And Best New Bingo Sites team members, Sue Dawson and Dale Shelabarger were in virtual attendance!
As with previous iterations, it proved a big success with the likes of Scientific Games and EVO Play showcasing their new slots to operators from all over the world. Some of the games were live tested in front of an audience of slot enthusiasts – an indicator of just how influential streamers have become in the industry. Here are some of the highlights from Casino Beats Slots Festival 3.
New and Upcoming Slot Game Releases
Ten slot game developers attended the event: Bet Construct, BGaming, Endorphina, EVO Play, Gaming Realms, Kalamba Games, Net Gaming, Push Gaming, Scientific Games and Worldmatch.
Although a few developers exhibited games already released (some of which were over a year old), most offered visitors the chance to try up and coming titles. Scientific Games for instance, took the opportunity to preview no less than seven titles including two new Megaways games.
Also present were Push Gaming and Gaming Realms. At Push Gaming’s virtual showroom, the spotlight was on Jammin’ Jars 2 – an upbeat colourful sequel to the enormously popular 8 x 8 game released back in 2018. This was supported by established games, Wild Swarm and the recently unveiled, Dinopolis – a 3-4-4-4-3 slot comprising a five-tier bonus round.
Joining the above developers was Gaming Realms which has been busying itself with slot-bingo hybrids of late. Attendees were able enjoy previews of three new Slingo titles: Book of Slingo, Slingon Fishin’ and Slingo Sweet Bonanza.
Interviews and Discussion
In addition to the slot game exhibitors, the busy agenda featured a series of webinars and interviews with industry experts who offered their insights into some of the latest innovations and developments.
One of the topics up for discussion was the continued development iGaming in Latin America. Lenin Castillio, Chief Operating Officer of Logrand Online, spoke with SBC’s Kelly Kehn about the enormous growth potential in LATAM markets. In addition, Castillio revealed how slots factor into his company’s overall strategy as well as the kind of slots that South American players tend to favour.
Groove Gaming’s Chief Operating Officer Yahale Meltzer was interviewed by Casino Beats editor Craig Davies regarding the current state of the online slots industry. Meltzer discussed the history of Groove Gaming, the important of customer service in developing a successful iGaming brand and the new partnership with Kalamba Games. The challenges of serving ‘faster-moving’, more engaging content to millennial gamers also formed part of the wide-ranging interview.
No Casino Beats Slot Festival would be complete without a chat about slot game mechanics. Happily, SBC’s Rasmum Sojmark hosted a webinar entirely devoted to the subject. Special guests included David Mann, Chief Commercial Officer of Swintt and Yggdrasil Chief Executive Officer, Fredrik Elmqvist.
Fredrik Elmqvist provided some revealing insights into Yggdrasil’s approach to game mechanics. Despite a reluctance to unveil too many, the company changed its strategy about eighteen months ago and has since unveiled a raft of new mechanics including Gigablox, MultiMax and Splitz. The adjustment has yielded some impressive results for Yggdrasil which recently reported more than 100% growth YOY.
Swinnt’ are currently developing an adaptation of the popular hold and re-spin feature which will involve two reel sets. This is set to be unveiled in upcoming game, Blocks Zeus. Chief Commercial Officer David Mann also provided a few hints about regional-specific features and his company’s plans to release a slot game mechanic based on Asian culture.
