When it comes to slot machines and casinos, the world of gambling is no stranger to branded content. For the sake of clarity, this discussion won’t focus on branded IPs within the industry such as Big Bass or Book of Dead, but external IPs which are introduced into gambling through partnerships.
Arguably one of the most prominent studios to focus on branded content, NetEnt has been publishing content from Colombia Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Universal for around a decade now. Some of its earliest branded releases included Dracula, Conan and Jimi Hendrix, which means to say that branded content isn’t new.
However, what we’re certainly seeing is a slight change in direction. Take three recent developments as examples; Games Global partnering with WWE, Inspired unveiling its Terminator slots and Aristocrat introducing the House of the Dragon slot machine.
What do you notice about these three?
Well, a significant factor is the audience that each of them connects with.
What have we learnt about branded IPs so far?
As stated earlier, branded content in slots is nothing new. NetEnt released Gordon Ramsey’s Hell’s Kitchen in 2021, Jumanji in 2018 and Guns N’ Roses in 2016, meaning they’ve been around for half a generation.
Using familiar content is a solid strategy for any industry, not just the gambling world. It will connect an audience with a new product immediately, whether they’ve got experience in that new media or not. Just look at how successful Pokémon Go was on mobile – it attracted an audience of all demographics solely on the popularity of the Pokémon IP. It’s not just Pokémon either, as Marvel has jumped into the mobile RPG scene with its licensed content, while One Piece dominates the scene in Japan and China.
On the other side of the world, you also have Sega Sammy, which is launching a line of anime and gaming-themed slots
A good IP will support your product while attracting an established audience, but this synergy needs to be woven together from the start of the process.
Pokémon, Marvel and One Piece can attract an audience to a game easily, as the majority of their audiences will already be interested in gaming. However, gambling is different. Not many people would list slot games as one of their interests.
Games Global vs WWE
As partnership synergies go, the one between Games Global and WWE feels rather natural. The world of sports is already bridged to betting by, well, sports betting. Not only that, but Games Global has already published a series of games with the UFC – another combat organisation (part of the same parent company as WWE). UFC Gold Blitz Extreme features several people famous in the sport, such as Conor McGregor, Jone Jones, Amanda Nunes and Zhang Weili.
So when Games Global announced that it had signed a deal with WWE to produce three themed online slots, with WWE Bonus Rumble: Gold Blitz coming out as early as August, it wasn’t the most surprising press release to hit the desks.
It’s not just its UFC and WWE games that will appeal to similar audiences either, but Games Global also released its first crash game last summer, FlyX – another genre popular with millennials and Gen Z players.
A branded IP is only as good as the audience it connects with
Perhaps we can expect further sporting partnerships from Games Global in the future, or even some nostalgia content for its millennial audience. Speaking of nostalgia…
Inspired by The Terminator
Inspired has taken the 1984 film and given it a new lease of life with a slot adaptation released in Illinois. The online slot features ‘authentic visuals directly from the original movie’ including several characters on the reels.
While the film is considered a classic, it might be fair to assume that some of its biggest fans will be those who were around when it first came out; meaning boomers and Gen X. The film came out forty years ago, so you cannot make any assumptions that kids nowadays will have seen it, no matter how good it may or may not be.
You’re relying on the brand loyalty being strong enough in the customer for it to transcend any cross-platform barriers
So while there seems to be an industry shift towards a younger demographic, Inspired has seen the potential vacuum in content aimed towards those born before the eighties and jumped on the opportunity. It does also make sense, to a degree. Some of the older generations might be hesitant to move over to online casinos, but if there’s a game aimed towards them with a familiar IP, maybe they’ll be willing to make the jump.
Aristocrat bends the knee for House of the Dragon
Arguably one of the biggest TV shows in the last few years, Game of Thrones ended with a controversial finale in 2019. With many fans left dissatisfied, House of the Dragon was put into production and would serve as a prequel to the events of the story; following the Targaryen family as well as their eventual downfall.
When compared to the others, this release has the most challenging synergy. Games Global has an established audience and The Terminator gameplay and visuals lend themselves well to gameplay – but the House of the Dragon seems like an unlikely choice for a physical slot game.
Therefore, it makes sense that the branded content being released in gambling is based on shows that resonate with the current targeting audience
The IP has clearly proven successful for Aristocrat, however, as this is the third in the series for the industry giant. Previous releases include Game of Thrones Winter is Here and Game of Thrones King’s Landing. So despite it being a potentially unusual synergy between Game of Thrones fans and retail slots, it’s clearly something Aristocrat is content to keep pursuing.
Why now?
These aren’t the only high-profile branded IP gambling games, either. So far this year, we’ve also had Frankenstein and Squid Game from Light & Wonder, as well as UFC Gold Blitz Extreme from Games Global, while on the other side of the world, you also have Sega Sammy, which is launching a line of anime and gaming-themed slots – and there’s no sign that this trend will slow down any time soon.
So why are we getting a fresh wave of branded content?
Well, it could be because of the fresh audience coming into the space. That’s right, the Gen Z players.
A branded IP is only as good as the audience it connects with. Hell’s Kitchen and Jumani are great for Millenials, while Guns ‘N Roses is a perfect choice for Boomers. But do any of these really connect with Gen Z?
Branded content is a great way to get people to try a product in a new medium they haven’t tried before. This could be collaborating with a high-street brand for cosmetic products, video games or in this case, gambling. You’re relying on the brand loyalty being strong enough in the customer for it to transcend any cross-platform barriers.
Therefore, it makes sense that the branded content being released in gambling is based on shows that resonate with the current targeting audience – except Frankenstein and Terminator, which still seem to target the slightly older audience.
With a number of studies being conducted into how Gen Z and millennials hold onto IPs and brands as part of their identity, we can expect to see many more branded releases in the future.
