Multiplayer games dominate the gaming market, with streamers on a nearly hourly basis playing titles such as Call of Duty, FIFA, and Fortnite, to their growing audiences.
Yet, is there a future for such multiplayer titles within the igaming sector? This is the question we at SlotBeats are asking within the latest edition of our Spotlight Series.
In the first part of our look into multiplayer, we asked our experts if we could witness enhanced growth within slots in regards to multiplayer gaming.
Over the last 12 months, we’ve seen an increase in streamers playing slot titles. As we’d normally associate streamers with multiplayer titles, such as FIFA and Call of Duty, could we see more growth in slots in regards to multiplayer gaming?
Ivan Kravchuk, Evoplay: Multiplayer games are, for sure, one of the modern trends we’re experiencing in the development of the igaming industry. We see a great opportunity to provide players with a greater opportunity to socialise within games themselves – not only within a casino but also directly with each other inside of the title they have chosen to play.
We find this really exciting – the chance for games to be tools for community building within the play itself. Our recently released game Lucky Sector is one of the first multiplayer instant games. It allows players to play and compete against each other. In the near future, we plan to expand this direction and introduce more multiplayer games which deliver not only great entertainment but also that community-building component.
It’s a logical progression really – if players like a game, like to discuss it, and like to spend time with others who like it, then why not give them the chance to experience that social aspect directly in the game itself.
Lloyd Purser, FunFair Games: There is certainly room for growth. Today, streamers play a valuable role in helping to build and curate communities, as users like to share the excitement of the gameplay with each other. Combined with the younger generations’ desire for social and multiplayer functionality, showcasing slots through streaming makes sense.
We see significant potential in shared experiences and results, as demonstrated by our latest release, Astroboomers: To the Moon! Players compete together against the house, making active decisions that influence the outcome and sharing winning celebrations.
That’s why we ensure all of our games showcase a social element, part of our three pillars of game development: Social, Active, Simple. As casino content continues to evolve in line with the demands of those younger generations, developers will embrace more of these features. Streamers will therefore be more inclined to market them, and as long as the industry keeps pace with changing user demographics, streaming will continue to grow.
David Mann, Swintt: There is always a battle for innovation and new ways to engage players, now it looks like operators and suppliers are looking into ways to promote multiplayer experiences within our industry.
Given the success of the streaming community not only within the gaming industry but many others – Disney and Netflix have competing products to recreate the shared experience for viewers – there is likely some room for it within gaming.
Many of us will have been with friends and chucked some money into a casino for a few spins, and at a time of reduced travel, lockdowns and social restrictions there could be space for more multiplayer games in the market. There will certainly be a segment of players interested, the question is how many.
