Studying the differences between land-based developers and online slots developers is a bit like studying one tiny element of evolution. There’s a natural progression that’s pretty clear to see.
Online slot machines are the 21st century descendant of traditional land based slot machines. As long as you have a mobile device and a strong Wi-Fi connection, you can play online slots from anywhere, whenever you want.
Slots going up online have taken a slightly clunky, but nevertheless popular institution, and moved it from the corners of our fusty pubs right into the digital age.
But are the roles of the developers still the same or do land-based and online developers have vastly differing tasks? As long as the games at Easy Slots are entertaining, is anything else important?
The fast-paced online slots industry
It would be naïve to put land-based and online slots developers on a totally level playing field from the start. It’s tough to compare to entities that are in such different places economically.
The online gambling industry has enjoyed such a mighty boom over the last few years, that the money involved now is in the billions. It’s estimated that around 30 million people in the UK alone have online accounts at a digital casino, and players span all demographics and all ages of society.
When you consider a target audience of 30 million people in one country alone (let alone on an international level), any savvy marketing department knows that getting their content to online casinos is the way to make some serious money.
There’s a phenomenal amount of money to be made in the online slots industry, and many people know it too. Countless start-ups see the £ signs and get involved, but not all of them are successful.
Companies must be competitive, and find a way for their slots games to be unique. It’s not just about churning out game after game if there’s nothing new or exciting about them. The whole marketing package must be right. Good RTP percentages, high jackpots, exciting bonuses, free demos – the list goes on.
When you consider the economic pressure in play, it’s easy to suppose that online developers have a harder role, just to survive.
The plight of land-based slots developers
However, there’s another way of looking at the problem. Over the last decade, in-house or traditional slots games have seen a huge decline. People are not so willing to trek to venues just to get their slots fix when you can play on your own sofa whenever the fancy takes you.
So is it preferable to struggle in a lucrative but competitive market as developers do online, or be successful in a struggling market which may well run its course in the next 25 years, as land-based developers must?
Let’s not kid ourselves – obviously the future of slots games is up online. The money involved, the burgeoning technology, the rapid innovation, the overwhelming convenience – all of them fit into our modern lives more than the clunky in-house slots machine ever can.
To address the initial question: “Are land-based and online slots developers the same?”, we have to go full circle.
They started off the same insofar as they must both be innovative, inventive, enticing and entertaining just to survive.
However, online developers can aim for their successes in a bright financial future where possibilities are almost endless. The same can’t be said for land-based developers.