where and how our games reach the market. For us, distribution isn’t a numbers game, and we do not plan to place our content everywhere as quickly as possible. We want to work with partners whose operators care about product quality, player engagement, and sustainable growth. SoftGamings fits that profile extremely well.

Many providers think about distribution once the games are ready. How early did distribution strategy become part of DELULU’s thinking?

Very early. In fact, we started thinking about distribution before we even started building the games. The two things are closely connected because each market has distinct player preferences, operators, and commercial realities. You can’t build a product first and only then decide where it’s going to live.

When we design a game, we already have a clear understanding of the audience we’re creating it for, the markets we’re targeting, and how that content will be positioned. Distribution, localisation, and product development influence one another, so they’ve always been part of the same strategy rather than separate stages of the process.

From day one, our ambition has been to build a global distribution network across the industry’s leading platforms and operator ecosystems. The integration with SoftGamings is an important step in that strategy, and we’re continuing to expand it through additional partnerships that we’ll be announcing over the coming months.

Operators have access to thousands of games today. What makes DELULU worth paying attention to?

You see, players have changed. They have more choices than ever, and it takes much more to keep them interested than it did five or ten years ago. Simply releasing another slot with familiar mechanics is no longer enough to keep them engaged. 

DELULU was built with that in mind. We don’t see players as passive spectators pressing the spin button over and over again. We design games that encourage people to make choices, react to what’s happening on the screen, and feel involved in the experience. That’s what drives lasting player engagement today.

Operators are looking for exactly that. Today, it’s easy to fill a lobby with thousands of games. But the real challenge is finding content that players will remember and enjoy. We believe that’s where DELULU brings real value. Making our games available through SoftGamings means more operators can access content inspired by that philosophy and better meet the expectations of today’s players.

You’ve spoken before about making players feel more involved in the game. How do partnerships like SoftGamings help you scale that approach?

Every game provider wants more players to experience its products. That only happens when operators can access your games easily. SoftGamings gives DELULU access to a much broader operator network, helping us expand across more markets and introduce our approach to a much wider audience.

Is DELULU’s approach to distribution focused on building a large network quickly, or on being selective about the partners you work with? And can we expect to see more integration announcements in the coming months?

As I mentioned earlier, our ambition is to build a global distribution network by working with the industry’s leading platforms and operators. Every partnership has to make sense for both sides. We look for partners that understand today’s players, share our standards, and see the market in a similar way.

And yes, this is only the beginning. SoftGamings and SOFTSWISS are already part of our global distribution strategy, Alea is currently onboarding, and we’re actively expanding through several other partnerships. It’s an exciting time for DELULU, and there are many announcements still ahead.

Which markets are currently the biggest priority for DELULU, and where do you see the strongest growth opportunities over the next few years?

We’ve always seen DELULU as a global company, but every market has its own pace, regulations, business environment, and player expectations. That’s why we don’t believe in applying the same strategy everywhere. Growth only works when you understand the market you’re entering.

Right now, our main focus is building a strong presence across Europe and the CIS while continuing to expand in the sweepstakes segment. Looking further ahead, Latin America, Asia, and Africa are markets we’re watching very closely. They’re developing quickly, and we see lots of opportunities to bring fresh ideas and distinctive content to operators there.

The industry is producing more content than ever. In your view, what is still missing from the market today?

The industry certainly doesn’t lack content. What it lacks is content that leaves an impression. Every week brings another wave of releases, yet very few games give players a reason to remember them a week later. I think the industry has become very good at producing games and much less focused on creating experiences.

And here is the opportunity we see. If players leave a session feeling they’ve simply completed another routine, we’ve missed something. A great game should surprise people, involve them, and make them want to come back because they enjoyed the experience.

Many game providers compete on volume, features, or promotional tools. What is DELULU deliberately doing differently?

We’ve never measured innovation by the number of features in a game. Players don’t remember feature lists. They remember how a game made them feel. That’s why every decision we make starts with the player experience. If a mechanic creates more interaction, more anticipation, or gives players meaningful choices, it stays. If it doesn’t, we move on. Great games just make players want to keep playing.