Engaging players in an increasingly competitive online casino market is at the forefront of each game developer’s strategy.
This sentiment was echoed at last week’s SBC Summit as experts examined the latest trends in the slot industry, aiming to discover the keys to engaging the modern player.
Leading the ‘Slot Trends: Designing for the Future Player’ panel was Laura Petrauska, Head of Casino at Bet99, who challenged her panellists to name their favourite games in an effort to find out their own preferences.
Amid shouts for games from various international gaming suppliers, as well as branded slots like Blueprint Gaming’s recent Rick and Morty releases, Myke Foster, Group Head of Gaming & Commercial Strategy at Fortuna Entertainment Group, turned his attention away from slots.
Perhaps suggesting a continuing trend of modern online casino players looking for different experiences, Foster revealed that he is a huge fan of plinko, stating: “God I love plinko. I think it’s an incredible product.
“I’m really enjoying what providers are doing with extra mechanics, giving a bit more perceived value for a customer, making a session a little bit more engaging, having a little bit more to keep them engaged.”
Meanwhile, Aaron Magpayo, Chief Product Officer at Playnetic, asserted that games he admires usually offer “strong onboarding experiences for the player”, suggesting that a variety of features could be important as “it’s not just about payways, it’s about engaging the players in all aspects”.
“players see patterns in games, and they develop superstitions and don’t want to leave them very quickly”
Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO at RubyPlay
The conversation then turned to what modern online casino players are looking for with their gaming experiences, which saw Playson CCO Vsevolod Lapin stress a need for suppliers to offer games with clarity, not confusion.
“First of all, they’re looking for clarity,” he said. “When you’re playing with money, you want to understand how you go from going to pay for your bet to the win, and you want to see the potential.
Lapin then suggested that “perceived persistence” is an increasingly important factor in today’s market, with some players enjoying games that give them an idea of when the next feature will arrive to enhance their gameplay.
He added: “For humans, they look for stories. They want to connect and this has an impact. So I think one of the big trends these days is perceived persistence. Players want to see how the feature is coming closer.”
Dr. Eyal Loz, CPO at RubyPlay, joined in on the conversation to explain the importance “not to underestimate the classics”, describing classic games as “classic for a reason” due to the idea that “players see patterns in games, and they develop superstitions and don’t want to leave them very quickly”.
“we need to find the right balance between all mechanics, all games and themes”
Jekaterina Dubnicka, Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge
Loz then detailed how skill-based game players are having a rise in popularity within the slot industry, with modern players desiring “to have some element of control”.
Combining his ideologies, Loz explained that studios need to be “trying to respect the classics but innovate with them”, stressing that this is particularly important for a modern audience “that wants a little bit more”.
Providing an affiliate’s perspective on player preferences, Jekaterina Dubnicka, Marketing & Communications Manager at Slotsjudge, explained that individual players are drawn to vastly different games, causing some difficulties for figuring out what players want.
Dubnicka pointed out that some players are drawn to classic, fruit-themed titles and some consider ‘hold and win’ games to be their favourite, while other players are demanding something new, echoing Loz’s notion around skill-based gameplay.
“It’s really hard to understand what they want and what they want to see,” she noted. “So I think we need to find the right balance between all mechanics, all games and themes. Be there with the player, don’t be pushy.”
One trend Dubnicka has noticed in recent releases is an admiration from players for slots that feature viral internet sensations and memes, suggesting that “they’re doing so great recently”.
Moving on to another hot topic within the igaming industry, Petrauska asked the panel for their thoughts on “a beast everyone is talking about”, Artificial Intelligence, asking whether the panel supports the use of AI in game design.
Having been probed on the subject of AI, Loz declared that “there are three issues with AI”, suggesting that the technology “lacks content, depth and the human element in the room”.
“A slot is a piece of art,” he said. “You need context between symbols and how they all talk to each other, and AI fails to do that. It’s not just about producing a beautiful image, but creating technical depth.”
“AI is a powerful tool, people who are talented can use AI to enhance their creative output by 100 times,” he continued. Despite admitting that “it has shrunk costs a lot”, he asserted that “the talented become 100-times more talented and the mediocre become 100-times more mediocre with AI”.
