Free-to-play games are a key asset for operators looking to prioritise player retention, providing users with unique incentives to return to a casino day-by-day.
Looking to build on its established reputation as a free-to-play games provider, Incentive Games is utilising its expertise with data scientists and player research to transition towards real-money gaming.
Not only will the supplier transform its offering with a range of arcade games, but it will combine its current portfolio of free-to-play titles with real-money products to keep players engaged, utilising both of the firm’s focal points in one ecosystem, named Incentify.
In the first of a two-part special, Incentive Games’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmed Baker, walks iGaming Expert through this ecosystem, explaining how the firm is in “a very unique position” to “stand out in the market”.
“Everyone knows Incentive Games as the world’s number one in terms of free-to-play games,” says Baker. “We have a solid foundation with our teams in place as well as the data insights and technology that we have; it’s essentially our structure.”
The CCO was eager to detail Incentive Games’ transition towards real-money gaming, stating that discussions have been held regarding how the company can evolve and be taken “to the next level” – leading to the introduction of real-money products.
“There is so much data that we have with player behaviour and segmentation from the free-to-play side that puts us in a unique position.”
“We have all the foundations in place,” he explains. “There is so much data that we have with player behaviour and segmentation from the free-to-play side that puts us in a unique position to create differentiated content that will stand out in the market.”
However, Incentive Games’ plans extend beyond simply offering pay-to-play titles. A specialised ecosystem will help the company’s partners attract players to real-money gaming directly from free-to-play offerings.
Baker states: “With free-to-play games, we’ve demonstrated to a lot of partners that these products work when you combine the whole journey and build a psychology with it amongst players. We’ve seen tremendous value with the likes of bet365, FanDuel, Sky Bet and many other operators.
“Now what we’ve been working on is translating this to real-money gaming. We’ve done a lot of A/B testing with certain operators, where, if you picture a user journey, players play a free-to-play game in which they are awarded credits for a real-money game – in this case, from Incentive Games.
“You exit the free-to-play page and you’re given several Incentive Games real-money gaming options, from which you can select and use the credits to play within those games.
“That’s the ecosystem that we’re trying to perfect, and with the A/B testing, we’ve seen that there is a real incremental value driven through this ecosystem,” he adds. “Roughly we’re seeing an uptick of around ten times in incremental gaming volume from players that follow that ecosystem – so this is what we’re trying to deliver.
“One thing we’ve been very good at … is working very closely with partners to create bespoke content.”
“We are perfectly positioned to do so because of our expertise from the free-to-play experience. This will be unique because there aren’t many providers doing this.”
Abiding with the provider’s approach towards free-to-play games, operator customisation will add another layer of appeal to Incentive Games’ real-money offering.
“One thing we’ve been very good at, particularly when doing free-to-play, is working very closely with partners to create bespoke content,” Baker says. “We can hone in on that on the real-money gaming and continue this approach.
“If you consider that many operators have specific brand IPs, we’re leveraging the IP to create unique real-money gaming content for them. We’re also working closely to almost co-produce games with operators that resonate with their brand identity.
“Operators are going to get a dual approach. We will create content for the masses on the network, but we’ll also hone in with key operators to create differentiated content that they seek.”
Providing a sneak peek into the type of IPs on offer through the company’s partners, Baker says: “I can’t go into too much detail right now, but we’ve got access to the Squid Game IP, and we’ve built an incredible product that we’re very excited about.
“This gives you an idea of some of the IPs we’re working with, but there will be a lot more.”
