The potential of sequels – walking the tight rope of new and old

Be it in the realms of film, television, or igaming, providers and audiences invariably gravitate towards the familiar and beloved.

Natural creatures of habit, human behaviour leans towards that which is comfortable and safe. However, one could argue that there has never been a stronger craving for newness in this age. Especially when it comes to fast-paced content and even faster gratification.

The igaming solution? Striking the perfect balance between new and old, retaining the fan-frenzied features and pushing the envelope with new developments, evolutions and mechanics.

When it comes to slots, building upon past success is a natural progression. The allure of crafting a series instead of standalone title lies in the countless advantages it offers.

If done well, a sequel can offer a supplier the chance to improve on its findings, act on its feedback and for some, have another chance of hitting the mark.

In igaming especially, many take the easy route to success by reskinning or tweaking a successful slot and publishing another iteration of the same content for a second round of high traction.

While that could be an effective short-term solution to hitting some imminent targets, true success is rooted in longevity and brand credibility.

Within a series, there exists a unique opportunity to cultivate and enrich characters and narratives. The creation of a legacy where characters become deeply entrenched in the chosen gaming genre is an immensely gratifying endeavour.

We’ve witnessed this with our own series, such as Money Train, which just celebrated its fourth launch with Money Train 4. Looking to others in the industry – I think Push Gaming also provides a fantastic example – with their excellent grouping of Jammin’ Jars, Jammin’ Jars 2 and GigaJar.

In my experience, by crafting an engaging math model complemented by iconic characters and a captivating story, the foundations are laid for any studio to have a narrative that can keep on giving.

If you put the work in, a loyal player base will be eager to immerse themselves in these worlds time and again.

Delving deeper, crafting a game series offers ample scope for heightened creativity, allowing for the refinement and expansion of gameplay based on insights from previous releases.

Undoubtedly, a key tenet of any successful series is the relentless enhancement of strengths and the proactive rectification of weaknesses.

In addition, empowering players to voice their preferences plays a pivotal role in fostering audience engagement. This is especially crucial in an era where content continually evolves with a paramount focus on prioritising player desires.

From what we’ve learned with our sequels for Money Train – here’s what I can share; you need to be confident that your sequel can blow the previous game out of the water. This means pushing the boundaries and striving for new and different features.

Touching on great examples to follow and looking at other industry iterations, whether that’s by our friends over at Push Gaming or any others – it’s all about having innovation at the core, which can then give you a foundation of success that can keep on giving.

There are also themes that have stood the test of time and continue to draw players in through their iconic motifs and storylines; these include Ancient Egyptian themes, most notably the Book of series, Irish themes, with titles like Rainbow Riches, as well as Sweet Bonanza’s Sweets collection.

These mainstays all have one thing in common – they lean into their content’s strengths to grab their audience’s attention and then bring in the new elements to offer a new experience.

In any case, a game is nothing without its mathematics model. A theme unquestionably adds to the overall experience; however, it can’t compensate for an overused mechanic.

If engaging core elements are there, maximise them. If the storyline and characterisation resonate, add a new hook or character and see that development come to life. In short – it’s all about taking what works and adding something new to engage and excite.

Longevity rooted in quality

As an industry, igaming is in a unique position. Suppliers should be sitting alongside the likes of Netflix and Spotify, providing thousands of hours of content and creating the perfect immersive gaming experience.

We need to look at the outside world of entertainment and work out how we can bring this into our industry. To do that – recognising gaps in the market and addressing them using creativity and strong mathematics is how you’ll win players long term.

It goes without saying, maths should be at the core of everything. Think of it as the first foundation in any game you build. Next, your development of the core mechanic is a key element that will unify and group high-performing games.

Now that you’re armed with your foundation – it should be noticeable early on in the creative process when there is potential to create the new twists and turns that can make your latest iteration new and exciting.

Last but not least, don’t just assume a series will work because the prequel was popular. You need to have the data that your audience wants another.

My advice to fellow content creators is simple; never stop listening. We’re lucky to operate in an industry where we can watch our players interact with our games and comment on them in real-time during streams.

We should maximise that feedback whether it be good, bad or indifferent and use this to ensure our content can engage and excite, after all – that’s our role.

Simon Hammon, CEO of Relax Gaming, has been instrumental to the success of the company’s aggregation services and proprietary content portfolio.

Under his leadership, Relax’s casino proposition has cemented a strong reputation for driving studio and partner growth, delivering unmatched speed to market along with rapid, simple integration.