Bespoke and branded content has been a growing focus for suppliers, with numerous meticulously crafted titles appearing in casino lobbies.
iGaming Expert sits down with Charlie Jacka, Head of Product at Blueprint Gaming, Ian Catchick, Chief Product and Business Development Officer at BetGames, and Dominic Sawyer, Head of Growth at Tequity, to explore why studios are investing more in tailored partnerships, how this content performs commercially, and how it benefits both operators’ and suppliers’ efforts to stay ahead and engage their audiences.
iGaming Expert: Bespoke titles are an increasingly common sight. What’s the broader strategy behind investing more of these exclusive releases?
Charlie Jacka: While, like all studios, we have limited development capacity in our traditional output, we are keen to collaborate on bespoke requests from operators whenever possible. Such projects present clear benefits on both sides; operators gain unique content that is strongly positioned for marketing, while we can expand on a proven release and further cement its longevity or the series it belongs to.
These projects are not about volume; rather, they are about ensuring each exclusive is distinctive, well-executed, and aligned with both our partner’s brand and our strict, creative standards that have become synonymous with the Blueprint name.
Ian Catchick: Investing in bespoke, exclusive content underpins a broader strategy to elevate operator-supplier collaboration. At BetGames, we view branded titles not simply as variants of existing games but as tailored experiences designed for a specific operator’s audience, geography or brand identity (for example, bespoke versions of Skyward Deluxe, or a customised studio for a partner).
By offering exclusive content, we help operators differentiate in increasingly crowded lobbies, deepen brand loyalty, and create greater long-term value. For us as a supplier, it also fosters closer partnerships, longer-term planning and shared growth rather than one-off transactional models.
Dominic Sawyer: The broader strategy is about helping operators stand out. When every casino lobby carries the same catalogue, branded original titles give operators a way to truly own the experience.
Operators love them because they look and feel native to their brand, and players respond positively to that familiarity. And yes – seeing a huge increase in volume doesn’t hurt either!
For us, it’s about turning content into a competitive edge, where the game itself reinforces loyalty and recognition rather than being another commodity title.
iGX: Can you reveal how branded games perform as opposed to their original counterparts? What does that say about the power of co-branded, exclusive content?
IC: When comparing branded bespoke games to generic originals, the data from our collaborations shows a clear uplift in engagement and lifecycle value: operators benefit from games that feel unique to their brand and audience, which, in turn, drives higher visibility, retention, and sometimes enhanced commercial terms.
For example, BetGames’ branded content for a partner in Africa delivered unique mechanics and imagery aligned with the operator’s identity. This demonstrates the real power of co-branded content: uniqueness translates into prominence, player relevance and ultimately competitive advantage. It shows exclusive content is more than decorative; it’s a strategic growth lever.
DS: Across our partners, we know that branded games consistently outperform generic versions on engagement, repeat play, and retention.
Players build an emotional connection with content that’s tied to the brand they already trust. It becomes part of their identity within that ecosystem.
That’s the real power of bespoke games. They deepen affinity and drive a measurable lift in time-on-game and lifetime value.
CJ: The recent success of the Paddy Power King Kong Cash Even Bigger Bananas 2 Rapid Fire Jackpots really highlights the strength of bringing two prominent names together from either side of the industry. The Kong series already has a proven track record in the UK and across international markets, so pairing it with Paddy Power’s first-class marketing and love of the Kong product created the perfect storm.
They understood the success of the original, believed in its potential to resonate with their global player base and backed it with the right promotional push.
That kind of joint commitment is what makes co-branded exclusives so powerful. When both the supplier and operator are equally invested, it creates momentum and has an instant impact.
In this case, it was a combination of strong underlying game mechanics from an iconic Kong title, a globally recognised operator brand and shared enthusiasm to make a release stand out.
iGX: Bespoke games provide the chance to target specific audiences, from various markets to omnichannel content. How vital is the flexibility this offers, and does it lead to trying new approaches based on insights from the performance of original titles?
DS: Flexibility is essential and branded content can open up new possibilities for operators in attracting new audience segments by rolling out a range of game types, based on behavioral data and adapted to their marketing strategies.
At Tequity, we now offer 16 white-label originals titles, giving partners a mix of genres they can tailor to their markets, demographics, and promotional styles.
Because they’re fully skinnable and configurable, partners can run creative campaigns across social and on-site channels that align perfectly with their brand tone.
CJ: With our land-based heritage, we have a strong understanding of omnichannel development. Mecca Bingo is one of the most recognisable retail brands in the UK, and with Cash Strike’s three-reel makeup and classic gameplay, complemented by modern mechanics, we knew producing a reimagined version for Mecca’s retail estate and online platform would translate well.
Delivering a slot experience for both markets is not always straightforward, but in this case, it was a natural match. Players benefit from familiarity, as well as meticulous tweaks to gameplay, which enable the Rank Group to leverage the product across its entire estate.
IC: Flexibility is absolutely vital. Bespoke games enable us and our partners to target specific audience segments, markets, and even channel formats (mobile, omnichannel, cross-sports). BetGames tailors localisation, mechanics, imaging, and integration to meet diverse conditions—for example, Brazilian-market requirements for a customised version of Skyward.
iGX: With bespoke development commanding a greater focus in product roadmaps, how do you ensure you still innovate for the broader market while protecting the creative DNA that’s made the studio so successful across the UK and worldwide?
CJ: It’s always a balancing act. With the competitive nature of the slot landscape, innovation for the broader market remains vital; therefore, we’re constantly building on mechanics and features that appeal to a diverse audience. At the same time, bespoke projects allow us to tailor gameplay to the specific needs of certain operators, which requires a different kind of thinking.
The key is not to treat one as a substitute for the other. Our bespoke releases sit alongside our monthly rollout of slot launches, and both streams inform each other. Our traditional content often inspires tailored projects, ensuring we never lose the DNA that players associate with Blueprint.
Going forward, we see bespoke and mass-market development working in tandem, one strengthening the other. This customisation then feeds back into product-roadmap insights: learnings from bespoke builds inform broader portfolio innovation, allowing us to trial new mechanics, features or formats in a lower-risk environment before rolling them out more widely.
IC: While bespoke development becomes a more prominent part of our roadmap, maintaining innovation for the broader market and preserving our creative DNA remain non-negotiable.
At BetGames our approach is to keep a dual track: we continue to build fresh core mechanics, verticals (e.g., our game shows vertical) and global-fit titles, while also layering bespoke adaptations for partners.
We maintain our signature design principles – simplicity, accessibility and brand-ready aesthetics – and embed bespoke versions within that framework, ensuring the creative essence never gets diluted even as we customise.
DS: Our approach is built around modular customisation rather than full bespoke commissions. Each white-label original comes with an in-depth editor that offers a multitude of visual tweaks, letting operators transform a proven game framework into something that feels entirely their own.
Take Cross the Road, for example: there are so many interchangeable graphical elements that the final result depends purely on the operator’s imagination.
This balance allows us to keep innovating at scale. We refine the core mechanics for performance and engagement, while partners use the editor to push creative boundaries within that proven engine.
It keeps our creative DNA – fast, fun, and deeply brandable – intact, while giving every partner space to express their own identity.
