Now a quarterly event, CasinoBeats Slots Festival will hold its first 2021 event this Thursday, February 4, allowing attendees anywhere in the world to try the latest in igaming slots and get a peek at the increasing role streamers are playing in the igaming industry.
Never heard of the festival? CDC Gaming’ article for the previous rendition of the event is a great primer on the event, but CasinoBeats Slots Festival 2021 Q1 will see will see new titles along with livestreams from leading streamers FruitySlots and Chipmonkz Slots.
All the slots, from developers including Habanero, Kalamba Games, Microgaming, NetGaming, and Scientific Games, will be available to try in free-play mode to give those involved in product selection the opportunity to test the titles and compare them side-by-side, but play is not the only way that attendees can experience and evaluate the games.
Slots streamers have grown into an influential part of the gaming ecosystem and, to reflect that status, Slots Festival’s organizers have invited some of the best to try out the studios’ latest titles in a very public forum. FruitySlots and Chipmonkz Slots will be testing the games in front of an audience of slots players on their popular streaming channels, giving operators access to some instant consumer feedback about the new releases.
“Streamers have become an important part of the process of reaching and engaging with slots players. Thousands of people regularly tune in to YouTube and Twitch channels to find out about the latest games and exciting new features, and to enjoy what are effectively live reviews,” said Stewart Darkin, Managing Director of CasinoBeats.
Looking forward, CasinoBeats Slots Festival surveyed players and operators in advance of the event. When asked what features their players would look for in the next generation of slots, 90% of the operators said jackpots would be either ‘extremely important’ or ‘very important’. The findings also suggested that new features (80%), interactivity (80%) and multiplayer / community games (70%) will be in demand. There was less agreement about the importance of original themes (50%), skill-based games (40%), storyline / narrative (30%) and soundtracks (20%).
The operators were also asked what features they would like to see games developers work on. The most common responses centered on social and community features (with friendly competitions and improved leaderboards among the suggestions), while there was also interest in original game mechanics, the exploration of new themes, and improved skill-based games.
