The popularity of fishing games is showing no signs of slowing down, according to new data released by Kinetic Digital.
The marketing company revealed that eight of the 20 most popular games across its Mega Casino brand come from the genre, led by Pragmatic Play’s Big Bass Bonanza.
Over 15,000 unique players have chosen to play the flagship title of the developers’ Big Bass series on Mega Casino. Meanwhile, Big Bass Splash, Big Bass Double Down Deluxe, Bigger Bass Splash, Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake and Big Bass Bonanza 1000 also feature in the top 20.
Dom Aldworth, Kinetic Digital’s Head of Brand Marketing, commented: “Pragmatic Play has managed to build a series that feels instantly familiar to players while still introducing enough variation and innovation with each release to keep engagement levels incredibly high.”
Kinetic noted that the success follows a wider trend of players choosing to return to familiar mechanics and recognisable themes rather than exploring new releases.
This was evidenced by the return rates of players across seven, 30 and 60 days, which on the whole ranged from between 20% and 46%.
Of particular note is that the return rates tended to increase as times past, suggesting that players had tried out new titles but chose to return to those they knew best.
“Players are showing a clear preference for recognisable franchises that evolve over time, rather than simply chasing the newest release on the market,” added Aldworth.
“What we’re seeing at Mega Casino is that these games create long-term loyalty. When you combine strong brand recognition with repeatable mechanics, you create titles that players actively return to week after week.”