Big Question: How popular are branded slots in today’s marketplace

Joey Hurtado is Managing Director of Wizard Games and Doug Fallon is Group Director, Content at Bragg.

Branded slots are a great bridge to slots for players who may not have played before. They often come with access to visuals, audio and video clips. This can be problematic in a market where they often carry an extra fee over standard content. The US and Canada are opening up to online slots. Finding the right IP to take online is a challenge. It can also be expensive and difficult to achieve ROI. It's a fine balance which can't be achieved. There is not a lot of volume of branded games in the current market. For studios which serve multiple global regions, the best value is from a brand which resonates internationally and can serve all markets.

Doug Fallon is the Group Director of Content at Bragg and Founder of Wild Streak Gaming. He believes that licensed brands work well in the gaming space as they appeal to players immediately. However, both land-based and online slots have had a significant incidence of failures in licensed brand space. The land based casino environment doesn't have file size limitations. This increased capacity can allow the game experience to be fully immersive with video clips, character animations and special effects. In the online space, the brand is used to attract players and mixed with the right game design to enjoy great success.