Exclusive: Mfuse reduces headcount as refocusing begins
Mobile supplier looking at trends "in the gaming industry and beyond" after former licensees bring mobile development in-house
Mobile gaming supplier Mfuse has made 19 members of staff redundant after losing a number of high-profile clients, eGaming Review has learned.
Mfuse chief executive Geoff Read expressed his “sadness” at being required to cut the firm’s headcount, but revealed the company “has been planning and building out a number of new products to take the business forward”.
The redundancies come following three high-profile licensees moving to in-house development and Read told eGR there has been a “clear shift by the industry to bring mobile sports betting services in-house” over the last 12 months.
Betfred was among the more recent licensees to bring mobile development in-house, as the Gibraltar-licensed operator prepares to launch a new mobile sportsbook. Former Mfuse client Sportingbet also left Mfuse after the joint takeover by William Hill and GVC, with GVC stating it would focus on proprietary software.
Meanwhile a third former licensee, Betsson, has begun the rollout of an in-house smartphone sports betting offering with CEO Magnus Silfverberg suggesting all its brands would have “full iOS and Android access” before the start of the 2013-14 European football season.
However sources at Mfuse have suggested the company’s agreement with Ladbrokes remains active, in spite of the operator’s recent wide-ranging agreement with Playtech.
The redundancies are anticipated to be a precursor to a greater B2C focus as the firm’s current offering becomes more “commoditised”, according to sources close to the company, although eGaming Review understands Mfuse has no current vacancies.
“[We will be] using our obvious skills as mobile developers and the huge insight we have into current mobile and other trends in the gaming industry and beyond,” Read said, noting that details of new products and strategies would emerge before the end of this year.