EXCLUSIVE: Dr Andreas Koeberl on The Rise of Experimental Content in iGaming

The iGaming News team spoke with Dr Andreas Koeberl, Chief Executive Officer at BetGames, on the rise of experimental content in iGaming

Dr Andreas Koeberl, Chief Executive Officer at BetGames, explores the rise of experimental content in iGaming, outlining the factors influencing growth, the potential of hybrid games, and why failing is not such a bad thing when it comes to innovation.

“Every game provider is looking to establish a reputation as a disruptor – within the tight regulatory corsets. Whether that relates to engineering brand-new slot mechanics, implementing RNG-style features in Live Casino products, or leading the charge in crash and tap games, the innovation race has never been more fiercely contested. Especially for “underdogs”, carving out a new niche remains a key factor in building a sustainable business within the hyper competitive iGaming industry.”

The Growing Momentum of Experimental Content

“Genres such as crash games have significantly increased in popularity over the past decade. A prominent factor influencing this surge is the introduction of an element of skill and strategy – even if it’s on the surface only. In contrast to most slots, which have an outcome settled by predetermined backend mathematics, crash games grant the player control. This extends from control over the initial stake to control over when to cash out, with the risk and reward balance facilitating game strategy development.

Tap games were born out of the increasing demand for quickfire gameplay that delivers maximum entertainment value as quickly as possible and instant rewards. The attention span of the modern iGaming player is reduced compared to land-based gamblers spending numerous hours at a brick-and-mortar casino. As a result, there has been a trend toward simple and fast gameplay as suppliers attempt to tailor content toward this new-look player. We have seen this shift across all verticals. There has been a dramatic increase in classic table games promoting accelerated betting rounds, and most slots have a turbo-play button integrated. Tap games take this idea and push it one step further, delivering instantaneous wins with the click of a button. There is a direct correlation between the intensifying pressure on driving player engagement and gameplay speed.

Market analysis suggests that this content style can be utilised as a key driver of ancillary revenue alongside a more traditional offering of slots and table games. The speed and strategy involved highlight them as a potential alternative to slots. At the same time, the simplicity of gameplay and lack of complex mechanics mean they have huge potential in converting sports and recreational bettors into casino players.”

Pushing Boundaries with Game Development

“It is integral that game producers optimise these evolving genres with the time-poor consumer in mind. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach, a focus on originality, gameplay simplicity, ease of interface navigation, and strategic control can all be potent precursors indicating a game’s future success. Ultimately, you can delve into data analytics and make assumptions about content performance, but nobody can say for certain if a game will be a hit with players.

This is why product iteration is vital. Ship quickly, fail fast – this has been a mantra in the startup world for decades and is still something we often see lacking in our industry. It’s important to champion this approach, place yourself in the player’s mind, and create a compelling, entertaining product that caters to the target audience. Do it fast, test it, kill it or double down. While tricky in the CAPEX intense live dealer vertical, the RNG verticals allow us to do exactly that.

The meteoric rise in the sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI) has also unlocked new doors in game production. From speeding up prototyping by multiples to analysing player behaviours and deriving game mechanics from it autonomously, this enabling technology can’t be ignored. While regulation remains a burden, the opportunities afforded by AI are boundless, and those agile enough to harness its potential will position themselves to reap the rewards. ”

The Future of Experimental Genres

“Increasingly, we have seen the lines blurring between traditional verticals and other entertainment categories, from simple crossovers like live gameshows that incorporate RNG bonus rounds to more sophisticated social gameplay incorporating streaming and the likes. A simple example is our very own Penguin Rush. This fuses the simplicity of gameplay enabled by tap games with various difficulty levels and increasing multipliers to deliver dynamic gameplay that places strategy at the heart of the experience, revitalising the Frogger mechanic.

With the advent of AI, we will see more experimental genres emerging, and faster. Game producers feeding models with behavioural player data and amalgamating this with the latest trends, for example from TikTok or Discord, will spark ideas and prototypes in unprecedented numbers. Though, the question remains: will our regulators be agile enough or will we have to break out into adjacent non-iGaming verticals to capture future players?”