ON A MISSION CIO: What kind of engagement
results are you seeing from players? FE: The most important question, right? Despite it still being early days for our Missions feature, the data so far
has shown a fourfold increase in player engagement – a figure we, and our partners, are more than happy with. In terms of completion rates, most of the players finish the mission at least once while the majority have dozens of attempts to improve their score.
CIO: How are the rewards financed? FE: The system is very flexible, so the rewards can be financed either by Yggdrasil, the operator, or a mix of both. When we launched the feature, we put up a ¤25,000 total prize pool, for example.
CIO: Are you now at a point where operators are
creating their own Missions, and if so how elaborate are they getting? CIO: Operators can easily set up their own missions, and for the moment they can chose from a set of predefined missions. In terms of how these are presented, it all depends on the creativity of the operator. We have seen operators giving creative names to its missions and then expanding upon these names to create whole marketing concepts around a specific mission. We have aimed to make the feature easy to use for operators. We will also continue to evolve its functionality, so that the product remains among the best on the market.
bonuses, the trend has been towards a very aggressive approach. There have always been layers of rewards, but the competition to acquire new customers is now a lot tougher. For many operators, the only trigger has been value. While this is fine and can still be very successful, I know many operators also appreciate innovative tools such as Missions, that give them the freedom to do something a bit different. Its impact is also more cost-efficient and it is new, so even a smaller value stimulates the player’s appetite. It also adds value and varies the user experience, which can improve retention and engagement. While some players do want constant rewarding, they are looking for that extra value in any shape or form. Then there are others that want a more “straight” approach, and don’t want to deal with wagering requirements and other factors. It is up to us to offer both choices to our partners and their users.
CIO: How hard is it becoming to get players
CIO: Is it worrying at all that you now have to consider adding rewards on top of players simply winning money from the games they play? FE: It is the complete opposite. We are very happy with users engaging with the unique features our games offer. The numbers show that Missions really drives and improves user engagement and pushes players towards exploring every single feature of our games, as well as titles they may not usually try. If that means adding additional rewards on top of traditional winnings, then so be it, but we must also think about what will most likely generate a competitive advantage for an operator. Which type of bonus is the stickiest: the same one that all other operators are using, or something new and interesting that is not yet being overly abused?
CIO: Is there a danger that once you add layers
of rewards, no one will ever just play a game ‘straight’ again? FE: If you look at how operators are currently
treating bonus offers such as deposit and registration
hooked on a game? FE: Game quality right across the industry has gone through the roof in recent months and years. We have reached a very high level of detail and complexity and it is only right that players continue to demand a better experience. In other words, it is a very welcoming challenge as it helps every supplier push the bar that little bit higher. The race to enhance the user experience and the mindful processes around creating useful innovation are what will keep players coming back for more. Once we stop that, and the industry no longer reinvents itself, then the show as we know it is over.
CIO: What do you see as the future of this kind
of retention method? FE: The future is already here. The initial usage of the Missions feature has already broken internal records at Yggdrasil. As we add additional functionality, including the ability to customise the missions, I would expect this demand to increase further. In an increasingly online and fast-paced world, traditional retention methods like emails and SMS will decline and instant reactive and proactive methods will become the norm. And we believe that Missions will be a vital tool in achieving this.
DECEMBER 2016 53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62