SBC News Andy Harris - Realistic Games - 2014 Review: Mobile Learning Period is Over

Andy Harris – Realistic Games – 2014 Review: Mobile Learning Period is Over

Andy Harris
Andy Harris

Andy Harris, Commercial Director of Realistic Games says 2014 has seen some welcome innovation in iGaming and Mobile in particular, but that suppliers and operators need to do much more in 2015 to engage more effectively with their customers.

As we entered 2014 the word on everyone’s lips in iGaming was Mobile. Both suppliers and operators were falling over themselves to create more content and generate greater revenues from handheld devices.

The increasing profits in the area highlighted by operators in their yearly figures throughout 2014 proved this wasn’t all paper talk, but it is evident from a look around the industry that there is much still to be done.

That’s because the learning period for consumers engaging with mobile technologies is well and truly over. Betting and gaming customers are smarter than ever and know how to use tablet and mobile devices.

iGaming operators who do not deliver properly in this vertical are simply out of touch. The announcement by William Hill at the end of 2013 that they were opening a new technological centre of excellence was a step in the right direction. But many others need to take their lead.

Customer expectations for mobile applications in Europe in particular are very high now, and if they don’t like first time interaction with the application or mobile site an operator is at risk of losing them.

It is strange, therefore, that as we reach the end of 2014 a number of operators and their suppliers still don’t grasp all of the requirements when it comes to a joined up Mobile strategy.

Technologies are becoming more integrated with the daily routines for their customers and there has even been much expectation in 2014 that wearable technologies such as Google Glass will be all-important in the next few years.

I’m slightly sceptical about us all playing roulette on our glasses or spinning slots on our hover boards however, and believe players will benefit more from something tangible like better efficiency of delivery in existing technologies.

We haven’t scratched the surface with Mobile yet. With better handsets, greater penetration, cheaper and better connectivity, and wider availability of wireless at home and abroad it will grow and grow.

There are huge discrepancies in smartphone penetration around the world, but once that changes we will see bigger and bigger revenues.

There is also more we can do as an industry to get the most out of tablets.

At Realistic Games we have always believed in the importance of creating bespoke game versions specifically tailored for iPads and tablets and the range of operating systems they run.

Essentially, that means optimising the gaming experience for the player by making full use of the real estate available whatever the size and the capability of the devices, and having the device detection solutions in place to deliver this.

That is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge for all of us as more and more tablet products, with different screen sizes and capability, flood onto the market.

Some suppliers and operators have tried to get on top of this during 2014, but the prevalence of a one size fits all approach by others suggests we’ve not yet grasped the nettle.

As more and more games hit the market this year it became clear that there is still too much choice and not enough quality in Mobile.For a number of reasons, not least the lack of physical restraint, many operators offer hundreds of desktop games. In the frenzy to source new content mobile is following suit.

In fact, many companies use the quantity of titles as one of their key marketing messages. But is a massive number of games what players really want?

When I buy a pair of jeans I don’t feel the need to pick from hundreds of options. I prefer to be presented with a sensible number of choices selected for me from the best available. If I buy them online, the retailer even presents me with choices similar to those I’ve viewed. Why should our industry be any different?

Vast numbers of games would be justified if each one yielded equal amounts of revenue – but they don’t. A handful of games are responsible for the majority of operator revenues. Furthermore, a large volume is a hindrance to players accessing the best games.

The solutions are simple – and would be genuinely innovative if implemented. They start with a cull of the worst performing games. Operators should be bold in the knowledge they’ll make more money out of less, but higher quality, content that is easier to access.

They’ll only be confident in doing so, however, if they have a well-structured and consistent process for launching and then managing that content. This will provide them with fair, like-for-like performance comparisons across games, which will in turn aid the cull.

Such a ruthless approach might be seen as reason not to add new elements and features to games for fear of failure.

But failure will come quicker from customers bored of the same old products if we don’t try out new ideas.

Such game innovation is important to achieve differentiation, which will become increasingly important in a post-POC landscape, where there are numerous suppliers and operators fighting for the same customers.

There will always be some uniformity, particularly to table games and slots as players like familiarity.But it is how you differentiate within games that makes it an enjoyable and user-friendly experience for players and profitable for operators.

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Andy Harris Commercial Director Realistic Games

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