Shalva Bukia is the co-founder of Spribe, the tech company behind the world’s number one crash game, Aviator.
Founded in 2018, Spribe quickly made a mark in the betting industry with the release of Aviator in 2019.
The game draws inspiration from the emerging world of crypto casinos and was among the first to bring the fast-action crash format into the mainstream.
As is the case with all forms of gambling, it has been a bitter-sweet experience between Kenyan players and the aviator game.
There have been cases of huge winnings, just as much as there have been tales of disappointment.
How the High-Flying Game Works
In Aviator, players place a bet and watch a virtual plane take off. The aim is to cash out before the plane flies away.
When the round starts, the scale of multiplier starts growing. The player must cash out before the lucky plane flies away.
The longer you wait, the higher the potential winnings—but miss the moment, and you lose your stake.
It’s a thrilling balance of risk and reward, with the plane’s sudden disappearance marking the end of a round and the loss of any unclaimed winnings.
The game was made popular by Betway, who partnered with Spribe to bring it to Kenyans, but other operators have quickly jumped on that bandwagon.
Spribe has also offered Aviator to platforms like Betika, SportPesa, 22Bet and others popular in Kenya.
Shalva Bukia collaborated with others to develop Aviator
Although Aviator wasn’t the brainchild of a single individual, Shalva Bukia played a key role in its development.
He credits the game’s success to Spribe’s “horizontal” structure, where collaboration and shared input drive innovation.
Shalva Bukia revealed that the concept behind Aviator was inspired by the rise of crypto casinos.
“We had been observing the emerging crypto casino space since 2017 and noticed a new type of game that was popular with younger players—one that had its roots in the video game industry,” he explained.
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According to Shalva, they saw this as a potential new genre for online casinos, so they rethought the concept, added features, and tweaked the user interface to make it perfect for mobile play.
“With the mechanics in place, we thought about the theme and Aviator, and its aviation theme was ultimately inspired by the multiplayer experience, the social engagement and the unique gameplay that sees control given to the player at take-off and during flight,” Shalva Bukia said in an interview.
Shalva mentioned that their focus was to create a crash game that would be appealing to Generation Z and Millennials.
“Aviator underwent refinement and additions as a collective effort before it was launched in 2019,” he said in a past interview.
“From the initial concept to launch, we focused on combining features from different industries to create an experience that would appeal to Millennial and Generation Z players.”
Shalva holds a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Engineering from Georgian Technical University.
Also Read: What it Takes to Open and Operate a Betting Company in Kenya
Spribe CEO on Vision Behind Aviator
Spribe founder and Chief Executive Officer David Natroshvili said the company was founded with a clear vision—to bring something entirely new to the iGaming industry.
He added that in 2018, they observed traditional casino games were stagnating and recognized a growing demand for social, skill-based experiences.
“That’s what led us to create Aviator the first true multiplayer crash game in the regulated igaming space. Our goal was to bridge the gap between casino gaming and the social, interactive nature of modern mobile experiences,” he said.
“Today, that vision has grown beyond a single game — Spribe is shaping the future of igaming by continuously reinventing player engagement and pioneering new gaming categories.”
Natroshvili said they created Aviator with a simple yet engaging mechanic, inspired by provably fair crash games, but adapted it for regulated markets.
He added that the game’s multiplayer nature, live chat, and interactive features made it an entirely new experience, fostering a community-driven gaming model.
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