ONLYPLAY unveiled rebrand and Hyper Play demo at SBC Summit Lisbon 2026

ONLYPLAY unveiled its refreshed identity in a physical space for the first time and presented the first Hyper Play demo at SBC Summit Lisbon 2026, with the team’s agenda saturated by meetings across the three days of the event. Face-to-face interactions focused on showing the new brand as well as on integrations, launch schedules and the growing demand for post-go-live support.

ONLYPLAY at SBC Summit Lisbon 2026: the brand as a space

ONLYPLAY’s presence in Lisbon changed how the audience perceived its rebranding. Until then most had seen the new identity on screen; at the summit the brand occupied a stand with digital displays, characters, merchandising, meeting areas and product visual elements. The team noted attendees coming in for meetings, stopping to look at the characters, picking up merchandise and often extending conversations.

Anna Serheieva, Head of Partnerships, summed up the reception:

“What I loved most was that we didn't even have to point out our rebranding. Partners noticed it themselves.” — Anna Serheieva

That spontaneous reaction was particularly valued because many visitors knew ONLYPLAY from previous events and could therefore compare. For the company, seeing partners perceive the change without being told confirmed in practical terms the impact of the rebrand.

Hyper Play and the product direction shown in Lisbon

ONLYPLAY used the event to introduce Hyper Play by ONLYPLAY, the new strategic product direction that merges iGaming experience with game-development techniques from mobile and PC. The stand deployed the first demo and attendees were able to discuss with the team new formats, replayability, multiplayer interaction and designs for deeper session play.

The Hyper Play strategy is led by Eugene Lavrinenko, named as the product lead. Eugene is described as a game developer and serial entrepreneur with more than 12 years of experience in mobile and PC. Over his career he has worked on more than 400 prototypes and on several international hits; in Lisbon partners discussed the roadmap and the mechanisms the initiative will explore with him.

Meetings that produced practical feedback on integrations and service

Most conversations at the stand addressed practical matters: ongoing integrations, results of previous activities, upcoming launches, marketing plans and resolution of technical incidents that are easier to handle face to face. Iuliia Pelekhata, Partnership Manager, said:

“To be honest, I'm not even sure I managed to experience the full scale of the event because almost all my time was dedicated to meetings and conversations with partners.” — Iuliia Pelekhata

The takeaway returned with the team was that partners value both the games and the quality of service and collaboration. Iuliia added that some partners feel comfortable recommending ONLYPLAY to third parties based on prior integration and support experiences. Those recommendations are usually grounded in real evidence: integration flows, support conversations, launches and the team's behaviour after go-live.

Integration and the new focus on the post-launch period

Operators consulted in Lisbon emphasised that integration no longer closes the relationship. Olha Marchenko, Partnership Manager, put it this way: “There's much more focus on what happens next – how you promote that content, engage players, and build long-term relationships with partners.”

That concern translated into meetings where a technical discussion about a future integration immediately led to a promotional plan. Topics that came up frequently:

• marketing tools available for launch;

• promotional activities and content personalization;

• joint planning between provider and operator;

• assignment of support owners after publication in the lobby.

For suppliers, that shift implies additional work around the product and longer-term relationships with the operator after go-live.

The value of meeting in person and the follow-up tasks

Several contacts the ONLYPLAY team had handled by messaging and video call became people with context in a half-hour meeting. Olha described Lisbon as a “good workation”: time to review projects, plan next steps and meet remote counterparts in person. In-person meetings accelerated tone understanding, reduced misunderstandings and sped up complex questions.

When the summit ended the stand was dismantled but the follow-up list grew: proposals to draft, second meetings for marketing activities, launches to review and contacts to write to after spending time together in person. The team’s balance was clear: partners noticed the new identity, service quality was confirmed as a reason for recommendation and expectations about post-launch support increased.

What SBC Summit Lisbon 2026 left for ONLYPLAY and the industry

The Lisbon experience returned ONLYPLAY with very concrete short-term priorities: advance Hyper Play according to the feedback received, convert contacts into concrete proposals and strengthen support and promotion processes post-launch. For the industry the practical conclusion was that physical presence remains a key element in partnership management, and that product conversations now inevitably include the phase that follows launch.

For readers interested in similar events or the B2B partnership agenda, the way ONLYPLAY combined rebranding, a product demo and hands-on meetings offers a replicable blueprint: equip the stand with experiential elements, reserve time for technical discussions and prepare resources for immediate proposals and follow-up.