Moving Online
Slot development ramps up in the digital channel
By Frank Legato
The creation of successful slot games is a process that remained relatively constant for decades . Software was developed , hardware was developed to house it , sometimes in concert with the creation of the game . The machine would hit slot floors , and players would vote with their wallets .
The rise of online gaming in the U . S ., not to mention its continuing growth around the world , has added the digital discipline to that equation . It is becoming more common for slot suppliers to create a dedicated digital division , devoted to achieving success online . Some of the largest manufacturers have entered the space via acquisition ; others have built digital business organically — starting with porting brick-and-mortar hits online , but keeping an eye to what ’ s needed for iGaming success .
“ Digital players predominantly consume their content through a mobile device ,” comments Dylan Slaney , CEO , iGaming at Light & Wonder . “ Making content work on a mobile device presents its own challenges , and it ’ s this skill set that is key to producing great content . Our landbased teams create amazing immersive experiences , and our role within the digital team is to recreate this on a mobile device . It ’ s crucial to understand what will work on a mobile device , and it ’ s where our teams excel .”
L & W has four core studios dedicated to development of content — landbased and online . The company also recently acquired Lightning Box , a digital studio based in Sydney , Australia ; and Elk , another digital studio in Stockholm , Sweden .
“ These studios all focus on building content for players in the online space ,” says Slaney . “ We use our IP and brands that players can find in landbased casinos , and also create unique content that hasn ’ t been played in a casino for digital natives .”
Gil Rotem , president , iGaming for IGT PlayDigital , says his company benefits from a deep digital lineage , including the 2022 acquisition of iSoftBet , which doubled its online content library .
“ Everything we do is digital , from game creation to the remote game server to the user engagement and analytics ,” Rotem says . “ It allows us to scale and also control the quality of what we do — to either build our own game or to make sure that the same experience on land-based will be transformed to the mobile phone .”
Everi first launched its games online in late 2016 , and has built on that business since then , creating the Everi Digital division in 2019 . “ Everi Digital does have a set of staff dedicated solely to online content ,” says Marshall Adair , senior vice president and executive producer for Everi Digital . “ We like to call it ‘ Online First ’ because it has been done to bring one of the hits from online to a cabinet on a land-based casino floor . Our dedication to creating gaming experiences that match our customer needs is most pronounced in the ongoing strategy of many of our customers to engage new audiences .
“ This has caused us to focus on more and different kinds of content , specific for online operators , that gives them a chance to reach audiences that slots do not . And , just as always , we provide white-label and bespoke content for our customers that are often exclusively for their online enterprises .”
Adair says the biggest advantage of having a dedicated digital team is overall efficiency in game development . “ More recently ,” he says , “ the benefits have become more and more aligned with operators ’ topical needs , and so remaining agile and responsive to those needs is a major aspect of our success .”
Headed by Zoe Ebling , vice president , interactive , AGS recently streamlined its entire digital division , bringing on top talent , making important changes in its approach to R & D , and broadening its overall offerings . AGS has had a dedicated digital studio up and running for over a year , and initial hits including Mega Diamond from the in-house studio are prompting discussions to grow Ebling ’ s team larger .
“ With the initial success that we ’ ve seen , we know that continuing to scale our production is important to us , maintaining and building momentum on the success that we ’ ve had in this space ,” Ebling says . “ We want to be one of the top online suppliers , and as new markets grow and as new types of games come out , we want to make sure that we ’ re competitive .”
Ebling says one of the advantages of the AGS digital operation is the expertise of the team .
“ Most of our friends in the industry are using third-party developers , so there isn ’ t really a leader driving the product that understands it from a technical perspective ,” she says . “ What we get by having an in-house studio is
14 Global Gaming Business APRIL 2024