Innovation is a key element of any successful online enterprise and for online casinos, that’s usually in the type of games that are produced. Online casinos lean heavily on specialist developers for exciting, appealing games that they then publish on their platforms.
The presence of games from the leading houses naturally tends to dominate the online casino scene, and this can be easily seen at the UK’s top platforms as rated by Legalcasino, a reputable casino review service. But can an individual, skilled in programming, tap into their abilities and create a casino game that could get published at an online casino?
The Challenges Ahead
While it is possible to create a slot game and have it published by a casino, that comes with a lot of challenges. Those range from the time that would be required to put into the endeavour, to the finances involved. Virtual slot machines are not easy or cheap to produce, with development teams putting endless hours and resources into developing titles.
Online casinos would then have to be approached, and business deals to strike up because at the end of the day, after creating a great game, you will want to be handsomely reimbursed for your efforts through a revenue deal.
Getting off the Ground
The online casino game space is packed, so online casino operators will naturally go to game developers that they know and trust, those who have already established a strong reputation for delivering quality games.
So getting into the mix would not be easy at all, but that is where innovation and creativity could really play a big part. It’s the area where an individual could have an advantage, because of not having been moulded by the expected industry standards, a totally different approach could be taken.
Originality could come in the form of the game’s theme, pulling away from traditional standards like space, and mythical and Irish motifs. It could be in presenting reels in a whole new way, but the greater innovation would be in the programming of the slot.
Game Mechanics Are Where It Counts
Strong game mechanics make or break a game. The great thing about this is that players look for different types of gameplay, so there is, more likely than not, going to be a market for whatever type of mechanic that is developed, from simple to complex.
Most slot players enjoy games that are fair and easy to understand, but also have challenges and are fun. Designing features of a game, such as highly innovative and exciting bonus games, could be the key to capturing attention.
Game Development
Game development would be done through specialised engines and programming languages like C++ and Java. That’s where the magic happens and where a creator can really tap into creativity to bring a slot game to life.
It will require a substantial knowledge of a programming language in the first place, of course, coupled with the time for testing builds. Before ever getting to the point of publishing, rigorous testing of a created slot would have to happen to ensure that upon release, it is as bug-free as possible, which would lend a lot of credit and status to the developer.
Licencing and Publishing
The end of the process would require finding a partner that would be interested in publishing the game. This is where the power of casinos can come in because games have to be certified as fair to meet regulatory requirements.
Taking a game to a casino that will handle the payouts from the machine and push to get it certified is a lot easier than someone trying to do it on their own. It can even be worth approaching a game developer to partner with because of having existing relationships with online gambling operators.
Is There a Precedent?
Individuals designing games is nothing new. A great example of this can be found through the popular Steam platform. While there are major titles available on the software portal, it is also possible to find titles from solo developers who have built games from the ground up and then published them.
Great help for creating content for titles is available in the community-driven Steam Workshop, which provides access to game elements like skins, maps and mods that are created by others. It’s a great example of user innovation and creativity that has nothing to do with a base game and is based purely on innovation.
In Conclusion
There are a lot of complexities facing individual developers, including potential regulatory hurdles along the way. The key tip to pushing ahead would be to put a heavy focus on innovation to help stand out from the crowd.
