Slots Roundtable: Have classic slots had their day?

9 Aug 2022 2 min read

Push Gaming's Principle Game Producer Amit Samji contributed to a Casinobeats roundtable about the state of classic slots in an industry where preferences are changing. Read Amit's answers below and click here to read the full conversation with all the contributors. This is part one of a two part series, look out for part two, which is coming soon!

The conversation around slots is one that never does, and most likely never will, come to an end, whether that concerns strategies for new market entries, potentially appealing to changing tastes being encountered in a long legalised jurisdictions and everything in between.

Ahead of SBC Summit Barcelona, where slots will be a central focus across an array of expert discussion points, we assess what life is left in those familiar themes that are heavily used, the potential risk of cult classics, and if classic titles are important for easing players into the vertical.

In part one of a two-part special, participation comes from Amit Samji, Principle Game Producer at Push Gaming, Ivan Kravchuk, Evoplay CEO, and Rob Lee, Commercial Director at Realistic Games.

Classic slots tend to offer features that are now considered a small part of most modern titles. Are games that exclusively feature wilds, scatters and free spins enough for players in this day and age?

The market is still very broad and these features will always give players peace of mind, as they are familiar with them – it’s not an experience that they would feel the need to read up on.

I do feel classic slots have a special place in the market with players who like simplicity in games and the efficiency of just loading up their preferred title and getting on with making spins.

There are legacy slots out there that have sat at the top of casino lobbies for years, often prompting sequels and reskinned re-releases. Is it a risk to rely on cult-classics, or should studios leverage that popularity for as long as they possibly can?

Legacy slots will always be ‘legacy’ slots. When something works it works, and that’s what keeps them at the top of the casino lobbies, reskinned or not.

I do believe in innovating great mechanics, which is not as easy as it sounds, since it’s hard to perfect something that is already perfect. But finding that levelled balance is always a fantastic experience to provide to the player.