The focus upon player retention and engagement has never been so important as it is in these uncertain times, with sectors all through the gaming industry looking towards the online casino market now as an alternative means of income due to the cancellation and postponement of live sporting events and closures of land-based casinos.
Volt Casino recently revealed its brand-new rewards programme Volt City which offers players ‘an even greater’ gaming experience.
Lauded as a new style of gaming where players earn Volt Crystals which are then used to build and develop their very own Volt City, as well as being able to receive wager-free spins, as they build their own city.
SlotBeats spoke exclusively to Daphne Xerri, Head of Casino at Volt Casino, where she explained its new reward programme, what players can expect from Volt City and the importance of player retention and engagement.
SlotBeats: Can you tell me about Volt City? What inspired you to create a new player reward programme?
Daphne Xerri: Volt City is a player rewards programme that is unique in the iGaming industry. It’s a never-seen-before virtual city building game that invites our players to build their very own simulated city. The game is set far in the future, in a post-fossil fuel world, where many casino rewards can be won.
Ahead of launching Volt City, we previewed our new player-rewards-game to our existing affiliates and partners. Our partner, AskGamblers covered the launch and described Volt City as both ‘unforgettable’ and ‘innovative.’
We were inspired to create an innovative player rewards programme, that rewarded players with fun and even more game play stimulation whilst also giving them a break from gameplay every so often.
Volt City has been designed to work in tandem with Volt Casino; it combines playing casino games with building your own virtual city and both elements generate rewards for the other.
As players play on the casino, they earn crystals which can be used to build their city; and as players progress in building their city they may receive wager-free rewards to be used at the casino. Volt City elevates the online casino experience to a whole new level!
SB: What was the thought process behind Volt City?
DX: Thinking about our new concept, we sat with a few key ideas; simulation games, through their immersion, keep players interested, and it’s easier to retain a current customer than it is to attract and convert a new one.
Our team at Volt Casino are huge fans of real-life simulation games; we know how effective they are for keeping players interested (as we all spend lots of time playing them!) and wondered if we could create something similar for our players to enjoy. This was the initial thought process that ignited the blueprint for Volt City.
Loyalty programmes are a critical component of a successful online casino. We recognised this and set about launching ourselves into a sphere ahead of what our competitors were currently doing with customer reward offerings, through immersive new technology. After a year in development, with the team working hard to make a technically advanced gamified rewards programme, we are very proud of Volt City.
The Volt Casino brand was inspired by electricity and power, so a city that found itself in darkness was a natural setting. We believe that it is the most unique online casino rewards programme available to date, but will not stop here! New features for Volt City will be revealed over the next few months.
SB: What can players expect from Volt City?
DX: Players can immerse themselves in our city-simulation building game, set in a futuristic, post-fossil fuel world, where many casino rewards can be won as they build their very own virtual “Volt” city.
In our rewards-programme-turned-simulation-game, players are challenged to rebuild Volt City – a simulated-city that has suffered from a blackout, which can only be powered back up through the use of Volt Crystals.
In Volt City, the player is tasked with becoming Volt City’s Mayor and asked to complete various missions. Starting from complete black out, Volt City challenges players to restore the entire city, develop districts, upgrade buildings, create the technology and items necessary to see their city progress, whilst ensuring the needs of their citizens are met through missions and quests from the residents themselves.
In the process of building their Volt City, players can choose to level up and discover Mystery Spots, which contain Special Mystery Boxes, where great rewards are waiting to be grabbed. As the game progresses and the player’s virtual-city begins to flourish, the players’ efforts will be rewarded – with many generous casino rewards available to be won.
SB: Can you tell me more about Volt Casino’s shift to player engagement and retention, and why have you decided to make this shift?
DX: As we mentioned earlier, loyalty programmes in the gambling industry are an important part of any successful online casino. At Volt Casino, we decided to differentiate ourselves from other casinos with an innovative reward programme that really added value and fun to our players experience. It also gives players a break from gameplay every so often.
We believe that it is easier to retain a customer than attract and convert a new one (although we work hard to attract new customers to Volt Casino too). Every casino has a loyalty programme of some sort, but we wanted to progress beyond a tier or points-based reward system. At Volt, we have chosen to reward our players with fun.
After one-month, initial data suggests that our Volt City reward programme will be very effective for retaining existing players, and increasing their game play as they work to build their own Volt City.
We have also had more great feedback about Volt City with affiliate Nowagering.com saying: “Volt City is a ground-breaking revolution which completely breaks the mould of online casinos. Player engagement and retention is very often overlooked, but this new and exciting experience not only promises to entertain players in a completely new and novel way, but it also bridges the gap between iGaming and traditional city-building simulation video games.”
SB: Is there an issue in the industry with player engagement and retention?
DX: Well, there is certainly no issue for players! With so many online casinos operating across the web, players have lots to choose from. It can be difficult to retain players as they can choose to play wherever they like, and there are always new casinos launching with exciting new offers.
This is one of the reasons we decided to develop Volt City, to reward our players with an exciting new concept.
SB: What’s the big difference between Volt City and other player engagement methods?
DX: We designed Volt City to elevate the online casino experience. With games the main draw of any online casino, why not make gamification a part of the engagement programme? This is what the Volt City rewards platform does, working symbiotically with Volt Casino to combine the playing of casino games with the building of a player’s virtual city.
With both elements generating rewards for the other, we believe it really adds value for players and is a fun break from casino gameplay. We have received brilliant feedback so far, both from players and industry contacts who want to keep coming back and building their cities!
SB: What can we expect from Volt Casino in the near future?
DX: Here at Volt Casino, we want to keep making Volt City better and better! It is our mission to make online gaming electric, and Volt City is the bright light leading us in pursuit of this ambition. We plan to introduce many new and exciting features over the upcoming months to reward our players.
The whole team at Volt Casino welcomes feedback to ensure development continues to drive better experiences for players, and more signups and higher engagement for affiliates and us at Volt Casino.
We are also introducing new casino games regularly, and have some great Easter promotions planned. You will have to check out voltcasino.com to see for yourselves!
