The power of branded content

Well-known and well-respected brands such as TV shows and movies can play an important role in online games, especially gambling. Playtech, for example, took advantage of its Marvel-themed games, until Disney decided earlier this year it was an area it wanted to review. As a result of the decision, Playtech was forced to redesign the Marvel games using mythological themes, although most of the game engines related to the Marvel slots series have been reused.

But why should we consider using a big brand to differentiate our offerings? For starters, it is a very powerful way to attract players to a new title. A player is allowed to not only enjoy and play a game without any upfront investment but they are able to interact with a format that they already have an in-depth knowledge or emotional resonance with.

Leveraging brands is useful in establishing and building an ongoing connection to players. The hope is that a branded format draws new players in cheaply and it encourages them to continue playing.

Brand also gives games and development a stronger position in terms of protection. Because the games are based on existing, well-understood brands, cloning of gameplay becomes much less worthwhile for competitors who rely on a “copycat” style of game development.

Gaming Realms has taken this notion to a new level with the creation of themed websites such as Love Island Games and X Factor Games. Running these destination portals means we have been able to reduce the cost of acquiring new players while adding a substantial degree of endorsement for the proposition. This is further enhanced by the use of media on TV and radio by using voice overs from the shows narrators. The results we have seen have been exceptional.

Gaming Realms powers the popular Love Island Games site

One of the more interesting moves recently in our sector has been the licensing of music to add a depth of play to games. For example, we have seen a series of games from NetEnt featuring a variety of big bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Lemmy, while Spikegam.es is just adding its magic to an Alice Cooper-themed slot game.

Elsewhere, Scientific Games has Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil’s director of partnership development and licensing, Marie-Josée Couture, described the partnership with Scientific Games as “a unique creative challenge.” The great thing about these slot formats is the music and music videos add a very appealing aspect to the game experience.

We have also just started work with Scientific Games on an in-house project taking Rainbow Riches – one of the best known game formats offline in the UK – to create a new online format using our own in-house brand Slingo. The mash-up of the two has already made it a killer game on the brands we operate, and based on the customer feedback we’ve had so far – it’s going to prove a big success for a long time to come.