Light & Wonder confirms Krasimir Kostadinov as Galeforce studio lead

Hannah Gannagé-Stewart

2 July 2026 at 5:43am UTC-4

Source: Shutterstock

Email, LinkedIn, and more

Light & Wonder’s new studio, Galeforce, will be headed up by former Red Tiger Game Lead Krasimir Kostadinov.

The core team has already begun working on new games and the studio is expected to house a ramped-up team of more than 20 in Sofia, Bulgaria, by the end of this year.

Article continues below ad

“It is very rare to be presented with an opportunity to build a studio from the ground up in a new location for Light & Wonder,” Kostadinov said. “As a studio, we will be focused on delivery of high-quality market tailored content for EMEA. I believe we have a unique opportunity to target specific sectors of this market, moving at pace to deliver content from the start of 2027.”

Kostadinov has more than 25 years’ experience across multiple igaming businesses. Most recently he was Game Lead at Red Tiger, alongside running Amazing Slots, which he founded in 2020.

Prior to this he has been Head of Product at The Better Platform, Chief Executive at Slotvision, and started his career at Casino Technology, where he worked for 22 years in various project and compliance management roles.

Article continues below ad

Light & Wonder told COMPLETE iGAMING it is experiencing high demand from operators to release more EMEA-focused games. Galeforce, which launched last week, will develop and release content designed specifically for players in regulated EMEA markets.

View Hannah Gannagé-Stewart's bio and articles.

Locations:

Verticals:

Casino

Sectors:

Suppliers

Topics:

Dig Deeper

The Backstory

Light & Wonder builds a regional content engine

Light & Wonder’s decision to put Krasimir Kostadinov in charge of Galeforce is the latest step in a broader push to make its igaming business more local, faster and more responsive to regulated markets. The Sofia, Bulgaria-based studio is not being positioned as a small satellite office. It is intended to become a dedicated development hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with more than 20 staff expected by year-end and a mandate to create games tailored to specific player groups across regulated jurisdictions.

The appointment gives Galeforce an experienced operator at a time when suppliers are under pressure to prove that global scale can still produce local relevance. Kostadinov has spent more than 25 years in igaming, including a long tenure at Casino Technology and more recent work at Red Tiger and his own business, Amazing Slots. That background matters because Light & Wonder is not simply expanding headcount. It is trying to shorten the distance between market intelligence, product development and operator demand.

The studio itself was announced shortly before Kostadinov’s role was confirmed, when Light & Wonder said Galeforce would expand its EMEA development capacity. The company described the hub as a way to release games more efficiently and build content designed for regulated markets rather than adapting a one-size-fits-all portfolio after launch. That framing reflects a larger shift across online casino: suppliers are increasingly building regional production capacity as regulation fragments growth opportunities by country.

A leadership reset around igaming growth

Galeforce also lands under a changed leadership structure. Light & Wonder promoted Simon Johnson to igaming CEO earlier this year, replacing Dylan Slaney after more than seven years with the company. Johnson had previously overseen international commercial activity for the company’s gaming business, experience that made him a logical fit as Light & Wonder sought to align digital growth with regulated-market expansion.

That appointment signaled that igaming was not being treated as a side channel to the company’s land-based gaming heritage. In announcing that Johnson would lead Light & Wonder’s igaming business, the company said he would report to President and CEO Matt Wilson and join the executive leadership team. The move put digital gaming closer to the center of group strategy at a time when newly regulated markets are opening in phases, often with different product, licensing and distribution demands.

The leadership change helps explain why a dedicated EMEA studio is strategically important. A business chasing regulated expansion needs more than distribution deals and a large back catalog. It needs product teams that can interpret local preferences, deliver at operator speed and adapt mechanics, themes and volatility profiles to markets where player behavior can differ sharply from mature jurisdictions. Galeforce gives Johnson’s igaming division a new development lever in a region that includes established European markets, newer African opportunities and emerging Middle Eastern frameworks.

Lessons from newer markets shape the Sofia strategy

Light & Wonder’s recent expansion has shown why local assumptions can be risky. In an interview on new markets, Magdalena Podhorska-Okolow, the company’s vice president of new markets, described a “fail fast” approach after the supplier entered jurisdictions where prior land-based strength did not always translate directly online. Her comments underscored a central challenge for global suppliers: a familiar brand or casino floor hit may resonate with some digital players but mean little to others.

The Philippines was one example. Light & Wonder had deep relationships with land-based casinos and integrated resorts, making online entry appear to be a natural extension. But the company found that many online players were in remote areas or outside the traditional casino customer base. That meant some land-based titles had less immediate recognition than expected among purely online users, even as they performed well with existing casino patrons moving into digital channels.

Brazil offered another lesson. Light & Wonder entered the regulated market in 2025, but Podhorska-Okolow later said deeper local scaling earlier would have accelerated progress. The Brazilian market was not just a Portuguese-language version of existing North American or European operations. It included global operators, a large group of local licensees, multiple platforms and brands and a commercial structure that required careful mapping. The company has since increased local focus, including marketing partnerships and distribution work.

Those experiences help frame why Galeforce is more than a recruitment announcement. The studio gives Light & Wonder a base designed to internalize market nuances before games reach operators. In Light & Wonder’s discussion of emerging-market strategy, the company emphasized adaptation over forcing existing products into new environments. Galeforce appears to apply that lesson to EMEA by putting design and production capacity closer to the region’s commercial needs.

Distribution deals widen the content funnel

Light & Wonder’s studio strategy is developing alongside a wider distribution and aggregation push. The company has used its Infinity aggregation platform and partner programs to extend its reach while bringing third-party content into regulated markets. That gives operators access to more titles and gives smaller studios a route into jurisdictions where compliance, platform integration and commercial relationships can be difficult to build independently.

In North America, Sydney-based Red Desert Games joined Light & Wonder’s Spark Studio partner program ahead of its launch across regulated U.S. and Canadian markets. The deal allowed Red Desert Games to distribute titles through Light & Wonder, showing how the company is combining internal production with outside studio partnerships. That model can increase portfolio diversity without requiring every mechanic or theme to be developed in-house.

In Latin America, Light & Wonder has also been expanding content access through operator partnerships. SkillOnNet strengthened existing deals with Light & Wonder and ELK Studios to bring games to Mexican players through Spanish-language casino brands, including PlayUZU. The SkillOnNet expansion in Mexico included well-known Light & Wonder titles and ELK content, illustrating the value of both acquired studios and established brands in regulated markets.

These deals are relevant to Galeforce because they show the two sides of Light & Wonder’s content strategy. Aggregation and partnerships broaden supply, while owned studios such as ELK, Lightning Box and now Galeforce create proprietary content that can be shaped around strategic markets. The combination gives the company optionality: it can distribute external innovation, lean on proven franchises or build new regional products where gaps appear.

Regulated expansion raises the stakes

The emphasis on EMEA reflects where much of the next phase of regulated igaming growth may be contested. Light & Wonder has already cited expansion into South Africa in 2023 and Brazil in 2025 as part of its international push. The company has also been monitoring opportunities in the Middle East and Africa, including South Africa, where its land-based casino games have performed strongly, and the United Arab Emirates, where supplier licensing has moved ahead of broad operator activity.

Regulated markets can be attractive because they offer long-term stability, but they also raise costs and complexity. Certification, local compliance, responsible gambling rules, operator licensing structures and tax regimes vary widely. Content that performs in one market can underperform in another because of culture, channel mix, player income, device use or the influence of land-based casinos. For suppliers, the commercial prize is significant, but so is the execution risk.

That is the context for Kostadinov’s appointment. Galeforce is expected to begin delivering market-tailored content from 2027, giving Light & Wonder time to build the team, establish workflows and align product road maps with operator demand. Sofia also offers access to a mature regional talent pool with long-standing ties to casino technology and game development. Kostadinov’s background across product, compliance and studio leadership fits the task of building a team that must move quickly without losing sight of regulated-market requirements.

For Light & Wonder, the stakes are competitive as much as geographic. Major suppliers are racing to localize portfolios while protecting margins and maintaining release cadence. Operators want games that stand out in crowded lobbies, meet compliance standards and speak to local player preferences. Galeforce is Light & Wonder’s answer to that pressure in EMEA: a bet that regional development capacity, led by experienced local leadership, can turn expansion into sustained market share.