Reinvention of the classics – is it necessary?

Thomas Smallwood, Head of Marketing at ESA Gaming, discusses the place that classic casino games hold in the mobile-first iGaming world of today, and if there is a need to bring outside elements to staple titles.

Is there still a place for traditional games such as Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat etc in modern game offerings, or do these products need modifiers?

In truth, I don’t think they particularly need modifiers. You only need look at the most popular titles in nearly every online casino in terms of turnover to see that there will always be a place for the classic table games.

However, this is not to say that there is no room for experimenting with these products, playing with things like in-game viewpoints, graphic interface or adding extra gamble elements. This is evident throughout our portfolio in products such as Blackjack and Joker Poker. We have added gamble features which goes to show how these traditional games can be adapted and evolve in an online environment, without reinventing the wheel.

There’s much focus on reinvention of classics, be it casino games, retro slots, and more. Is bringing modern technologies a way to move tables games forward to newer, mobile-first audiences?

Yes, but we have also noticed that when you create mobile-first gaming products there is a challenge to not change too much and find the right balance. The user experience is crucial and this is particularly important with games like Roulette, which can be hard to translate successfully to the mobile screen.

The constraints of the smaller screen also lend themselves to old-school simplicity. This is the case with our title Fruitz & Spinz, a classic looking American-style, three-reel slot with a wheel of fortune free-spins feature. The very nature of the small reelset means it sits very comfortably on mobile devices. For games such as Blackjack or Poker, which require close up views of the hands dealt on small screens, there is less space for external factors or additions to dilute from the main event.

We will be releasing VIP versions of both Roulette and Blackjack in the coming weeks, which will see an extra emphasis on mobile-first, high quality graphics, to make it truly optimised for smaller devices.

Can the approach of adding twists and slot-style elements to card classics, such as poker, allow for it to reach a broader audience than typical table games?

This is something that we’re starting to see more and more of in the industry. From adding multipliers to certain hands in Blackjack, or big boosts to a certain number in Roulette, there’s always potential to offer supersized wins, compared to your standard payouts of maybe 2:1 or 3:1.

Will this engage players or reinvent the vertical? Potentially. However, the alure of table games and mobile versions of casino classics is the ease of access. Players don’t necessarily want to have the wheel reinvented for them, but just enjoy their favourite pastimes from the surrounds of a comfy location, or on the go. Consequently, on a mobile, it’s about making sure the experience is equal to the desktop and consistent with the best roulettes or blackjacks out there.