Pulse
GAME DEVELOPMENT EVOPLAY
“Evoplay boasts a roster of classics, including our Fruit Nova classic games collection, and I am incredibly proud to present them. If you took a random developer focus group and showed them some classic slots being introduced into the industry, they'd say it was ugly.”
skill-based but are yet to find a mechanic that will seriously interest players, and nor has anyone else in the industry. We will continue trying to find this mechanic, and we certainly hope that Evoplay will be the one to make skill- based games more popular than they are.
“A lot of slot players use auto play. Our main goal is not just for players to spend money, but to enjoy themselves within an immersive game environment that has been created using fantastic graphics and visuals.”
Gamification became a gaming industry buzzword around 2015 as a tool to engage players yet it has always been in other types of gaming. But has gamification in slots been a success? “If success is determined by whether industry stakeholders now understand what gamification is, then yes. But in practice, I have only witnessed a minor step in moving from traditional tournaments to achievements and quests. Gamification has become an important thing for slots, but the industry needs more time to figure out how to do it better.
“In a couple of years, I expect to see more gamification instruments and competitiveness. If somebody creates something cool, other industry players will up their game and respond. I liken it to chess. Te main difficulty in chess is not understanding what you will do, but what your opponent’s next moves will be, and it's the same with anticipating future gaming trends. If you don't see where the dial is moving in the next three to five years, you will get left behind.
P98 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
“In one sense, Evoplay is acting like a trigger for other providers and improving competitiveness, which is the symptom of a progress market and is to the benefit of all.”
Vladimir contends that for mainstream gamers, pushing a button and waiting for a randomly generated row of cherries to line up just doesn’t cut it. However, that’s not to say he or Evoplay are actively opposed to classic slot games.
“I am not opposed to classic slots, despite what some in the industry may think. Some people like tea, others coffee. At the end of the day, it is a segment of the market and a big one at that. When I say that many classic slots are poor, I am speaking from a graphical and technical point of view.
“Evoplay boasts a roster of classics, including our Fruit Nova classic games collection, and I am incredibly proud to present them because they feature good graphics and an environment in which to have fun. If you took a random developer focus group and showed them some classic slots being introduced into the industry, they'd say it was ugly.
“A lot of providers, whilst making money, are simply a conveyer belt. In my view, games that are created from experts by hand are more appreciated and respected because they have soul. Classics have their audience, and they work, but we create games to entertain players so when we launch a classic slot, it’s something to be proud of.”
What dictates portfolio segmentation? “Te diversification of the portfolio is based on numbers and segmentation and statistics. We ask questions such as: how many players are there wanting to play a classic slot? What is the cost of producing a triple-A style game? What is the retention amongst instant game players one year after launching a title?
“Whilst we present our games release schedule quarterly, we know internally at the beginning of the year how many games we will provide within each segment right down to the nitty gritty details such as what titles will feature jackpots and the mechanics they will employ. In some cases, we might go off-piste and create an occasional game not in the road map, but the plan is always there at least twelve months in advance.”
From teaser videos that looked like film trailers, billboard promotions that urged people to 'answer the call' to fight for humanity, and life- size cut-outs of the title's main characters on the stand at SBC Summit Barcelona last year, Star Guardians has been given a big marketing push - even by the gaming industry's lofty standards.
“When we launched, the team was wracked with nervous energy because so much love had gone into this game. First, thank you to the players who've tried out the game and our amazing casino partners for trusting us. Te game is certainly unusual for the gambling world and, considering this, the numbers were higher than we expected.
“We anticipated better than Dungeon: Immortal Evil because of our marketing push, but I must admit we were shocked when Star Guardians rose from tenth to third in our portfolio. We trusted in the game and that it would attract new players, but we didn't expect such a rise. We look forward to showcasing the game once again at ICE London in April.”
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