level and start to plot out which mechanics we use, how we apply existing or new brands, and how the game will fit in with our existing portfolio and the marketplace as a whole. Every game has a purpose, every game has a plan. Tis enables us to maximise our investment and allows our customers to have faith that we are actively trying to develop their players and deliver the best result for their business.


Tis has become even more important with the increase in the volume of games being delivered. Almost all suppliers are now introducing many more games than they were five and ten years ago. Tis is particularly pronounced in the digital sector where some suppliers release a game every week or two! It’s now critical that suppliers understand what they are trying to do with each game in their portfolio or there is a danger of being sucked into a numbers game. All our best game families have been curated over a long period of time and seek to use their brands to build player trust – it only takes a few missteps to damage a brand that has been years in the making.


What game themes have remained popular, which have blended in the background, and have any new themes come to the fore in recent years?


Jon: Popularity in games can be measured in many ways and as such there are games that are top earners, games that provide time on device, and games that fulfil certain niches. Duo Fu Duo Cai has been, and remains, a top performer for a number of years as has been one of its successors, Jin Ji Bao Xi. We have other games in this family coming through. Tese are specific concepts usually based in banks of 6-8, but we have a number of individual themes which offer all players whatever it is that they are looking for.


Wayne: One of the areas that has evolved is that the sector has generally moved away from expensive third-party brands. Most of the large operators still have a small number of premium brands, but there has been a marked reduction in spend in this area. Tis is largely due to the success of developing in-house brands and game families. As Jon says, we have had great success with DFDC and JJBX, and we have also seen sustained performance from our Ultimate Fire Link and Dancing Drums families. All these games are slowly evolving over time and whilst they are recognisable in comparison to the original games in their family, each one adds a new twist to the player experience. We have just launched Duo Fu Duo Cai Grand and will be launching JJBX Grand later this year. Both games add new mechanics such as true persistence onto the tried and trusted core game mechanic.


We have been fortunate enough to develop some great new brands over the last few years. Money Link has been a fantastic success for us in Europe and we have built on this with Double Money Link on our Kascada Dual Screen cabinet. We have also seen quirky games like Rich Little Piggies really capture the player’s imagination. We have also been hard at work reviewing our classic brands and


“We have been fortunate enough to develop some


great new brands over the last few years. Money Link has been a fantastic success for us in Europe and we have built on this with Double


Money Link on our Kascada Dual Screen cabinet. We have also seen quirky games like Rich Little Piggies really capture the player’s


imagination. We have also been hard at work reviewing our classic brands and modernising them. A great example of this is Goldfish Feeding Time. We took the original WMS game and updated it with new mechanics whilst retaining the fun of the original game.”


Wayne Ellard Light & Wonder


INSIGHT LAND-BASED CASINO SECTOR LIGHT & WONDER


modernising them. A great example of this is Goldfish Feeding Time. We took the original WMS game and updated it with new mechanics whilst retaining the fun of the original game. We’ve seen great adoption from players who remember the original games, but it has also appealed to a new generation of players who love the bright graphics, active gameplay, and big wins!


How have features evolved? How has the importance of bonus games changed - are multiple exciting bonus games now a necessity?


Wayne: Bonus features are the real hook for a large segment of the player base. Most of the great games from the last twenty years manage to combine a strong base game with a compelling and memorable bonus game. Mechanics such as hold and spin, sticky wilds, and removing lower paying symbols during win spins are always popular with players. A good bonus needs to combine the anticipation of a large win with the theatre that still creates excitement even if the big win doesn’t come in that time. Players get to know games and they quickly adapt to and understand the bonus features.


For most games it’s no longer good enough to have a pick me feature or simple free spins – players now expect more and want to be taken on the emotional rollercoaster that a good bonus delivers. It’s much more common now for games to have different bonuses that can combine for even bigger prizes (e.g., in our Coin Combo series the player can trigger different colour wealth pots to earn a bonus – it’s possible to trigger multiple pots at the same time and benefit from super bonuses).


I don’t think there is a guaranteed formula when it comes to number of bonus games. Depending on the volatility and style of the game, it is sometimes better to have a single bonus game that can deliver massive prizes than multiple games that rarely deliver big wins. But there are also time-on-device games that have many smaller bonuses that keep the player engaged as they hunt a super bonus. Tis is why segmentation is important. Tere is no right or wrong type of bonus design, but as a large supplier, we ensure that we balance the different types of games in our portfolio.


How has RTP shifted - and have these changes been to the advantage or detriment of players?


Jon: Generally, RTPs have remained pretty stable in the land-based market. However, some operators have favoured a higher RTP to give customers time on device. Tis does, however, depend on the specific property and type of operation. Tere has been a perennial debate about the impact of RTP on the player behaviour, but the consensus is that a higher RTP (within reason) is favourable.


Wayne: RTP has probably changed less than the WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P29


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