‘Experienced industry figure’ Deane Hendricks appointed as Wizard Games’ COO

Aspire Global’s Pariplay has announced the boosting of its Wizard Games studio team through the appointment of “experienced industry professional” Deane Hendricks as chief operations officer.

Mr Hendricks’ role will be to develop growth strategies for the newly branded in-house games team, liaising with operator partners to ensure that Wizard Games products deliver the most value-driven igaming experiences within regulated markets around the world.

He celebrated his appointment and presented an optimistic outlook for the coming year, saying: “This is an exciting time for everyone at Pariplay and in particular, the newly launched Wizard Games studio brand that has created waves in the industry already following the announcement of its launch.

“We are blessed with a highly skilled creative team and it is important that we can continue to demonstrate to operator partners products that can really deliver. The product roap for 2022 is exciting and I am determined to build on our current momentum to deliver strong growth.”

With over a decade of experience in the industry, the new appointee was most recently COO for GameART.

He also held the roles of game product owner lead Malta and senior game product owner at NetEnt, and casino games producer at Play’n GO.

Wizard Games operates as a distinctive business unit within Pariplay and holds high ambitions for 2022, with 28 titles expected to be added to the 120 plus that are currently within the studio’s portfolio.

Joey Hurtado, managing director of Wizard Games, welcomed him to the team, saying: “Deane’s impeccable credentials in the industry as a leader and innovator will serve us well as we embark on our journey.

“His appointment is in itself an illustration of just how serious and determined we are to make a lasting impact by delivering the best possible products for our operator partners around the world.”