Marijana Zagorac, A1 Hrvatska: We are the regional leader in gaming

The gaming league, gaming festival, and the promotion of education for game developers are not just a game for A1 Hrvatska. Gaming is an integral part of strategic business, and Marijana Zagorac, the coordinator of media strategy, gaming, and sponsorship at A1 Hrvatska, emphasizes that after years of investment, they have emerged as a regional leader in gaming. Gigabit speeds, she said, on the A1 network provide the best online gaming experience, investments are made in content development that brings together a broad regional community of gamers, and partnerships contribute to the development of the industry itself and positively impact the environment through socially responsible projects.

How has gaming become part of your strategic business?

– The gaming industry has been a popular topic globally for some time, and the Analysis of the Croatian Video Game Producers Industry, conducted by the Cluster of Croatian Producers with the support of A1 Hrvatska, showed that it significantly impacts the Croatian economy. Therefore, I can proudly say that we were among the first to recognize the potential of gaming back in 2017 and launched the A1 Adria League (A1AL). Since we provide 5G and the widest optical network in Croatia and are a leader in digitalization and innovative technological solutions, the world of gaming was a logical strategic choice.

How can gaming influence the youth?

– Gaming is much more than just playing. It enables communication with people around the world, and this is a significant advantage, especially appreciated by the new generations. In this sense, there are no boundaries, whether it concerns passionate esports players or amateurs. Of course, this advantage also carries potential dangers, which is why, in collaboration with the Center for Safer Internet (CSI), we are developing numerous digitally socially responsible projects. Thus, in A1AL, as the most prominent strategic project, we imposed a zero-tolerance rule for hate speech and toxic behavior from the very first day of the competition.

What is the goal of the A1 Adria League?

– We can say that A1AL, in its seventh year of existence, has established itself as the longest-running gaming league that brings together the best gamers from Croatia and the region. With this project, we wanted to provide a platform for regional players to develop on ‘home’ ground and participate in larger European esports leagues and competitions. Our success is reflected in the numbers collected from the ten leagues held, in which more than 14,000 domestic and international players participated. They competed for a prize pool of a total of 1.3 million kuna, with over 55 million impressions from around the world. To remain interesting to our loyal number of fans, which is constantly growing, we strive to follow global trends and continuously introduce innovations.

You also collaborate with Reboot.

– Reboot is our long-term business partner, but also a friend, with whom we successfully collaborate on many projects. For seven years, we have been the general sponsor of one of the largest gaming festivals – ‘Reboot InfoGamer powered by A1‘, which we support through the A1 network for the best gaming experience with the lowest latency. Since it is a live event, we had to adapt during the pandemic and devised an online format ‘Reboot Online Games Week powered by A1’. Regardless of all obstacles, we wanted to enable gaming for everyone during the pandemic. We are very satisfied with the held online format, but we all eagerly awaited the ‘Reboot Games Weekend powered by A1’.

After three years, in November, we held this two-day live event at Velesajam, also as an adapted version of ‘InfoGamer’. As part of this shorter gaming meeting, the jubilee final of the tenth edition of A1AL was played. In honor of this significant anniversary and long-term collaboration with Reboot, we stepped forward as the first telecom on the Croatian market with a special limited collection of NFTs. The series of 1000 pieces was created in collaboration with the regional Hub of NEAR blockchain through the platform h00kd in five different motifs dedicated to the ten seasons of A1AL and Reboot.

Were you surprised by the data from the mentioned Analysis of the Croatian Video Game Producers Industry?

– I was not surprised by the fact that during the two previous years marked by the corona crisis, companies in the gaming sector in Croatia generated consecutive profits exceeding 10 million euros. This result of the Analysis speaks for itself. The share of exports in that revenue amounts to as much as 80 percent, which is almost double the exports achieved by the IT sector, which we often consider the main asset of the economy.

The Analysis further showed that the gaming sector employs domestic labor at a rate of as much as 97.5 percent, mostly various types of artists who were previously in a precarious position before the growth of this industry. Therefore, through strategic investments, we strive to contribute to the development of domestic talents in the world of video games, enabling education and future employment in the technology sector. That is why we have also established a partnership with PISMO incubator powered by A1, from which more than 70 startups have begun their development journey since its establishment in 2018, and more than 240 game developers have been educated.

How do you support the PISMO incubator powered by A1 in Novska?

– For the third consecutive year, through a partnership and friendly relationship, we support numerous projects they are working on because we want to be part of this truly good story. I would particularly highlight the ‘Global Game Jam’, the largest global competition in video game development, which we have supported for the second year in a row. This year, the PISMO incubator powered by A1 hosted as many as 130 competitors in 27 teams as part of the ‘Global Game Jam‘, who had 48 hours to design and complete the development of a video game.

The competitors are young people whom we want to encourage to recognize the gaming industry as their future. Game development is an important part of the industry, and the sale of two Croatian gaming studios for very large amounts indicates that our game developers are indeed at the world top. Therefore, I am happy that we help new generations find themselves in gaming and that some of them may become owners of future unicorn gaming studios.

How do you promote internet safety?

– As one of the leading ICT companies, we recognize the responsibility and obligation of our socially responsible business to provide a safer virtual environment. Although we address all users in the projects we develop in collaboration with CSI, we pay special attention to the youngest, who are particularly exposed. A recent study we conducted in collaboration with the Kvaka agency revealed alarming data. More than 46 percent of children aged between 11 and 13 spend more than four hours online every day, which is already a problem in itself.

When we consider that as many as 53 percent confirmed that during that time they were exposed to inappropriate, vulgar, and frightening content, we know we have a significant challenge. That is why for the seventh year, we participate in marking Safer Internet Day, also in collaboration with CSI, with which the School of Responsible Influencing was launched. This is a project created primarily to influence content creators in the online world, which is why we supported the creation of a digital platform through which influencers as modern role models can educate themselves about proper behavior online.

What other gaming projects do you support?

– We strive to follow global trends and can say that we have so far succeeded in being ‘new’ and interesting. Thus, we created the A1 Gaming Hub traveling station, which, as part of the Gaming Hub organized weekends, allows for gaming experiences throughout Croatia. Additionally, on the A1 Hrvatska YouTube channel, you can find podcast content ‘A1#GamingEdu’, ‘A1#GAMEON’, and ‘A1#GOAT’. These are series we developed in collaboration with gamers and other experts, aimed at beginners who want to educate themselves about the gaming world and those advanced who want to keep up with the latest gaming news or tricks. Of course, for this year as well, we are preparing numerous surprises within A1AL that we will not reveal yet.

*Content created in collaboration with A1 Hrvatska