Analysis BRANDING
opposed to expecting the player to be enticed by and remain interested in the brand for its own sake.
CLONEWARS According to Doug Schwarz, FremantleMedia's Executive Producer, cloning has shown itself to be an unsuccessful approach in online gaming. Players generally become aware quickly when the only difference between games is the visual treatment and don’t view the clone as an exciting new game that will induce them to play longer and spend more. Also, it is often the case that a brand is ‘shoe-horned’ on top of an existing set of features and doesn’t really fit. So in general it makes more sense to design the game play experience (in terms of specific features and overall maths profile) around the brand.
In some instances however, an existing game and a brand clearly resonate with each other. "We made the decision to create a Blockbusters themed game on OpenBet’s proprietary ‘Cash Drop’ engine, precisely because they seemed made for each other and the result has been fantastic," explains Mr. Schwarz "Similarly, we felt that there was a huge potential win in combining video poker with the Play Your Cards Right Brand. Firstly, the brand is a natural fit for a cards-based main game. We believed also that video poker was a game type that might be slightly intimidating to a segment of the online gaming audience and that a familiar and friendly brand could help to make it more widely accessible. Finally, the brand is all about Hi-Lo, and so the Gamble Bonus feature in OpenBet’s video poker format was a perfect context for the brand, complete
with Dollie Dealer."
LOYALTYISSUES Brands have also proven their value as a tool to help acquire new customers or to renew lapsed players. They provide a very powerful focus point as a call to action, create excitement on the site and help establish the quality and credibility of the casino operator in the minds of players. "While it’s true that the brand alone won’t maintain a player’s loyalty and continued interest, an appropriate and well executed brand serves as a solid showcase for the game’s intrinsic value," comments Mr. Kanareck. "The brand, as a sort of ‘packaging’ can strengthen the player’s positive feelings towards the game. The association of a certain bit of familiar and exciting theme music with a winning event for example reinforces the enjoyment of the experience beyond the financial gain alone."
Striking the right balance between branded gaming content and generic games isn't just about cost, it's also an issue for the game developer looking to establish their own label, their own stamp of quality on a game. "I think the game creator’s brand has a valid place in the overall identity of the game, but not in the sense of a visible logo or title—this risks diluting the integrity of the main brand, which should be the focus," outlines Mr. Kanareck. "Instead, creators can establish their brand through consistency in their approach to game design elements such as messaging and game control conventions, and through a track record of creating high quality games."
The importance of a creator's signature G3i I ISSUE 2 I PAGE 40
The Freemantle team is based in London and NewYork and has done deals in
areas as diverse as online gambling,
social gaming and TV production. FM Ventureswas an
early stage investor in Ludia, nowone of the leading casual games publishers in
North America and in which
FremantleMedia recently secured a majority stake. Paul
started his career as an investment banker at NM
Rothschild before riding the dotcom
wave as one of the first employees at
boo.com.He
subsequently built newbusinesses at Vodafone and
Channel 4 andwas most recently
Founder andMDof TV Nation.
style of gameplay, a particular maths- model for example, is moving much more to the fore as operators want not only to admire their beautifully themed cake, but to eat it too. At the same time players come to understand, appreciate and expect the unique characteristics of certain game developers and this in turn frees them to focus on and better enjoy the primary branding of the game without distraction. Likewise, operators come to trust that certain game developers will provide a great gaming experience for their customers and highly profitable games for them.
THEEXECUTIONER At the other end of the spectrum, licensors also value the game as much as they value the licence fee. A poor game reflects badly not just on that operator and developer, but on the brand itself. "I can only speak for FremantleMedia when I say that as licensors we are extremely focused on the quality of the execution of games based on our brands," stated Mr. Kanareck. "As a huge global entertainment company we are very aware of the investment of time, effort and money that goes into the development of a strong and well- regarded brand. So, we’re absolutely unwilling to risk undermining the value that has been built up by allowing shoddy quality or inappropriate products (gaming or otherwise) to be placed in the market carrying our brand. In fact, one of the primary reasons that we were able to reach an agreement to represent the MGM global television and movie brands in this space is precisely because we have demonstrated our attentiveness to quality and ability to protect the brand values in the games we publish.”
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