INSIGHT TENTPOLE GAMES - BOOK OF RA
switching to compendiums of 10-plus games and Novomatic established its famous MULTI GAMINATOR brand.
Book Of Ra was a solid performer, but it was not our best-selling game in terms of initial customer orders. However, as the game gained traction and momentum, it crept up the rankings thanks to repeat orders. We witnessed increasing numbers of Book Of Ra as it followed Dolphins Pearl and Lucky Lady’s Charm in being especially favoured by Russian players who demanded high volatility. Competitor games offered at that time were entertainment driven, but Russian players loved the core gambler game at the heart of Book Of Ra and its distinct game features.
Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, Book Of Ra was certainly one of the most significant milestones for the Group, as it established NOVOMATIC in the CIS region. While this only lasted until 2009, when the market effectively closed, by that time the game was firmly established and making inroads into other territories, not only Eastern Europe, but Western Europe too. Historically, AWP focused street machine markets, such as Germany and Italy, were fundamentally changing at this time. Book Of Ra transcended different markets and boundaries arriving at a pivotal point in their development and at a time when high volatility video slots were beginning to be accepted by players. Each market embraced the game, leading to high performance across the board.
Distribution also played a large part in the success of Book Of Ra. In Germany, for example, where there are over 100,000 NOVOMATIC Multigame machines in arcades and bars, and across Italy, a market with over 35,000 Novoline VLTs, Book Of Ra continues to account for over 50 per cent of revenue, which is quite significant.
What role did the Egyptian theme play in the success of Book Of Ra?
In the mid-2000s, Egyptian themed games were quickly gaining popularity, such as IGT’s Cleopatra and Aristocrat’s Queen of the Nile. NOVOMATIC’s videoslot game, Pharaohs Gold, was also one of the top performing titles. It was clear these games struck a chord with players. We found underwater and mystical forest-themed games were also popular at this time, but players were particularly drawn to the art style of Egypt-themed games.
As well as the theme, it’s also important to remember that the Book Of Ra mechanic was unique when the game launched. Yes, many games had used elements such as Free Spins and Trigger features, but Book Of Ra’s expanding symbol had never been seen before. And, obviously, the biggest component in the success of Book Of Ra is its math. Te game was designed to appeal to frequent players and serious gamblers alike and its math defines the game’s stickiness and retention power for these types of player. I believe it was the combination of these ingredients, just as in a blockbuster movie, when you have so many standout individual components that come together to create a great entertaining and rewarding gaming experience. Book Of Ra benefited from a perfect combination of standout individual elements.
The game was designed to appeal to frequent players and serious gamblers alike and its math defines the games stickiness and retention power for these types of player. I believe it was the combination of these ingredients, just as in a blockbuster movie, when you have so many standout individual components that
come together to create a great entertaining and rewarding gaming experience.
Is the creation of Book Of Ra a once in a lifetime deal?
Tere are so many ingredients stirred into the mix during the creative process that I do believe it’s an unrepeatable event. Game creation isn’t a conveyor belt formula, more of a Black Swan event, and it’s this lack of a distinct formula that means you can become a victim of your own success. Once you create one of the biggest games of all time, how do you follow that? How do you top that?
One of the issues facing the industry right now is a tendency to focus more upon quantity than quality of games output. Part of the problem, in my view, is the shrinking life cycle of games. In the US, the average lifespan of a casino game is
six months, which means that US slots suppliers have to develop sometimes up to 200 games concepts per year to satisfy that churn. Tis consumes a huge amount of resources, especially when a large percentage of the games created will only have a few weeks to earn their money back.
Another issue is that markets such as Las Vegas demand Intellectual Property games to satisfy a tourist market. Casual players are attracted to licenced brands, but to afford the licences these products must, from necessity, become daily fee games, meaning the casino pays rent to place the games on their floor. Combine this with an average six-month lifespan and you’ve created an environment in which games are continuously replaced if they start to perform below a certain benchmark. Te focus for the developer shifts to a quantity model in which they are incentivised to produce vast numbers of games to ensure they don’t lose their spot on the casino floor.
Te reality is that there are only a handful of mechanics that are truly timeless which continue to generate the vast majority of revenue for operators. Every major developer has their portfolio of ‘Greatest Of All Time’ games, whether its Rainbow Riches, Buffalo, Wheel of Fortune or Book Of Ra these are the ones that stay in the charts while everything else is just passing through.
If Book Of Ra was launched today, do you think it would stand out from the crowd?
In the online industry, a new game launches and it’s placed into the operator’s casino lobby and for the first few weeks it’s played by everyone. After its fortnight in the spotlight it’s kicked into the “All Games Section” in which you might have 2,000 slot games competing for the player’s attention and that’s usually the end of it.
I’ve mentioned a number of iconic games that all share something in common, in that they were developed, released and played during a period of limited output. When Book Of Ra was released, online didn’t exist in its current shape. In today's world, it’s much more difficult to create a point of difference that players recognise as innovative. Tere are examples of megatrends in game mechanics, such as Book games, Tumbling reels games, Jackpot games, Megaways games, but they’re increasingly becoming crowded spaces and one of the main limitations is that each new game has a matter of
P26 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
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