In the third episode of SlotBeats Spotlight, we asked our experts if we’re witnessing a changing of the guard in relation to skill-based games gaining more attention and if we could see more player choices being incorporated to slot titles.
We’re experiencing more and more skill-based games being introduced into the market. Could we see more slot titles incorporate player choices in a more enhanced way than a Gamble feature or deciding which feature to play?
Rob Procter, SG Digital: Different players seek different experiences from games. There is always a market for Free Spins games and always a market for the super-volatile, heavy-hitting games that gamblers really want to play.
Then with skill elements, you enter the realm of entertainment. With so many forms of entertainment available to a consumer, we need to ensure our games are compelling enough that players want to play them. We have games coming up for release this year that will appeal to those seeing a skill-based challenge and these are a good place for us to test the water. From a random number generator perspective, though, it’s always tricky how you work skill elements into the backend of a game.
Yuriy Muratov, Booongo: The RNG nature of slot games means it will never be a truly skill-based title, however giving players more choices will drive engagement in a different way to what they have experienced recently.
By increasing choices, you can ensure players have a completely customisable gameplay experience, especially when having adjustable volatilities and paylines.
Ondrej Lapides, Tom Horn Gaming: I believe that we should keep the two domains – slot games and skill-based games – apart. The blending of features borrowed from the fields that are not associated together doesn’t necessarily lead to the creation of a perfect game popular with players.
The differentiation of content in slot development and the freedom of choice is very important. Game features evolve every day in order to reflect changing player preferences. We should take this into account and create games where we give players more options to ‘mould’ their gaming experience in the game by offering them ‘choices’ within the realm of randomness characteristic for casino games. The beauty and thrill of slot games is their unpredictability. Let’s not rob players of this experience.
Matej Sopóci, Synot Games: We are not focusing on skill-based games as these represent a different category. From a legal point of view, slot titles can only be games of pure chance. But I believe that a different style of feature, offering players a choice is certainly possible depending on the creativity of the producer and the possibilities of the game studio.
Something similar to our Dragons of Fortune where the Free Spin feature is decided by the player. All is still based on chance, but you decide on the multiplier, number of Free Spins and other aspects of the feature.
Asko Heiskanen, Yggdrasil: The fact that skill is an important element to slot gamblers comes from suppliers’ imaginations. It is an important component in many other forms of gambling like table games and sports betting for example.
On high-level gambling motivations, you can isolate a segment whose motivational driver is developing skills, mastering the skill to gain an edge, contending with other players etc.
However, this group of players is not necessarily the one who gravitates toward slots, even if there is a degree of skill element induced in the game. They play slots too but they do fulfill some other motivational needs, not skill.
Make sure to attend the CasinoBeats Slot Festival next week to see a selection of new titles from some of the industry’s most renowned developers, including SG Digital.
To read part one of our Spotlight series into features, click here.
To read part two, click here.
