“We poured our hearts into creating the studio space, and I’m confident it shows” – LiveCasinos.com Interviews ATMOSFERA CEO Yury Ermantraut

About a year and a half ago, we had the distinct honor to interview Yury Ermantraut, the CEO of ATMOSFERA. It’s been an eventful couple of years since then – in more ways than one.

As a software provider, ATMOSFERA is known for its attention to detail and a distinct sense of style – something we discussed at length in our fascinating interview with studio director Arsen Barsegyan.

This relatively young but exciting live casino software provider is still going strong, and we took another opportunity to talk to Yury about the company, its games, and its past and present.

We've gotten wiser, more experienced, and more stable along the way. But one thing that hasn't changed, and that's for sure, is our ambitions and our character.

Yury Ermantraut, CEO & Co-owner of ATMOSFERA

Hello Yury, and welcome back to LiveCasinos.com. We’re very excited to have you with us again! We don’t like to repeat ourselves, but we’ll still start with some introductions for the benefit of newer readers. Can you tell us a few things about yourself and ATMOSFERA?

Hey everyone! I’m the co-owner and CEO of ATMOSFERA company. We’ve been rocking the live casino game scene since 2019. We kicked off our journey with lottery products thanks to some exclusive initial orders, but then we switched things up and revamped our strategy to focus on creating awesome casino games.

It’s been some time since our last interview in 2021, and we’re all a bit more experienced and (hopefully) a bit wiser. Do you think ATMOSFERA changed as a company since then? If so – how?

The company hasn’t changed drastically. We laid down a solid foundation from the start, which shaped our path. We’ve gotten wiser, more experienced, and more stable along the way. But one thing that hasn’t changed, and that’s for sure, is our ambitions and our character.

Do you have any highlights from the company’s journey so far? Are you particularly proud of a game you made or a challenge you had to overcome?

Our employee turnover rate has been almost non-existent for the past 2 years. Our core team has been rock solid since 2019. We’re stoked to release a kickass product every year that we’re proud of.

We all like to think of the positives first, but every story has both ups and downs. Were there any particularly harsh lessons you or ATMOSFERA had to learn, or punches you had to roll with?

We’re a tough, resilient team that can handle any kind of harms with great coordination. That’s partly why it’s hard for me to pinpoint specific moments right now because for us, it’s just another ordinary day where we stick together as a team and swiftly find solutions. That’s how we toughen ourselves against any difficulties.

Every year brings us new surprises, and let me remind you that when we first started, we thought changing the user experience wouldn’t be as scary as it turned out to be. As our team grew, we invested a lot of time in various motivational aspects to keep our core intact. Neglecting such things in a timely manner can leave you without people, without a team.

There was a time when we almost found ourselves without a backup team. Ahead of us lies the challenge of scaling, both as a team and with our product. I’m sure life will bring us surprises, and we’re ready for whatever comes our way.

If you could turn back time, would you have done anything differently? If yes, what and why?

I wouldn’t change much, to be honest. It doesn’t mean we haven’t made mistakes or learned from them. We’ve made plenty. This path was meant for us to become who we are now. But if we wanna get all imaginative, life is a crazy mix and match. You never know what would’ve happened or what you would’ve faced without those resources and knowledge. Maybe you would’ve ended up going nowhere.

What Lies Ahead

Ahead of us lies the challenge of scaling, both as a team and with our product. I'm sure life will bring us surprises, and we're ready for whatever comes our way.

Speaking of changes, let’s look at the industry as a whole. Would you say the live casino vertical or the gaming industry significantly changed in the past couple of years? If so, how? Do you think ATMOSFERA’s place in the live casino world changed?

I think the foundation of live casinos has been pretty much set in stone, just like the whole gambling scene. Every year we see these new trends popping up, taking the market by storm. Like lately, the crash games have been making waves. It’s awesome to see the market filled with ambitious and proactive people who are making breakthroughs. It’s what keeps us motivated.

In our minds, innovation has been crucial to live casino games for quite a while now. ATMOSFERA has been a very creative provider since day one, but most of your competitors are also moving away from established conventions and trying to find the “next big thing.” How do you see the past, present, and future of live casino game design? Will things be fundamentally the same, or will we see the industry move in new directions?

At the end of the day, the market is still driven by classic products like live roulette, blackjack and baccarat. Sure, game shows have brought in some excitement and innovation, but they’re still built upon those classic games. Besides the importance of creating a killer design, it’s crucial to make sure the product runs flawlessly and stays stable.

Now, coming back to your question, our main focus is all about creating a unique vibe and keeping users hooked on the game. We’ll keep pushing ourselves to find our own little niche in this bustling market.

Let’s get back to ATMOSFERA specifically. What are the plans for the new season? Do you foresee new challenges or big changes?

Every year, we set ourselves challenges. In addition to the yearly product challenges, we also improve our internal processes and procedures, which help us develop products faster and more reliably. For instance, in 2022, we really doubled down on documenting our IT processes in great detail. It may not be visible to the clients, but it’s definitely something we’re super proud of.

Of course, we can’t miss the opportunity to talk about new and upcoming releases. ATMOSFERA’s first Live Blackjack game recently went live – a timeless casino classic that you were yet to tackle. What can you tell us about the game and its features?

What we’ve just unveiled to the market is a classic product with basic gameplay mechanics. Exciting side bets and awesome features are waiting for players in the next release. We poured our hearts into creating the studio space, and I’m confident it shows, even to the naked eye. We’re sure that players will feel right at home in this space and enjoy spending lots of time gaming.

Your recent LinkedIn post mentioned that developing the blackjack table was particularly challenging – a process that took a whole year. Are there any challenges or hurdles unique to bringing blackjack to live casinos? If so, how did you overcome them?

Blackjack is the most complex game to develop among classic products, and possibly even among all. This product has a complex multi-level gaming logic. Let’s make it easier to understand by comparing it to live roulette.

In this game, communication between the studio and the game client exists in a one-way manner. Data about the outcome is sent to the game client.

In blackjack, the game and the studio are in constant communication, while the players have tons of combinations to consider, like splits and doubles. This process of accurately describing the gameplay logic, along with the proper integration of studio software and the game itself, is extremely meticulous and challenging.

Are there any other upcoming releases you would like to announce? Is ATMOSFERA cooking up anything else – maybe some other card games?

Every year we set ourselves new product challenges, and the product challenge for 2023 will be a game show product. It’s going to be a hot summer! In terms of development, we’re also working on both baccarat and possibly games for a specific market as well.

Card games will definitely be a great addition to our portfolio, but our main focus and challenge lie in creating the game show experience. We’re taking it up a notch by combining two RNGs – roulette and a lottery machine.

Get ready for an exciting blend of thrills and surprises.

That covers everything we had to ask this time around. Thank you for your time and the hard work you put into making the games we love. If there’s anything else you would like to say or announce, now’s your chance!

Thank you for always interesting questions! Get ready for a sizzling hot summer and see you at offline events.

If you want to know more about ATMOSFERA, their products, and the best casinos to play their games, check out this page.