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Why studios need to promote their games
Elliott Resnick, Head of First Look Games, says that due to the highly competitive nature of the industry studios need to get their games in front of players if they are to succeed in the long term
Slot studios are fighting for operator attention in a highly competitive marketplace. There are literally hundreds of developers pushing thousands of games with endless new titles launching every month. So being heard above the noise made by rivals is a vital key to success.
Developers also face fierce competition when it comes to directing players to their games. Operator lobbies are stocked with thousands of titles, with game positioning often the difference between whether a title sinks or swims.
But what if affiliates could not only fulfil their traditional objective of new traffic to operators but also drive awareness of a studio’s content and have players specifically look for the game regardless of where they are positioned in casino lobbies?
To do this, studios must promote their games to players as well as operators, but that isn’t easy given developers take a small proportion of the revenues made on their slots. Above-the-line marketing is simply not an option for the majority of studios, so they have to look to other ways of gaining the attention of operators and players.
But due to the expensive nature of traditional game development, and the time it can take to bring a slot from concept to market (this can take anywhere from four to twelve months) studios must not leave game discovery to chance and instead proactively promote each of their most anticipated titles.
It is also important for studios to provide operators with easy access to information and assets about their games, not just for the purpose of selling their titles but also for other areas such as inclusion in the operator’s marketing and CRM. Without this, developers are missing the final but crucial step in launching their game – which is proactively letting players know about it.
This has led several studios to partner with slot streamers but while that now hangs in the balance pending Twitch’s upcoming announcement on 18 October, others are leveraging the incredible reach that traditional affiliates can provide. But striking partnerships with publishers can be labour intensive – something that already stretched teams have little time to dedicate to unless they hire someone dedicated to affiliate outreach pretty much full-time.
That is where First Look Games comes in, providing the world’s first platform that directly connects studios with all registered affiliates in the iGaming space who regularly craft detailed new game reviews designed to generate referrals to one or more online casino partner.
A publisher’s access to First Look Games is free, allowing all game studios to deploy finished/approved creative packs direct to an entire affiliate community within minutes. It puts the power in the developer’s hands, giving them control over the information and assets they share, and when they share them.
Affiliate marketing allows studios of all sizes to put their games in front of players and potentially build anticipation around future releases. For established studios that have highly sought-after content coming, affiliate marketing can drive large numbers of reviews along with significant awareness that a new game is set to land. For small studios starting out, it can make a difference between being prioritised for an operator integration or being left out. For those in the growth phase, game promotion can assist with realising greater ROI.
Studios can additionally use the feedback they receive from affiliate game reviews to guide future slot development by understanding what has and has not hit the mark with the player community. This feedback is incredibly valuable.
What’s more, affiliates are very cost-effective when compared to other forms of B2C marketing and can help studios to reverse engineer interest in their games where reviews are strong and the audience has a clear appetite for their content.
But right now, studios are not maximising the potential that affiliates provide. The studio-affiliate relationship is still relatively new which is why this marketing channel can be overlooked in terms of the value it can deliver.
First Look Games has been designed to do much of the heavy lifting on behalf of the studio, providing them with access to more than 800 approved publishers with their combined reach being more than 20 million players around the world.
Studios simply upload game information and assets to their dedicated library, and then our network of approved affiliates can access these files and use them to produce content such as game reviews or video content. The entire platform has been designed to be easy to use by any member of a studio’s team.
Despite this, we often find the studios do not know where to position us within their business – sometimes we are seen as a marketing resource, other times as a tool to support the commercial team. We can be both, but it shows just how new this area of game promotion is.
Over time this will change, especially when studios start to see the incredible success their rivals are having in the affiliate space by unlocking more of the potential in their games.
Getting any title in front of more of the right people is simply good business and in such a competitive market, that can be the difference between a studio succeeding or failing.
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One of the UK’s leading betting aggregators, betting.bet, has introduced the Free Bet Wheel, a new free-to-play tool designed to increase user retention and interaction. Tied to the weekend’s Premier League football, this gamified feature offers users the opportunity to earn free bets and a weekly £100 cash reward.
At a time when most iGaming affiliates are focused on developing foreign markets such as Latin America and Africa, the function illustrates betting.bet’s ongoing commitment to the UK.
About the Free Bet Wheel
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Weekend Availability: The Free Bet Wheel runs every weekend, aligned with major Premier League and international football matches.
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Multiple Chances to Win: Players receive up to four spins to try their luck each weekend.
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Winning Free Bets: Match three free bet colours within five spins to win a free bet on the featured match.
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£100 Cash Jackpot: Land on the jackpot segment five times consecutively to win £100 in cash.
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Loyalty Rewards: Players also collect bCoins, Betting.bet’s exclusive loyalty currency, which can be redeemed for a range of prizes, vouchers and rewards.
Strengthening Operator Partnerships Through Enhanced User Experience
By launching the Free Bet Wheel, betting.bet is not only elevating the player experience but also delivering tangible benefits to its network of partner operators. The feature offers a new avenue to profile selected betting partners, direct qualified traffic to safe free bets and reinforce affiliate partnerships through increased user activity and conversions.
Steve Gummer, Director of Betting.bet, stated: “We at betting.bet are dedicated to developing products and experiences that not only interest players but also provide clear value to our partners. Designed to benefit our UK community in a fun, frictionless manner, the Free Bet Wheel also supports important weekend traffic and sportsbook conversions.”
Driving Retention Through Gamification
This launch is part of a broader strategic focus on gamification and loyalty at betting.bet, aligning user enjoyment with commercial objectives. As the UK version of the platform continues to grow, features like the Free Bet Wheel are designed to support player acquisition, maximise LTV and drive weekend re-engagement.
The Free Bet Wheel is now live at betting.bet and available to all UK users aged 18+,
The post The Free Bet Wheel: Betting.bet Increases Player Engagement with New Gamification Tool appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
GR8 Tech has unveiled a powerful new upgrade to its high-performance sportsbook platform: high-quality, real-time Match Trackers—designed to bring more action, insight, and excitement to players. Match Trackers are available across all of GR8 Tech’s sportsbook solutions, including iFrame and the Hyper Turnkey.
“We’re always looking for ways to elevate the player experience and give our partners a competitive edge,” said Denys Parkhomenko, CPO at GR8 Tech. “Match Trackers have smart features that drive engagement, boost retention, and power faster betting decisions in real-time.”
With broad coverage across football, basketball, tennis, hockey, volleyball, and handball, the trackers are live for pre-match analytics and in-game updates. Key features include:
- Detailed Stats: From xG in football to rebounds in basketball and aces in tennis, players get live and historical stats tailored to each sport.
- Key Moments & Summaries: Goals, assists, red cards, substitutions, and more delivered in real-time.
- Pitch Animation: A dynamic, visual alternative to video streaming, showing key moments as they unfold on the field.
- Lineups & Live Updates: Full team sheets, coaches, and live substitutions, so players are always in the know.
- Live Standings: Updated rankings and tournament tables across all supported sports.
By providing operators with the tools to deliver everything players need in one place, GR8 Tech enhances the sportsbook user experience, enabling more confident betting and driving longer player sessions.
The launch of Match Trackers marks another step in the company’s long-term strategy to deliver a best-in-class, sportsbook-driven platform and become the leading sportsbook provider by 2028. Coverage will soon expand to even more sports to meet operators’ needs.
The post GR8 Tech Powers Smarter Betting with New Match Trackers appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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Midnite creates free limited-edition beer for fans to enjoy at World Snooker Championship
Midnite is the new official UK betting and casino partner of the World Championship, Snooker’s greatest event, which will run from April 19 to May 5.
To celebrate the partnership, Midnite has created a FREE limited edition lager – with one free beer available per person – which will be served at a local pub throughout the tournament.
The one-off lager will be served at The Graduate, an iconic Sheffield pub a short walk from The Crucible, with fans able to enjoy a new beer on tap while the World Championship comes to the city.
Midnite has partnered with London-based brewery Drop Project to bring the concept to life. Drop Project creates the freshest, premium flavoursome beers with consistent high-quality results, and pushes creative boundaries and brews the beers that both inspire their passions for the industry and our lifestyles.
A Midnite spokesperson, commented: “We have worked with Drop Project to bring fans a Midnite lager that they can enjoy throughout the whole tournament. We wanted to create something tangible that snooker fans can enjoy throughout, and to have been able to create our own beer is something we’re pleased with.
“The World Snooker Championship brings real excitement to the city, and fans can head straight from The Crucible, to The Graduate and enjoy a pint or two of our specially brewed lager, just for the occasion.”
Midnite is providing the beer free of charge – one free drink per person of Midnite Lager Only and for ticket holders to the Snooker World Championship (18+). Redeem by showing your matchday ticket at The Graduate. While stock lasts.
The post Midnite creates free limited-edition beer for fans to enjoy at World Snooker Championship appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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