SPONSORED EDITORIAL
GTECH
SLOTS FOCUS
Big changes
William Scott of GTECH talks to eGaming Review about the evolution of slots games
With ever-changing demands from bettors and continued technological developments, the gaming sector is changing rapidly. William Scott, vice president of GTECH’s Interactive Division, outlines the changes in slots games and the details of their latest game, CSI. eGaming Review (eGR): Slots games have evolved signi?cantly recently. How do today’s games compare to a few years ago? William Scott (WS): Visually slots have undergone big changes, to the point where 3D characters and HD graphics are becoming standard. There has always been a story element to slots, but this has allowed narratives behind today’s games to be richer than ever. The imagery and story helps to attract new players, but their continued involvement is determined by how good the maths are. This is one area of slots development that has not changed. It is still the single most important factor when it comes to repeat and regular playing. eGR: What will tomorrow’s slots look like? WS: Slots are increasingly taking on the characteristics of other areas of popular entertainment, such as video games and ?lms. There is a growing tendency for an arcade style of play where the aim is to unlock features and achievements, and for more bespoke and unique content such as ?lm clips and music. We will also see more sequels and series created for popular titles. The social environment can also teach us lessons. We will see more social elements injected, such as bragging, leaderboards, challenging friends, and so on. Separately, land-based content will be important for online as regulated markets open up, enabling bricks and mortar venues to continue to reach their players after they have left the premises. eGR: What can you tell us about the development process for a slots game? WS: Over time, development has become more structured, as many different parties have become involved in the process. For instance, games now have brand owners to satisfy and they are naturally protective over their content. Generally speaking, development times are getting longer, partly because of the participation of rights holders, but also because the content is richer, even in the most rudimentary games. Monumental
William Scott is vice president of GTECH’s Interactive Division. As part of his role, William has been responsible for the launch of North America’s first legal poker network and driving the company’s egaming strategy across all channels and markets.
sums have been invested and impressive facilities created for developing and testing. eGR: How do you develop slots for different audiences and different regions? WS: Players ?t many different pro?les, both demographically and geographically. Right from the start, everything is geared towards them. GTECH has targeted personas we use throughout the creative procedure. This is when the style is set, along with game-determining factors like the maths and its return to player, hit rate and volatility. Many slots are still developed to the broader audience but we always try to balance the portfolio to offer a good mix along the gameplay continuum. Each game will have a slightly different position, somewhere between familiar and novel, classic and modern, private and social, luck and skill, as well as big win and entertainment. We have slots that are strong for acquisition, even if they are expensive to build and often have a lower yield. But we have to measure the acquisition value, as new players might start their journey here before trying the more classic games in the portfolio. eGR: GTECH recently launched CSI. What makes this particular game stand out? WS: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation pays homage to the TV series, which was named the world’s most watched TV show. People who like it are well matched to our partners’ target audiences. We had incredible support from CBS Network when creating the game, enabling us to be true to the brand and develop a product that CSI fans will immediately identify with. The game is a ?ve-reel, 20-line slot that follows the same plot as it would on TV and combines many classic and innovative features, such as free spins, expanding wilds with CSI clips, the Lock ‘n’ Re-spin bonus, and everything culminates in the ?nal scene – if the player solves the case. CSI is the latest highlight in the GTECH Games Hub which features more than 400 games, including further branded content like The Fast and the Furious, Deal or No Deal and Plants vs Zombies, as well as top games ported from the GTECH International land-based catalogue. A T C O N T A C T : W W W. A R I S T O C R
56
www.egrmagazine.com