ICE London: three talking points

Article posted on 1 February 2019

Daniel Lazarus, Creative Director of Revolver Gaming, says VR and innovative progressive jackpots will be the talk of the town at this year’s expo

It’s that time of year again when the great and the good of the iGaming industry descend on London for three days of showcasing and networking.

Each year, the conference plays host to thousands of conversations about the industry and the various trends that will impact the sector over the coming 12 months.

While much of the talk will be about the USA and the roll-out of legal sports betting, there is still plenty to chat about when it comes to the exciting world of online slot development.

Below are three topics I expect to be on trend:

1) More mainstream adoption of social and casual gameplay elements

I think we’ll see a lot of discussions around the use of gamification in slots and table games increasing significantly over the coming year.

Developers have already experimented with this, but 2019 will be all about building games with more sophisticated achievement and strategy-driven quests, progressive missions, puzzles and battles that unlock features with higher levels of reward.

This type of gamification has proved to be very successful in the video game sector, as well as others like health and fitness, and will be a game changer in slot design this year.

In addition to this, we’ll also see the launch of many more highly entertaining and dynamic instant games that appeal to younger audiences.

These will be based on traditional scratch card/pick ‘em models but re-engineered and modified with a modern user experience such as first-person shooter games and third person 3D games and even missions and quests.

 2) The true emergence of traditional slots re-purposed for VR

 With virtual reality (VR) now very much on the cusp of mainstream adoption, we’ll see the first signs of traditional slot games redesigned for play in virtual worlds.

I think the same will happen with skill and strategy-based games.

In all cases, developers will use the technology to create games set in complex worlds with characters and detailed narratives to deliver an experience similar to that offered by next gen PC and console games.

Players are looking for the most authentic and immersive experience possible, and I believe that VR is currently the best way of delivering this.

3) New innovations in progressive jackpot features and mechanics

 Progressive jackpot games are among the most popular in all operator game lobbies, offering players the chance of a life-changing win for a relatively low stake.

Until now, however, there has been little innovation when it comes to jackpot games and how those games are played and pay out.

I think this year we’ll see developers move the needle when it comes to jackpot games, particularly in the way they are triggered and delivered.

This will combine new styles of gameplay that could involve many of the casual based quests or progressive missions toward jackpot prizes.

These are just three topics that will be discussed during ICE London, and here at Revolver Gaming we intend to be leading the conversation.

Our development pipeline is packed with slots that combine some of the factors mentioned above, and we look forward to talking with delegates about these trends – and our games – during the show.

If you would like to know more, please email hello@revolvergaming.com to arrange a meeting.