At Casual Connect USA, Bryan Bennett, Vice President of Marketing at AGS Interactive, was part of a panel that addressed the essential question in the game industry: how to realize a profit with your game. And while the question sounds simple, navigating the answers to it is considerably more complex. How, for example, do you find and acquire the highest value users, how do you succeed on Instagram or make the best use of Facebook ad products. Should you expand your business into other geographic markets and how do you decide which ones.
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EventsIndustryResearch
Esports & VR: Casinos’ Upcoming Star Attractions
This is part of a series on the convergence of video games and the casino industry and opportunities for non-casino game developers. Part 1 focused on mobile games. Part 2 focused on skill-based games. This is the final article in the series and focuses on esports and virtual reality.
Esports and virtual reality are coming to casinos. At the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas, esports have already arrived and at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) esports and virtual reality were on display in major ways. Multiple panels were dedicated to the topic of esports and Gamblit Gaming showcased the possible future of VR and esports on casino floors with their G-Sports station and Virtual Reality Cube (VRC).
EventsIndustryResearch
Skill-Based Games in Casinos & What It Means For Developers
This is part of a series on the convergence of video games and the casino industry and opportunities for non-casino game developers. This article focuses on skill-based games. Part 1 focuses on mobile games. Part 3 focuses on spectator events such as esports and virtual reality.
At the recent Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas, panels and attractions with companies such as Caesars, IGT, Gamblit Gaming, GameCo and Competition Interactive made one thing abundantly clear: The video game and casino industries are converging. This promises not only new sources of revenue for casinos, but new opportunities for game developers outside the casino industry as well.
EventsIndustryResearch
Mobile & Casinos: How Developers Cash In
This is Part 1 in a series on the convergence of the games and casino industries and how non-casino game developers can get involved in emerging areas of the casino industry. This article focuses on mobile gaming. Part 2 focuses on skill-based games. Part 3 covers esports and virtual reality.
The casino industry is undergoing a bit of a renaissance. With demographics in casino patrons rapidly changing, casinos are looking at ways to engage with younger audiences through the things they love as well as keep older patrons engaged even away from their properties. As a result the industry is starting to see more innovation than it has in years.
EventsIndustry
Casinos, Social Gaming Eyed at Casual Connect Tel Aviv
With major players in the region, Tel Aviv is a perfect hub for those interested in social casino gaming and the emergence of skill-based gaming in casinos around the world. Casual Connect understands the importance of these areas to developers and will be unraveling them at their upcoming show in November.
Asia 2016Video Coverage
Serena Proudfoot: What’s Coming in Casino | Casual Connect Video
The time is here when a game studio can manage and build their own consumer relationships through social platforms. At Casual Connect Asia, Serena Proudfoot, Vice President of Production and partner at Oddity Labs, gave pointers on how to create and maintain healthy business to consumer relationships. “It is definitely really important to not only focus on the reviews that aren’t so good and the negative feedback. Focus on the good feedback. Thank people for taking the time to review and to review you well. It definitely goes a long way.” said Serena.
USA 2016Video Coverage
CPI, LTV And the Future of Social Casino
DAU-UP, hosted a panel at Casual Connect USA titled “CPI Greater Than LTV. Now What?” The participants were Carey DiJulio of Big Fish Games, Nick Talarico of SuperLucky Casino, Aayush Sakya of GSN Games, and Mark Beck, formerly of Product Madness.
During the panel, they discussed UA using Google and Facebook, UA using social media channels like Pintrest and Instagram, and social titles that innovated successfully like Scatter Slots, Big Fish Casino, and Slotomania. They also touched on retaining players to increase LTV, App Store Optimization to increase penetration on iOS devices, the potential of branded IP, and the future of social casino with chat bots and VR.
For the full synopsis and the video of the panel, visit dauup.com.
Editorial
Counter-Strike: Know When to Hold, When to Fold
The recent controversy over “skin gambling” has blown up and forced Valve to take direct measures. We look at what led to this and what developers and publishers should really consider before adding any sort of gambling element to their game.
Skin in the Game
This saga truly began in 2011. That was the year that Valve added features to Steam to allow users to trade in-game items in for credits that would let them get the items they wanted. Team Fortress 2 turned free-to-play and made money from various cosmetic purchases, becoming the model that would later be integrated into Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO).
Europe 2016Video Coverage
Alex Cohen: The Novelty of the Gaming Industry Brings Constant Challenge
Mobile is here to stay in social games worldwide. The Latin American market is a strong example of this foothold. In a talk entitled The Challenge of Mobile Social Games in Latin America, CPO of Akamon Entertainment, Alex Cohen, explained how to decide the most appropriate mobile platform in each country of Latin America. or being able to engage users in mobile as done online are key. Alex reflected, “I think there is a general impression in Latin America that it is a market that is full of low income feature phone users . . . In practice that really is not true. Smartphone penetration in Latin America is up in the range of 67% and feature phone penetration is smaller and declining.” To hear more stereotypes busted, listen to Alex’s talk from Casual Connect Europe.
EventsIndustryNews
Social Casino to Feature Prominently at Casual Connect USA
With changing dynamics in the casino industry and the increasing popularity of mobile games, social casino is becoming more important than ever. The $3 billion-plus social casino games market has seen strong growth in the last few years and continues to offer areas that newcomers can succeed in.