What can Software Providers Learn from eSports?
Yuriy SheremetCredit: esports observer
The competitive video game sector, better known as eSports, is growing at such a rapid pace that it can no longer be ignored. From brands such as BMW, Toyota, and Coca Cola to social giants Facebook and YouTube, everyone wants a piece of the industry.
So, what’s eSports doing right the online casino industry could emulate? What can video game developers teach their slots and card game counterparts?
Your Gaming Community Can Make or Break your Games
Many successful eSports games have millions of active fans. These are the people who spend money on in-game items, passes, and other subscriptions that score developers millions in revenues.
When not appreciated, though, video game fans can take down a game faster than hackers or viruses. Of course, they won't manually break it. But they will ditch it, stop spending money, and encourage their friends to avoid it.
That's a lesson many casino software providers should learn. It's easy to get comfortable as a renowned software provider. But once you start to water down the quality of your games, it's not partnering casinos that will bring you down. It's the players.
Against that backdrop, the best way for software providers to stay relevant is to create games people will want to play. They also need to keep in touch with their fans and keep up with their changing needs. That way, they can forge communities of active gamers.
Diversity is Crucial—Quickspin Games
Lack of creativity is a major cause of many software providers' downfall. The opposite, in contrast, helped companies such as Quickspin grow into international gaming brands. To expound more, Quickspin has a portfolio of games targeting all sorts of people.
Sakura Fortune targets anime fans. Joker Strike is a game for players who love joker slots. In contrast, Sticky Bandits targets fans of the Old Wild West. The software maker has more games based on various themes.
In case you’re wondering, a list of the best Quickspin casinos can be found at bestcasinosites.net. It features the operators to consider joining, their average payout rates, bonuses, and the number of games offered.
Quality is Paramount
Mention an eSports game that's awful. What's that? Don't be biased. You might not like some games, cough *Fortnite* cough, but you'll agree they are adequately designed. They might have terrible controls or low content, but there's a huge audience that cherishes these titles.
The eSports community worships quality. That's the reason the top five eSports games make tens of millions of dollars annually. In contrast, they reprimand brands that mishandle or neglect popular games. And when things get out of control, gamers jump out of the ship.
The casino industry is a tad different. Player love and praise developers that create high-quality games. But for some reason, not every software provider seems to take a hint. There are still brands that churn out low-quality slots every year. But if they were to look at the success of top-rated eSports games, maybe they turn things around.
Bonuses and Free Spins Work
Fans love exciting games. But better than that, they enjoy freebies. In the eSports space, gifts from developers include drops for weapons, cars, skins, and in-game coins. Across the pond, casino players appreciate free spins and bonuses.
Using freebies to increase engagement has worked wonders for eSports brands in the last five years. It helped League of Legends and CS: GO grow its fan base to over one million active players. It also brought them together now that they play these games regularly.
In the same style, software providers can use freebies to stimulate growth or to enhance engagement. For starters, they can provide free spins to slots players. They are two ways to do that.
On the one hand, a software provider can create games that dish out free spins constantly. On the other, they can work with casinos to award spins to customers. Naturally, gamblers would appreciate both tactics. Regardless, the free spins and bonuses can encourage them to spend more time (and money) on these games.
Tournaments need Better Rewards
Software providers hold tournaments with the help of casinos regularly. But except for a few developers, most of these competitions aren’t rewarding enough. Winners get a couple of a thousand dollars or whereas most competitors walk out with nothing.
In contrast, take a glance at the Fortnite World Cup. It attracts up to 80 million competitors annually. And guess what? It's worth the while. The winner takes home over $1.5 million. Several more people win $500,000 or more, and hundreds of regional champions win decent cash too.
In all fairness, casinos’ progressive jackpots are competitions as well. Some of them pay up to $20 million to winners. But that’s not the problem. Most players view jackpots are regular games and not tournaments.
For casinos to drive the kind of attention eSports tournaments get, they need to emulate video game developers. They can create free tournaments and promote them immensely. Then they need reward winners generously. If that happens, it won't take long before a provider becomes a household name.
Content is Vital
Nearly all eSports games with declining ratings share one problem: they lack quality content. That means they were at one time interesting to play. But people got used to doing the same routines and bailed.
Many slots suffer from a similar problem. They are exciting to play for the first time. And if they payout well, they can attract a following fast. But games that payout poorly become boring fast. That’s because no one wants to play the same game over and over without even winning.
That said, software providers need to combine quality content with high-paying features. That way, a slot won't just be fun to play. But it will also be rewarding enough to attract re-playability. Games such as Mega Joker, Starburst, and Thunderstruck 2 meet these criteria.
People love these games because they have enjoyable content. But they keep coming back to play because they know they can win.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.