Speaking to CasinoBeats, Honney began by sharing some of the challenges that AvatarUX has faced in the last 12 months, highlighting that the company will be doubling down on its commitment to deliver entertainment and excitement for players. 

“I would say the pandemic and the instability it has brought around the world was the biggest challenge we had to face during the past year,” he said. “However, I have to say we have managed to adapt quite well and created an operating model that lets us work without any major disruptions. 

“Of course, we are missing the more frequent igaming events and meeting partners and industry professionals in person, but we have achieved so much by operating fully remotely last year that, despite the situation, I am pleased with the results. 

“This year we simply continue with our plans and keep on offering entertainment and excitement to players. We not only want to release new games and features, but also focus more on promotional tools and gamification. So, I’d say for 2022, we are upping the game.”

So what role will innovation play in AvatarUX’s company development in 2022? Well, for the AvatarUX MD, we can expect to see a range of new products and features which he hopes will disrupt the current market offering. 

Giving us a sneak peak of the upcoming Lollipop title, which is due to be released at the end of this month, Honney noted that players will now be able to enjoy access to the firm’s new Scatter Reward Upgrade feature.

He explained: “Innovation is also key to our work. We are always seeking new ways of offering more engaging and fun products. We have big plans this year and you will see many ground-breaking things coming out. 

“One that I can mention already and that players can enjoy pretty soon is the introduction of new features in our upcoming game Lollipop. This new title, set to be released end of the month for partners with direct integrations and globally in April, will introduce a very interesting and innovative element called the Scatter Reward Upgrade. 

“This new feature will upgrade scatter symbols to higher value during free spins creating additional win potential. This is of course just one example of what is coming up with plenty more features we are discussing and planning on.” 

Building on from this, innovations such as the Scatter Reward Upgrade can help bolster engagement and retention among new and existing players.

When we quizzed Honney about this, he emphasised that audiences want to play games which deliver a sense of excitement. This, he implied, will keep players coming back.

“We know that the audience wants to see and experience new things and we strongly believe that by adding new exciting and quite rewarding features like the one mentioned above can drive engagement and retention,” he added. 

“In the Scatter Rewards feature, for instance, two or more symbols of the same value upgrade to a higher value with each new one causing an even higher upgrade. 

“This can lead to a chain reaction that can quickly turn multiple scatter upgrades to even 500x the bet size. So, it offers potential for some huge wins for the lucky ones. Such innovative features are what we believe keeps the players entertained and willing to choose our games.”

Scatter Rewards aren’t the only innovative feature within the AvatarUX portfolio, with the developer having launched its PopWins offering at the end of 2021. 

Over the next few months, Honney told CasinoBeats that players can expect to see “plenty of permutations” of the PopWins mechanic with the launch of features such as PopCoins, ClusterPops, StickyPops, JackPops and PopXReels. 

In addition, the MD disclosed that plans are in place to also roll out a range of “feature rich games with exciting pre-bonus games, re-triggers, and also jackpots”.

But while innovation is a big focus for AvatarUX, is there such a thing as too much? And if so, how do you balance innovation with the creation of a stand-out gameplay experience? For Honney, there are no limits to innovation. 

“I don’t think there is such a thing as ‘too much innovation’,” he told CasinoBeats, “but I strongly believe that new things have to be presented well to players. If we skip the “educational” process, so to say, players might not understand well all the new things that are being introduced. We do not want to overcomplicate things. 

“The gameplay experience has to always be smooth and entertaining for the player. That’s why we chose to build on our PopWins  mechanics for instance. It is an already known concept, appreciated by many, so any new variation will only add extra thrill rather than disrupting the gameplay experience.”

He went on to explain that in order to elevate the overall gameplay experience, gamification can be a useful tool for any developer – and for AvatarUX, this is a key weapon in its arsenal.

He said: “Like innovation, gamification is also something at the core of our business. We have already taken this concept very seriously when designing various features in our games, but we are upping the game by focusing on developing some ground-breaking promotional features and mechanics with the aim to offer even more excitement in our games. 

“Our idea is to provide options that allow players to feel that they are not playing alone, but indeed playing in a community, where competition and participation can be a major driver in gameplay. So, we plan to approach this by keeping, as always, the player at heart.

“Apart from this, we also want to keep the player experience as our number one priority during our development cycle. We want to engage players to have their say on the games we make, so we can focus on developing what they really want to see and experience. 

“When we come up with ideas, we always discuss and carefully select to go ahead with what we really believe in. Our goal is not to follow and launch what is already on the market, but come up with new, interesting things by, as said, keeping players’ interests in mind. And this is exactly how we think we can make a difference and stand out of the crowd. We want to create products and experiences that the players want and look for.”

The post Marcus Honney: ‘there is no such thing as too much innovation’ appeared first on CasinoBeats.

We’ve seen businesses utilise AI-led technology, VR, blockchain, and now the metaverse in many ways that help them stand out from competitors. However, with some of these technologies still in their infancy, it remains to be seen if they can be used to tap into broader audiences around the world.

Operators across the globe should be receptive to innovations and change, but they should be mindful of how said innovations can engage players and improve their experience. At Wazdan, we are ardent believers in the need for constant innovation and staying ahead of the curve. However, as a supplier, this does not need to be through pioneering new technologies.

Over a decade, we have provided out-of-the-box innovation, passion for games, and reliability to players worldwide. However, our most significant wins are thanks to our ability to give players complete control over their experiences rather than utilising the latest igaming trends.

With hundreds of games released each month and thousands already in existence, it is essential to focus on quality content that stands out and outperforms competitors’ games. Our mantra of ‘quality over quantity’ allows us to remain consistently proud of the games we produce, with our monthly releases providing innovative features, immersive themes, and superb visuals.

Customers are Wazdan’s number one priority, which drives us to deliver some of the best graphics and concepts in the industry. Audiences are always on the lookout for new experiences and the next thrill, and giving them what they want is essential to keep them coming back.

Inventive experiences that facilitate modern preferences

We work round the clock to provide our customers with fresh gaming experiences, with every new title offering unique maths models, varied reel arrays, and various exciting ways to win. Our Hold the Jackpot collection is a testament to this, taking the industry by storm by delivering a unique version of the mechanic in each title that it stars in so that players can enjoy diverse playing experiences.

One of the titles belonging to the collection is Power of Gods: Hades, which has recently received nominations for several honours, including the EGR North America Awards, CasinoBeats Game Developer Awards, and the AskGamblers Awards. The superbly designed game takes players on a visual journey as they cross the river Styx and enter the underworld, which also holds the thrilling Hold the Jackpot bonus round and Cascading Reels for extra winning potential.

Wazdan’s latest Hold the Jackpot creation, Magic Spins, is also proven to engage players with its advanced mechanics and bonus features, including the recently launched Collect to Infinity mechanism, allowing players to collect cash prizes throughout the bonus round. This innovative feature increases players’ engagement and drives revenue growth for our partners.

Furthermore, our upcoming release, 9 Coins, will introduce new Cash Infinity symbols, which stick to the reels until the Hold the Jackpot bonus game is triggered, engaging players for longer and increasing game session length.

Freedom of choice in every aspect

Customisation tools also play a crucial role for suppliers looking to differentiate from competitors. By assisting the creation of flexible experiences and placing the user’s experience at the centre of its values, the industry has continued growing steadily, year on year, without tapping into every new technology or trend that appears on the market.

Wazdan’s titles allow players to choose a variable volatility and speed level and other intuitive customisation tools, ensuring that each game can be catered to their specific needs and preferences. Players can quickly choose from three volatility levels, allowing them to modify the size and frequency of their wins, with high volatility bringing bigger wins but less often and low volatility ushering in more frequent, smaller wins.

We recently expanded the Volatility Levels offering to allow casino managers to choose a default level for their players. This widespread control can provide significant value for VIP managers or specific promotions for partners.

More than just mobile-ready slots

The demand for mobile gaming has grown considerably over the past decade and is always on the rise. Focusing on creating content optimised for mobile rather than desktop devices is critical to suppliers as it allows them to attract new generations of players and their modern requirements.

Our dedication to producing immersive, on-the-go gaming experiences on all devices is evident across our entire portfolio. We provide our players with a collection of customisable features that work with any device, allowing mobile users to utilise our proprietary Volatility Levels tool and other special features like Energy Saving Mode, which enables players to extend the life of their device battery by 40 per cent.

We have devised unique and captivating games since 2010 and will continue to strive to bring as much innovation as possible to the igaming sphere over the coming years. The proof is in the pudding, with games like Magic Spins and the upcoming 9 Coins offering new innovative features, giving Wazdan plenty to shout about as we continue to trawl through a busy igaming calendar.

The post Wazdan: why innovation in igaming doesn’t have to mean revolution appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Yet for Tom Horn Gaming, as we found out from CEO Ondrej Lapides (pictured), some of these challenges have served as a catalyst for creativity as we move into 2021.

CasinoBeats: Firstly, happy new year! 2020 was a difficult year for many within the gaming industry. How was it for Tom Horn? And what were the biggest changes that you had to make?

Ondrej Lapides: Happy new year to CasinoBeats too! The unprecedented events of 2020 were nothing short of unexpected with businesses and industries severely disrupted by the pandemic. Despite all challenges Tom Horn Gaming made consistent progress and saw tremendous growth throughout the year thanks to the dedication and ingenuity of our team. 

As a technology company we always try to be ahead of the curve and make sure we implement the latest technology and the most innovative solutions in our operation. 

As a digital entertainment industry, igaming has been at the forefront  of digital transformation and 2020 only accelerated this direction. Tom Horn was no exception and we fully embraced the perks of the digital ecosystem.

The demand for our content surged in 2020 and we were busy supplying our operator network with new engaging titles. Our foresight alongside an agile and flexible approach definitely helped us navigate through choppy waters of 2020 and achieve great results.

CB: Looking forward to 2021, what can we expect from Tom Horn? Any exciting new games, partnerships? 

OL: We enter 2021 with good momentum to deliver further strategic growth. 2020 was a year of many changes – globally but also internally. We assessed our approaches and perspectives not only on game development but also on how we operate as a company. 

In the past years we have been steadily broadening our network to include premium partners in regulated markets. Now is the time to supply them with even more diverse, high quality content. We’ve started developing new features and mechanics to improve our offering and we will continue in this trend whilst also adding new products that will cater to more specific requirements of local markets. 

Producing unique content with a variety of themes, focusing on niche markets with specific operator needs and player preferences is Tom Horn’s competitive advantage and it makes us stand out from the crowd.

The year ahead will see Tom Horn further enhance our global market footprint and deliver advanced technology and outstanding diversified products across global regulated markets.

CB: Would you say that the disruption of 2020 has acted as a catalyst for more creativity in 2021? 

OL: For sure. Disruption always drives innovation. The igaming industry is a very dynamic organism changing at an incredibly fast pace. 2020 only accelerated the exploration of untapped possibilities in game development, delivery channels and use of the latest technologies. This trend will continue to dominate the igaming industry in the following 12 months.

CB: What is your view on the best approach to working with operators – direct integration or through aggregation?

OL: There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Game development is a highly saturated industry and fighting for market share is always tough. Different clients prefer different types of integration. It really depends on their business model and needs. 

It is easier to leverage direct integration to your advantage as you are more in control both commercially and technically. You can also get more creative with marketing and promotions. 

Aggregation, on the other hand, helps especially smaller providers reach a wider network of operators and enter new markets without regulatory headaches that accompany direct integrations. All in all it really depends on your business modus operandi, however high quality unique content is what ultimately drives operators to your products.

CB: By the end of this year, what would you like to have achieved as a company?

OL: 2020 was a pivotal year for Tom Horn Gaming as a company, but this year is going to be even more momentous as we continue to make strategic enhancements to our product line, strengthening its capabilities and advancing our global presence through strategic link-ups. 

Innovation, unique gaming content and customer satisfaction first will continue to be our powerful mantra to galvanise our position as a global first-choice supplier of exciting igaming products.

The post Why 2020’s disruption has been a creativity catalyst for Tom Horn Gaming appeared first on CasinoBeats.

I am excited to announce a new milestone in our company’s journey. We are unveiling a new slogan and communication that reflect our evolution, ambitions, and commitment to delivering business value to our partners and players. Our new slogan, ‘GET MORE!’, encapsulates the essence of what Playson stands for and the exceptional experiences we offer. 

Why ‘GET MORE!’?

The new slogan succinctly communicates the added value of Playson’s products and services. This slogan embodies four critical aspects of our business: game production, technology and infrastructure, partnerships, and compliance. Each of these pillars contributes to our mission of providing more to our partners and players:

1. Game production: a sensory delight

At Playson, we pride ourselves on creating games that are not just played but experienced. Every game we produce is meticulously crafted to evoke genuine emotions and offer the most enjoyable experience possible. Our commitment to perfecting visuals, sounds, and animations ensures that each game is a passionate creation designed to captivate and entertain. “GET MORE!” reflects our dedication to delivering immersive, high-quality gaming experiences.

2. Technology and infrastructure: innovation meets reliability

While innovation is at the heart of our growth as a tech company, Playson is dedicated to providing field-tested products and solutions that boost our partners’ performance without sacrificing reliability. We believe that technology’s true value lies in its ability to generate profits and unlock new possibilities for our partners. Our slogan, “GET MORE!”, emphasises the tangible benefits our technology brings to businesses, ensuring that every development adds value and opens doors to new opportunities.

3. Partnerships: cultivating a thriving network

Playson is committed to creating a fertile environment for partnerships, where knowledge sharing and best practices drive mutual success. Our goal is to establish a thriving network of like-minded individuals who collaborate to gain a competitive edge. “GET MORE!” signifies our dedication to fostering a community where partnerships lead to continuous shared growth.

4. Compliance: trust and credibility

As the igaming industry continues to grow, finding trustworthy and credible partners is more important than ever. Playson is enhancing and modernising its regulatory procedures to establish itself as a reliable partner in the industry. Our internal code of conduct is based on honesty and integrity, and we expect the same from our partners. ‘GET MORE!’ underscores our commitment to compliance and our role as a dependable partner for business expansion across the multiple igaming markets.

Conclusion

The launch of our new slogan and communication marks the next chapter in Playson’s story. ‘GET MORE!’ is not just a slogan; it is a promise to our partners and players that we are committed to delivering exceptional value and experiences.

We invite you to join us on this exciting journey as we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the igaming industry. Together, we will ‘GET MORE!’ and achieve greater heights than ever before.

The post Playson ‘to deliver more value’ via fresh slogan and communication appeared first on CasinoBeats.

While state lawmakers are yet to be swayed in their droves to authorise online casino games in a similar fashion to sports betting, the stats unabashedly show the US still offers an extraordinary opportunity for global organisations to realise their geographic growth ambitions. $5.5bn in revenue for the first 11 months of 2023 demonstrates the enormous opportunity that US igaming offers.

Greentube, the digital gaming unit of European giant Novomatic, has spent the last 12 months executing its US market entry strategy. Boasting four state licences, Greentube seeks to grow its reputation and presence in the US to gain new links with operator partners as it evolves away from its Austrian roots. 

Meanwhile, further south, the supplier sees another significant opportunity as Brazil gears up to launch a regulated online casino market as part of the sports betting regulation legislation that was passed late last year. 

Greentube’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Bauer catches up with CasinoBeats to talk about its American ambitions, in both the US and LatAm, and how the online casino supplier has built up a foundation of local knowledge and expertise. 

SBC: After a successful 2023, what are Greentube’s biggest strategic aims in 2024 in terms of both product and geography? 

MB: In terms of geography, we will continue to expand in the US, as we gear up to take our offering live in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Our venture into the US has been challenging, in many ways, as we learn the ropes in what is a completely different landscape to Europe. Despite the challenges, we have thoroughly enjoyed it and are pleased with the results we have seen and are excited about the future. 

We will shortly roll out the first games from our Greentube US and Flamingocatz studios, which both bring local knowledge and have a laser focus on US player preferences and trends. This will help us to further cement our presence in the region.  

In Europe, Italy and Germany will remain key markets as well as the Netherlands where we are gaining great traction with our localised content. We are also keeping our eyes on new markets such as South Africa and of course, Brazil, which the entire industry is excited about as it offers great potential.  

Our product enhancement will continue with innovation always at the forefront of our strategy and a driving force in 2024 will be the rollout of our revolutionary new tech stack Mynt that will improve how we produce and supply games.  

SBC: North America has become an important region for Greentube recently, being licensed in a few states. What is it about the region that entices Greentube so much and how do you tailor your content for American audiences? 

MB: The regulated US states offer amazing growth potential for suppliers willing to invest time and resources and that is what we have done. Through the acquisition of Present Creative (now Greentube US) and the stake in Flamingocatz, we have a team of highly-experienced and knowledgeable individuals on the ground that has given us a competitive advantage as they know the quirks of the markets. 

Historically, the US has been at the forefront of product innovation in the land-based casino sector and, as the online markets mature, this will become the case for igaming as well and we are excited to be a part of this evolution.

Localisation is of great importance in the US as player preferences do differ and we tailor our portfolio using themes, mechanics and features that are known to be more popular in North America.  

SBC: What do you make of the slow progress of online casino legislation in the US and the existing market’s developments? 

MB: The existing markets have developed satisfactorily and we are seeing consistent growth in the area. At Greentube, we are not yet live in all regulated states but are working towards boosting our presence in all relevant markets.   

Of course, additional states allowing igaming would be much welcomed to ensure further expansion opportunities in the future. We hope that other state governments will see the success of igaming and consider allowing it, with positive signs in New York on that front, recently introducing a new bill that would legalise online casino and internet lottery in the Empire State. 

SBC: Further south, Latin America is the hottest region on everyone’s lips at the moment. What are Greentube’s plans for Latin America in 2024? 

MB: It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the hype which we are currently experiencing around Brazil and the new legislation. The country has such a huge population that the potential seems endless, so the excitement is understandable. The market is a top priority in our LatAm strategy, both from an integration and product perspective. As part of our expansion plans, we are also likely to extend our sales team in the country to ensure we have boots on the ground. We will also attend the SBC Summit Rio in March to get some more insight into the latest developments and market trends.  

SBC: One of your biggest releases recently has been Diamond Link: Almighty Kraken. What makes the DL series so popular among players? 

MB: The Diamond Link online casino game series was designed to create innovative and entertaining slots that thrill and captivate players around the world and now it boasts some of our top-performing titles. The fundamental mechanic is very well balanced and has proven appealing to players in lots of different regions. We also innovate with the themes and add-on features with every new title to constantly evolve the series and keep the content fresh. Last but not least, all Diamond Link games contribute to a linked jackpot which builds up faster the more players and titles we have on it. The potential of big jackpot wins is hugely appealing to a wide demographic of players, significantly boosting the popularity of the series.

 SBC: What other games can players expect to see on their favourite online casino platforms soon?

SBC: A key game release for us is Piggy Prices which will be launched in the middle of January. The title has proven extremely strong in first tests and through exclusive launches, so we are excited about its potential. We are also building another linked jackpot family with a completely different mechanic while also working on several concepts for non-slot content. There’s a lot going on and much to anticipate, so watch this space. 

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In the second of a two-part roundtable discussion, CasinoBeats spoke with Wizard Games’ Mert Mazmanci, RubyPlay’s Dr Eyal Loz, Kalamba Games’ Piotr Simon, Thunderkick’s Mike Collins and Pawel Piotrowski from Nailed It! to discuss whether there is more room for innovation within the slots sector and what more developers can do to create games that stand out from the crowd.

Mert Mazmanci, Game Producer at Wizard Games: At Wizard Games we obsessively focus on player behaviours. As game developers, we are constantly engaged in a quest to capture the zeitgeist in terms of what appeals most and we do this through the examination of data to find out what is and isn’t performing well and identify key trends around themes and math models, which we can then implement at the game development stage. This makes our process iterative rather than innovative, until we find something so successful it births a wave of copy-cats at which point, maybe we can celebrate an innovation!  

Whilst it’s also very important to conduct fulsome competitor and market analyses, the producer’s imagination is the key aspect and it’s vital that they add their heart into a game. If you can capture a feeling or trigger a strong emotion, then you can connect with players. Analytics are very important, but games must have a certain level of passion within them to be successful, otherwise, they won’t hold the attention. 

We developed and implemented DigiDrop and LayerWays recently and we were intrigued to find out what the player reaction would be. After seeing that it was positive, we tweaked both mechanics and have paired them with new ones as well, on other titles on our upcoming roadmap. Not every new mechanic will be a hit so it’s vital that as developers, we take care to examine how players experienced them so that we can provide for them better in the future. 

Dr Eyal Loz, CPO of RubyPlay: In 1889 Charles Holland Duell, the commissioner of the US Patent Office suggested scaling down the commission’s operation. “Everything that can be invented has been invented!”. Six years later, the modern slot machine ‘Liberty Bell’ was invented by Charles Fey. In hindsight, we know which Charles was right… 

Since then, slot machines haven’t changed much – there are reels that spin and combinations that win, or have they? 

Generation after generation, players discovered the engaging and immersive excitement these games bring, using the available technology, and how these games have evolved over time. Each decade brought some breakthrough mechanic or feature that quickly became the new design standard. 

There is very little incentive for content producers to innovate because slot games are very top-heavy – the most successful 1% of games bring 50% of global revenue. With thousands of games released annually; the odds are that most innovation budget is a sunk cost. The one thing any industry veteran will tell you, however, is that making slots was never easy or always innovative! 

I believe the most promising direction is simplifying complex slot experiences to make them more accessible to younger players, properly utilizing the available technology and some imagination. 

Piotr Simon, Product Owner, Kalamba Games: As an industry, we have undoubtedly reached a point of saturation over the last few years. As the gaming content market becomes ever more crowded, it becomes extremely difficult to generate awareness and positioning for new titles, no matter how distinctive a developer’s ‘voice’ and brand might be. In my view, there’s plenty of differentiation – the challenge is more about exposure! 

But of course, as everyone does, we’re still always trying to innovate and what should guide us towards “real” innovation is to recognise that slots are not just about spinning reels and matching symbols. They can now be pretty sophisticated slices of entertainment, with plenty of advanced features such as bonus games, progressive jackpots, and even totally different formats such as crash games like our forthcoming release, Deep Rush. 

Going forward, the key to innovation is to think like an entertainment brand, rather than a software developer.  This approach opens up many more avenues for developers to explore – certainly themes, narrative, licensing and game format opportunities spring to mind the most immediately.  Thinking perhaps more “traditionally” there is AI and being data-driven to consider and leverage too.

Another area of innovation is, of course in our DNA at Kalamba – the integration of social gaming elements into slots. Social gaming is all about connecting players and creating a community, and igaming is ideally suited to this. Features we’re developing at Kalamba such as shared jackpots, leaderboards, and in-game messaging will naturally enhance the overall gaming experience.  

There is still very much the chance to innovate in slots, and we’re more determined than ever to create truly unique gaming experiences. By pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI, integrating social gaming elements, and tapping into popular culture, we’re very confident that we can differentiate ourselves and create games that really stand out from the competition!

Mike Collins, Game Product Owner at Thunderkick: There is always room for innovation in slot development. However, it isn’t easy to find a combination of layouts, mechanics and features that hasn’t already been done before. Often, when I think we’ve landed on a truly unique concept for a new release, we’ll research and examine the industry to find that the idea has already been executed in one way or another. 

Although that is a disappointing feeling, it drives us to apply these unique ideas in a slightly different way. For instance, our new game, Sword of Shoguns, features the ever-popular expanding symbol feature but on a layout with variable reel height configurations. 

Of course, there are always opportunities to go even crazier and more experimental when it comes to creating slots. Although that sounds fun on paper, it’s sometimes difficult to translate those outside-the-box ideas into a slot game that actually feels fun, which is one of our key objectives. You have to balance ingenuity with practicality. Off-the-wall stuff is great, but only if it has mass appeal to make it commercially viable. 

It might take a considerable amount of time before we see another truly innovative, industry-shifting mechanic make its debut, but I’m sure every provider out there is on the lookout for the next big thing – us at Thunderkick included!  

Pawel Piotrowski Co-Founder, Nailed It!: In a saturated market such as ours, real USPs can be achieved through the development of new features and mechanics. In my view, simple aesthetic changes to titles that are then described as ‘innovative’ have cheapened the word. These games never push the boundaries of the sector. But if we’re fed up with the wording, players are equally becoming disenchanted with some of the products we as an industry are producing – and that is where the rubber hits the road. 

Delivering new ideas that offer contemporary mechanics encapsulates innovation whilst capturing players’ attention and retaining them on operator platforms. Nailed It! delivers our take on innovation by disrupting industry norms and producing revolutionary features, encapsulated best in our forthcoming release Rome Supermatch, which will be the first in a series of Supermatch titles that we are currently developing. 

The feature offers numerous ways to evolve its core gameplay and integrate already successful mechanics from traditional slots, whilst being malleable enough to provide all new styles of play that may not work in a more conventional format.  

The Supermatch mechanic requires three or more symbols to be matched across a row to trigger a cascade. This adds another row of symbols to the reels where any additional matched icon will again trigger another cascade, building a tower of symbols across the matrix. As the tower climbs, the wins increase and provide a crescendo of excitement with multiple features such as respins, multipliers, spreading wilds and mega respins being unlocked at various intervals.  

This mechanical ingenuity is what sets us apart from the competition and offers both players and operators revolutionary mechanics to learn and enjoy. Rome Supermatch is the first of many inventive, original titles we are set to launch throughout the year. Whilst many shy away from using the word innovative we embrace it as a core component of our game development ethos. 

The post Slots: does igaming need more incentive to innovate? appeared first on CasinoBeats.

In the first of a two-part roundtable discussion, CasinoBeats spoke with Blueprint Gaming’s Charlie Jacka, Light and Wonder’s Rob Proctor, Greentube’s Michael Bauer and Realistic Games’ Jaana Repo to find out whether the igaming industry is truly innovating, or whether ‘innovation’ is simply an overused buzzword.

Charlie Jacka, Blueprint Gaming’s Head of Product: It’s understandable where people are coming from when they say this because, on the one hand, we operate in an extremely crowded marketplace and in that people make the most of what is popular. Look beyond surface level however and there are a whole host of elements that are constantly being refreshed.  

Beyond the subtle tweaks, there’s also several projects that we have in development that we can’t talk about at the moment, new products, mechanics and features that haven’t been seen in the market before that we have confidence in – our recent Build a Bonus being a recent example we can talk about.

There are developers, including ourselves, that know the value in taking a proven, existing brand or theme, moving it on 10% and having a lot of success with it. You see that across the board from the triple-A studios and beyond – and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. 

If you take something like our Fishin’ Frenzy and advance it slightly, the casual observer might think this is just another Fishin’ Frenzy. But if you just even slightly change your free spins round, that’s a whole new game to a player and I don’t think games need to be moved on drastically for them to be a whole new thing as far as the player’s concerned. 

You can achieve a remarkable impact with marginal but carefully considered changes – even a slight tweak of a maths profile can result in a game feeling like a whole different experience to the player. So it’s not about wholesale change just for the sake of it. Sometimes that’s required and it’s successful but certainly not each and every time.

There are a lot of providers who are definitely still innovating, creating and doing great things in slots and we’ve certainly got several projects in the pipeline which we’re excited to release – there’s nothing quite like it in the market – so yes, innovation is most certainly alive and kicking. 

Rob Proctor, VP Game Development, Light & Wonder: For Light & Wonder, innovation is so much more than simply developing a new feature or mechanic. 

 It is about creating meaningful content that meets player preferences in specific markets.  

Over the years, we have come to realise that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to content creation and as a result have altered the way we plan our roadmaps. We’ve conducted thousands of hours of research, taking a deep dive into the statistics at a granular level as well as taking onboard operator feedback to understand exactly what it is that players want in any given location.  

One area in which we feel we’re pushing innovative boundaries is with our new Wonder 500 product. This new type of slot has been created to meet the needs of the ever-changing UK market. Wonder 500 titles are modified versions of our proven first-party hits that feature a maximum stake of £2 and a maximum win of 500x.  

These modifications mean that we can offer exciting, bonus-led gameplay that engages casual players while still ensuring responsible gambling is at the heart of our offering. 

It is a unique solution in the market and one that addresses the potential for reduced maximum online staking in the UK. In my eyes, that’s what I’d consider real innovation and differentiation in slot provision. 

Michael Bauer, CFO/CGO at Greentube: If you take the example of the video games industry, which is estimated to be worth US$300bn, few would argue there is no innovation within that space. While the quality of animation, sound and overall presentation has improved hugely in recent years, many game genres – platformers, RPGs and first-person shooting games, for example – have existed for forty years or more. 

Slot provision is similar, in that most studios tend to use familiar themes and mechanics to draw players in while incorporating new twists within an ever-improved audio-visual experience that enhances the game.

As far as we are concerned at Greentube, this marriage of an approachable theme and a fresh playing experience is epitomised within our latest release, Diamond Tales: The Little Mermaid. As with other games in the series, players progress through various chapters by collecting special symbols, reflecting the story-based theme. Featuring the Diamond Tales Feature in which Pearl and Gold Diamond Hearts act to add together and multiply wins, the base game is also elevated through a Snap Drop feature with free re-spins.

We believe we have evolved the fairy tale theme, providing excitement on every spin to help draw in players. Innovation is definitely present within online slots, but it is important not to alienate an audience before delivering those new gameplay elements. 

Jaana Repo, Senior Account Manager, Realistic Games: Innovation is a word that has been unfortunately diluted by its over-abundant use within the igaming industry to describe content and launches when often it perhaps isn’t deserving of the title. However, there is no better synonym to portray our recent hit games, which have received both critical and commercial success because of the way they have evolved themes, mechanics and gameplay features to exceed players’ needs. 

Our next slot, Catch 22, epitomises our stance on innovation, delivering players a title that, whilst aesthetically familiar, has mechanics that push the boundaries of more generic fishing titles. It introduces a feature where infinite spins can be triggered and a way to transform all symbols on the gameboard into instant prize-winning fish. Here, we took the popular premise of a fish-themed game and added our Realistic twist to the mix to create a pioneering reimagining of what a title using this theme can be.

Design-wise, we also explore themes that are often overlooked or underutilised. Chilli Master for example saw us create a slot built around Mexican food with chilli, burritos and tacos making up some of the highest-paying symbols. We could have left the inspiration of the slot there, but we, of course, wanted to take it one step further with the background also depicting a bustling Mexican market and the foreground being adorned either side by Cactus, fiery street art and plates and cutlery to present a fully realised world for players to be immersed in. 

Likewise, one of our hit games last year, Book of Charms revolutionised bonus mechanics that players may already be accustomed to by blending two features allowing players to trigger one of the two bonuses whilst playing the free spins of the other. 

Innovation may be a term that is overused but it also perfectly encapsulates the path we are forging for ourselves at Realistic Games. We have moved on from titles that some may remember us for creating, now crafting more contemporary hits with a focus on game-altering mechanics, engaging themes and mechanical ingenuity that we are proud to describe as innovative.  

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It’s rare to find a slot site lobby that stands out, offering a different range of games or promoting newer studios and content front-and-centre. The industry has become homogenised to the same lobby front page. Yet, it’s no secret that innovation typically occurs at the bottom of the market, where the pace of competition for exposure is the fiercest, and thus the need to disrupt the market is the greatest, not the top.

With a bottle-neck created by slot sites  that only grant exposure to a handful of the most prominent, popular developers and games, is it even possible to break through, or is the lack of diversity killing innovation in slot site lobbies?

Big names dominate: market monopolies, acquisition, and absorption

Despite slot games being a competitive industry that sees multiple new developers hit the market yearly, slot site lobbies seem stuck repeatedly listing ever-popular titles. Starburst, Book of Dead and the oversaturation of Megaways remakes permanently filling the top row leaves little space for new additions. So prevalent are these titles from the front-running studios; some say they’ve earned the industry nickname, “the Swedish mafia”.

We know from the movie, music and more general gaming industry, along with a multitude of academic research, that when market bottle-necks and monopolies significantly affect a market, they do not facilitate innovation. This is a stance taken by many traditional economists, who argue market monopolies stifle innovation, promoting a lack of competition and patenting new tech only to consolidate the leader’s market position rather than encourage revolutionary products.

In the igaming industry, there is a growing trend toward larger studios acquiring newer game developers or forming distribution partnerships. This is often a strategic move in markets like the USA, where licenses are hard to come by. However, depending on how much you adhere to traditional economic arguments, this could also be seen as the more dominant studio ensuring its top spot through absorbing innovation. Strategic acquisitions have been practiced by Scientific Games (now Light & Wonder), Microgaming, and Evolution Gaming (who recently acquired Red Tiger, NetEnt, and, in June, Nolimit City).

While the precise effects of such acquisitions on innovation in smaller studios are unclear, it’s fair to presume that it could affect innovation negatively, as some level of assimilation with the larger studio is bound to take place, affecting operating practices and potentially the product range (which is one of the reasons market monopolies and acquisitions are closely regulated in some markets).

On the other hand, if players are exposed to appealing game content and the smaller developer gets recognised through better lobby positioning, isn’t it a win-win scenario? The answer depends on how much the studio has had to adapt and how they are managed going forward. It must also be considered that the need to innovate is lessened if the smaller studio is acquired.

Innovation: a bottom-up process.

Over the last decade, a significant proportion of the industry’s biggest game innovations have come from newer studios carving their place in the market with disruptive originality. Big Time Gaming, Relax Gaming, Nolimit City and Evoplay (the minds behind the revolutionary Star Guardians slot) are great examples.

However, this showcases a small sample of success stories, with the majority going undetected. The fact that we can point to these examples shows the demand for new games and styles, suggesting that the repetition in games lobbies is not player-led. Even the lobbies of the best slot sites don’t seem to make a big deal out of some of the industry’s biggest games.

Many game studios create innovative new mechanics and concepts, but barriers to success include slot site interest, game marketing, and exposure. This typically leaves new studios with the choice of paying for lobby space and more exposure (increasing the chance of game success), taking less revenue for better positioning, or partnering with a bigger studio.

Paying for space or taking less revenue are strategies that could pay off in the short term (if the studio is successful) but are not sustainable longer-term as it increases financial pressure and operating constraints. While the option of joining a more extensive distribution channel under an almost conglomerate-style business model may alter innovative practices within smaller studios (as discussed above).

Ways forward to a solution?

Is the lack of disparity killing innovation in slot site lobbies? Most likely, yes, as it makes it more difficult for new games to reach audiences and for smaller studios to be successful. As a player, it certainly makes it harder to find an online slot site offering unique games, which, going by market trends, are in demand.

Exposure is in the hands of slot site managers, who have constraints, including space and finance, but more chiefly, player preferences (they must first supply the most popular, revenue-generating titles). Even with exposure, only the right games that are well-designed, easy to understand, graphically appealing and well marketed are likely to grab players’ attention.

There is, however, a solution; slot sites should foster innovation by keeping a portion of lobby space for up-and-coming developers, allowing them to reach the market. With more chances of exposure, there are fewer barriers to innovation, creating a more competitive landscape, which would ultimately push the whole industry forward.

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However, the importance of the word should not be underestimated as it continues to raise the bar and move the industry forward – whether it is obvious to the naked eye or not. 

In this new roundtable series, we’ll hear from industry experts on all things innovation, with the first article focusing on where the most innovation is currently coming from.

Within the gaming sector, where do you see the most innovation? Alternatively, which areas do you believe are behind the curve when it comes to innovative technologies, and why might this be the case?

Jo Purvis, Blueprint Gaming: When you look at how the slots sector has evolved, the true innovation that disrupts the sector is ultimately driven by the mechanics and how they change the gameplay. 

We’ve gone from the classic style slot of three paylines, all the way through to over a million ways of winning during one single spin. That’s largely been thanks to Megaways and how the mechanic shifted the mindset as to how paylines can alter with every spin. 

Innovation can also come in the form of new bonus rounds and modifiers. Blueprint Gaming was ahead of the curve when we first introduced online games packed with multiple features for players to experience. We continue to build on this and explore new ways to evolve the core essence of a slot. 

Joey Hurtado, Wizard Games: Innovation is coming in all shapes and sizes across the sector. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of movement in the live casino sector, with game show-style content becoming more creative and pushing its appeal to more non-traditional live dealer players. Slots have continued to push on with more iterations of traditional mechanics as well as new and imaginative plays on ways games. 

Innovation has to serve a purpose and improve the player experience. Innovation for innovation’s sake is often counterproductive, and it’s important to understand what the players want and what they are doing. 

For that reason, I believe some of the moves we’ve seen towards VR and AR solutions haven’t always delivered as they force the player to give all their attention to the games they’re playing. This removes their ability to multitask whilst playing, perhaps watching TV or other leisure activities that they combine with gaming.

I think gamifying the player experience is something the industry is behind on. There have been attempts from operators, studios and dedicated third parties to improve this but adoption hasn’t been great. There is still a lot of scope to improve here and we can expect to see some interesting innovations in the near future.

Fredrik Johansson, Fantasma Games: I believe that we have seen a lot of innovation within the slots space and especially with the introduction of new mechanics from various studios. This is evidenced by the number of trademarked mechanics that are now in the market. 

Megaways is the one that changed the game and that often comes to mind first, but there are loads more including Infinity Reels, XNudge and our very own Titanways, of course.

We have also seen great progress in terms of game design and the emergence of narrative-driven slots that deliver a more engaging and entertaining player experience. When this is combined with innovative mechanics and never seen before features, the result is games that deliver so much more value than a traditional 5×3 reel slot and that appeal to a much broader audience.

Shalva Bukia, Spribe: I think igaming is getting back to basics of casino play: socialisation. If we look at traditional casinos, especially in the early years, it was a place where people met and had fun together. 

Roulette, card games are social by definition. Slot games are a bit different: it’s about singular entertainment, it’s the player enjoying different worlds and imaginations of slot games. 

With the introduction of fast internet speeds live casino games became instantly popular and it was back to the basics – the joy of social play. In this regard, in my opinion, the biggest innovation was game shows by Evolution. Its popularity shows that people prefer social entertainment and interaction. We see the same in our products, Aviator’s live bets and chat are key features of the game.

David Mann, Swintt: The gaming sector is ultra-competitive and everyone is trying to find the next breakthrough innovation, mechanic, feature, etc. But finding true innovation is difficult – it is resource-heavy, expensive and ultimately there is no guarantee of success. 

I would say the shift to mobile has resulted in tremendous progress with operators and studios forced to fine-tune the player experience to ensure that it is just as engaging and entertaining as when playing from desktop. 

When you look at some of the latest games and especially live dealer content (including SwinttLive) to hit the market, it’s clear just how far we have come in a short space of time. 

The desire to be at the cutting-edge is pushing a lot of developers to try new things and this ultimately will lead to some hitting on the next revolutionary mechanic. I’d say the greatest room for this exists within how players play and by adding additional layers of entertainment that take the experience beyond the RNG base level. 

I also think we lag behind other entertainment options when it comes to how we serve content to consumers. When you look at the levels of personalisation offered by Netflix and compare it with your average online casino lobby, we still have a long way to go.

Simon Hammon, Relax Gaming: As a casino-focused product-veteran, naturally my attention is more focused in this area of the gaming sector. In the wake of increased competition within the landscape, there are certainly more interesting, innovative and diverse mechanics being brought to market – especially by younger and newer suppliers. 

To stand out in this crowded market, you need to innovate and provide something new to capture players’ attention and ensure retention. 

Jackpots are a key area that has been relatively under-served and with that comes a lack of innovation. Relax Gaming’s Dream Drop Jackpots has been launched with a mission to break the mould here and provide fresh thinking in the marketplace. 

There are several reasons why, on the whole, innovation and technology might not be perceived to be low in areas and this is likely down to market dominance of a few without need or desire to change. With the advent of high competition levels, fresh thinking is bringing in needed updates and change.

Indeed, the approach to regulated markets and the custom integration challenges required is another major area to solve, and although it is not visible to the player, it has not evolved with the times and its importance cannot be understated.  

In line with that, our Relax Apex system launched last year aims to remove a lot of these nuances and headaches, which means it can work perfectly in tandem with our newly launched Dream Drop.

Lahcene Merzoug, PressEnter Group: I think the industry often considers innovation to be a breakthrough mechanic or feature, or perhaps an entirely new gamification model or bonus system that changes the game. But innovation is often the result of progressive iteration and in that regard, there is plenty of room to keep pushing the boundaries. 

From the operator perspective, there is scope to do more to improve the player journey and that is where we focus a great deal of our attention and resources.  

An area of particular interest is payments, and PressEnter Group will continue to fine-tune deposit and withdrawal flows and augment the technologies and services that support them. We are taking the same approach to KYC to firstly ensure a smooth and seamless process for our players but to also ensure that we are verifying players accurately. 

These are not necessarily headline-grabbing updates, but ultimately, they are what leads to the superior player experience we have built our reputation on. 

Phil Lamb, Betsson Group: I believe we have seen quite a lot of innovation when it comes to applying various gamification features to online casinos over the years. When many online casinos offer the same games from the same game suppliers, it’s a good way to be able to stand out from the crowd and create more exciting and engaging player journeys.

However, applying such innovative gamification features has become more and more challenging for operators in recent years, and can also bring with it some inherent risk. For example, you could invest a lot of development resources and time creating amazing gamification journeys, and then overnight some new regulation comes in and suddenly a lot of the features that have been created are no longer compliant or able to operate under these new regulatory conditions. This can be a massive hindrance and risk from a commercial perspective.

This is certainly the case when operating in multiple markets, with some of these established markets now reaching a state of maturity and then seeing more and more local regulations being applied, which must always be adhered to. 

Likewise, the focus on responsible gambling and player protection is understandably as strong as it has ever been and with more responsibility in these areas sitting with operators.

As much as it is good to try to constantly stay ahead of the curve in terms of innovative technologies, there also needs to be a good balance that considers and respects local regulatory compliance requirements but that still leads to higher user engagement and, most importantly, in a responsible way.

The post Innovation ‘has to serve a purpose’ otherwise it is ‘counterproductive’ appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Ahead of the event, we caught up with her to discuss the role of Malta in the igaming system, innovation, and what the company hopes to learn from the conference. 

CasinoBeats: What industry innovation will capture the most attention in the next 12 months?

Nicola Longmuir: Innovation is a key driver for our industry and there are plenty of new developments in the entertainment space. One that particularly caught my attention is the further focus on the social and community aspect in our industry.

Introduction of features and concepts such as Beyond Play’s offering and Live Spins’ Bet behind, which allow players to interact with favourite streamers, and being part of community play is something I believe will have a big impact. 

CB: What makes CasinoBeats Summit stand out as an event?

NL: The CBS event is a renowned event in the iGaming community, and it attracts many professionals across the industry. Hence, we believe it offers a wealth of opportunities for exposure and business development. In addition, the professionalism of the SBC team who always take care of every detail as well as the fantastic event location and setting is what made us choose it. 

CB: What role does Malta play for your company in the iGaming ecosystem?

NL: Malta is a key location for the entire industry. Many important companies have chosen the island as their headquarters and our presence here is crucial. We want to be close to both existing and potential clients on the island as we want enhanced communication and, of course, strong business relationships. 

CB: What core challenges does AvatarUX help solve for your customers/partners?

NL: Firstly, content. We offer unique and innovative games with ground-breaking mechanics, thus helping partners release very appealing content to their players. Our slots are built with the original PopWins mechanics and complete with innovative features, full range of language and currency support, as well as multiple RTP variants.

Furthermore, we pride ourselves with proprietary modern framework and tools that allow us to deliver a top-notch service to clients with no platform downtime. Thanks also to our flexible business model, we can release content directly with operators or via global and regional resellers, distributors and sheltering partners. 

And that is not all, with the IP licensing option we offer for our mechanics, we also provide solutions to other game studios who’d like to release games with innovative and well established on the market mechanics.  

CB: Who have you especially enjoyed working with over the past year (partner/client)?

NL: We respect and enjoy working with all our partners, whether they are directly integrated with us or they release our content through a third-party platform. We believe that when there is strong collaboration and mutually beneficial relationships, partnerships are all enjoyable.                       

CB: What are you hoping to learn from the conference at CasinoBeats Summit 2022

NL: Plenty of topics I am really interested to explore further and listening to different opinions and insights. The player engagement is one that I am really looking forward to and of course, discussing mechanics at the panel I am attending. 

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