Gamification, and the personalisation of gaming experiences, is often overlooked or misconstrued by the igaming sector. But according to Andrzej Hyla, CCO at Wazdan, research shows that customisation is not only essential in the maximisation of user experience but also in the retention of new players. Here he explains how customisation can increase engagement, promote customer retention, increase player lifetime value, and drive revenue growth.

SBC: What does Wazdan do to provide its players with a greater level of customisation over their gaming experiences?

Andrzej Hyla (CCO @ Wazdan): There are many things that come to mind that differentiate Wazdan from our competitors in the market, but the real difference stems from our obsession with delivering an unparalleled player experience.

Supplying audiences with customisable content is a proven way to increase engagement. By developing an innovative range of in-game features that instantly set our games apart, we have been able to improve customer journeys while also driving revenue growth for our partners. Our Freedom of Choice suite caters to each and every player’s preference and enables them to create an unforgettable gaming experience for themselves.

Inventive mechanics such as the Buy Feature, which allows players to enjoy all aspects of the game by entering the bonus round at any time, and Cash Drop, which rewards players with random cash prizes, serve as real differentiators by creating unique outcomes for each and every round played. 

The jewel in Wazdan’s gamification crown – Volatility Levels – allows players to modify their win size and frequency as they please, with high volatility mode delivering less frequent, more sizable wins, and low volatility providing the opposite. 

No other supplier in the igaming space provides end-users with this level of agency over their games, which stands in accordance with our mission of giving players the freedom of choice in all of their experiences.

SBC: Has the gamification of your offering had any sort of profound effect on player engagement and retention?

AH: Offering tools that boost player engagement has become a highly contested space for competing operators and suppliers. Our flagship promotional tool, Cash Drop, has been designed in this knowledge, allowing operators to set up unique promotions for players that are then managed from Wazdan’s end. This ensures that no additional resources are wasted, keeping promotions up and running.

Designed in compliance with partner and user feedback for the ultimate intuitive experience, Cash Drop is a completely customisable promotional tool that awards random prizes to players. It tangibly helps operators drive engagement and retention by providing an enhanced gaming experience without interrupting the gameplay. 

The value of the tool is evident across the entire collection of participating operator partners, who, on average, see an increase of 219% in unique active players, 265% in game rounds, and 366% in bet sum when running the promotion. 

SBC: What new forms of gamification are we seeing arriving on the scene, and which ones have proven effective so far?

AH: Gamification is not a new topic, having been discussed in the igaming industry for many years now, but it has become the hot new battleground for operators and providers in recent times. However, its full potential is yet to be fully explored in the igaming space.

First and foremost, gamification has always been a key aspect of the user experience. New generations of casino players are always on the lookout for innovative and unique gaming experiences. Therefore, there’s been a real push in the industry to develop novel solutions that attract new players and retain existing ones in order to build long-term engagement. 

It’s a broad subject and can be approached from the perspective of the operator and also the game developer. Operators naturally see gamification as more of a tool to attract new players and reward the most loyal and active users on the platform, using bonuses and promotions to stand out from other businesses. Gamification that boosts loyalty, such as VIP reward systems, tournaments, and loyalty schemes, is of paramount importance to operators.

In contrast, game developers view gamification as an opportunity to implement exciting functions into game engines in order to boost engagement and the challenge presented by a given product. Giving players a sense of agency over their experiences makes them feel valued and creates an environment that they are happy to return to, time and time again.

Delivering mini-games within games to boost wins, skill-based bonus rounds, and mission-based accomplishments are some of the ways that developers seek to boost engagement. At Wazdan, we do our best to support retention with unique features and elements that allow for greater flexibility and customisation within the products. Our gamification solutions are extremely effective, and as mentioned earlier, our partners have seen fantastic results when using our tools and promotions. 

SBC: Are there any exciting products or special features in the roadmap for 2022?

AH: Our roadmap for the rest of 2022 is packed with thrilling themes, more unique features, and promotional tools that continue to benefit both players and operators. This year, we’ve been releasing more games than ever before, with two new titles hitting the casino grids almost every month, rather than the monthly release schedule that we used to follow. 

Our Player Engagement Suite, including the newly released Collect to Infinity and Cash Infinity features, guarantees next-level engagement and allows operators to generate better results. In the upcoming months, we’ll release more engagement-boosting solutions, including the thrilling Wild Rampage bonus round with the Hold & Collect mechanism, and the new Sticky to Infinity feature. 

With exciting releases like Sizzling Kingdom: Bison, 9 Burning Stars, Burning Sun, and two additions to our popular Hot Slot series, Magic Bombs and Magic Pearls, set to be launched in the coming months, it’s lining up to be an action-packed second half of the year for Wazdan fans.

We have delivered captivating gaming experiences to the industry since 2010 and will continue to bring innovation to the space in the years to come. With recent games like Magic Spins, Sizzling Eggs, and 9 Coins, offering some of the most inventive features on the market, there is plenty for us to shout about as we continue on our impressive growth trajectory.