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Why studios need to promote their games
Elliott Resnick, Head of First Look Games, says that due to the highly competitive nature of the industry studios need to get their games in front of players if they are to succeed in the long term
Slot studios are fighting for operator attention in a highly competitive marketplace. There are literally hundreds of developers pushing thousands of games with endless new titles launching every month. So being heard above the noise made by rivals is a vital key to success.
Developers also face fierce competition when it comes to directing players to their games. Operator lobbies are stocked with thousands of titles, with game positioning often the difference between whether a title sinks or swims.
But what if affiliates could not only fulfil their traditional objective of new traffic to operators but also drive awareness of a studio’s content and have players specifically look for the game regardless of where they are positioned in casino lobbies?
To do this, studios must promote their games to players as well as operators, but that isn’t easy given developers take a small proportion of the revenues made on their slots. Above-the-line marketing is simply not an option for the majority of studios, so they have to look to other ways of gaining the attention of operators and players.
But due to the expensive nature of traditional game development, and the time it can take to bring a slot from concept to market (this can take anywhere from four to twelve months) studios must not leave game discovery to chance and instead proactively promote each of their most anticipated titles.
It is also important for studios to provide operators with easy access to information and assets about their games, not just for the purpose of selling their titles but also for other areas such as inclusion in the operator’s marketing and CRM. Without this, developers are missing the final but crucial step in launching their game – which is proactively letting players know about it.
This has led several studios to partner with slot streamers but while that now hangs in the balance pending Twitch’s upcoming announcement on 18 October, others are leveraging the incredible reach that traditional affiliates can provide. But striking partnerships with publishers can be labour intensive – something that already stretched teams have little time to dedicate to unless they hire someone dedicated to affiliate outreach pretty much full-time.
That is where First Look Games comes in, providing the world’s first platform that directly connects studios with all registered affiliates in the iGaming space who regularly craft detailed new game reviews designed to generate referrals to one or more online casino partner.
A publisher’s access to First Look Games is free, allowing all game studios to deploy finished/approved creative packs direct to an entire affiliate community within minutes. It puts the power in the developer’s hands, giving them control over the information and assets they share, and when they share them.
Affiliate marketing allows studios of all sizes to put their games in front of players and potentially build anticipation around future releases. For established studios that have highly sought-after content coming, affiliate marketing can drive large numbers of reviews along with significant awareness that a new game is set to land. For small studios starting out, it can make a difference between being prioritised for an operator integration or being left out. For those in the growth phase, game promotion can assist with realising greater ROI.
Studios can additionally use the feedback they receive from affiliate game reviews to guide future slot development by understanding what has and has not hit the mark with the player community. This feedback is incredibly valuable.
What’s more, affiliates are very cost-effective when compared to other forms of B2C marketing and can help studios to reverse engineer interest in their games where reviews are strong and the audience has a clear appetite for their content.
But right now, studios are not maximising the potential that affiliates provide. The studio-affiliate relationship is still relatively new which is why this marketing channel can be overlooked in terms of the value it can deliver.
First Look Games has been designed to do much of the heavy lifting on behalf of the studio, providing them with access to more than 800 approved publishers with their combined reach being more than 20 million players around the world.
Studios simply upload game information and assets to their dedicated library, and then our network of approved affiliates can access these files and use them to produce content such as game reviews or video content. The entire platform has been designed to be easy to use by any member of a studio’s team.
Despite this, we often find the studios do not know where to position us within their business – sometimes we are seen as a marketing resource, other times as a tool to support the commercial team. We can be both, but it shows just how new this area of game promotion is.
Over time this will change, especially when studios start to see the incredible success their rivals are having in the affiliate space by unlocking more of the potential in their games.
Getting any title in front of more of the right people is simply good business and in such a competitive market, that can be the difference between a studio succeeding or failing.
Fast Track has announced the release of a new AI-driven Player Churn Prediction Model, now available to all partners within its CRM platform. The model enables operators to identify players at risk of churning as early as the first day of inactivity, supporting more proactive and efficient retention strategies.
Built on Fast Track’s proprietary machine learning platform, FTML, the model uses seven sub-models to analyse player behaviour and make accurate predictions tailored to each operator’s player base. The system continuously trains itself on live data, ensuring predictions remain relevant and effective over time.
The Churn Model is already in use by several Fast Track partners and is fully integrated into the platform’s core workflows. Once activated, operators receive clear, actionable insights into which players are likely to churn, along with data-informed recommendations on timing and incentive levels for re-engagement.
“Churn is one of the most impactful use cases for AI in player engagement,” said Simon Lidzén, Co-Founder and CEO of Fast Track. “With this model, operators can focus their efforts where it matters most; targeting players who are truly at risk with the right offer at the right time. It’s a smarter, more cost-effective approach to retention.”
The Churn Model addresses a common challenge in the industry – overuse of reactivation bonuses – by helping teams deliver more relevant and timely incentives based on predictive insights, not guesswork.
To support the launch, Fast Track will host a live webinar on Thursday, 10 July 2025 at 16:00 CEST, offering a walkthrough of the new Churn Model and its practical applications. Save your spot at app.livestorm.co/fast-track/save-your-players.
The post Fast Track releases new AI Player Churn Model appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Evolution today announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with Hasbro, a leading games, IP and toy company, to be their exclusive licensing partner for online live casino and slot games for MONOPOLY and other Hasbro Games titles.
The worldwide deal, including the USA, covers online content from all Evolution brands, including Evolution, Ezugi, NetEnt, Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming (BTG), Nolimit City and Livespins.
The new exclusive partnership for MONOPOLY and other Hasbro Games titles builds on a highly successful working relationship between the two companies. Evolution has already developed MONOPOLY Live and MONOPOLY Big Baller, two innovative online live casino game shows based on Hasbro’s world famous board game. Both are at the top of Evolution’s game line-up and are two of the best-performing games in all of online gaming.
As a result of the new partnership, Evolution will be the exclusive licensing partner for online casino games based on much-loved Hasbro Games properties. New games will launch from January 2026 onwards and will be showcased at ICE Barcelona 2026. Amongst the new Hasbro-based titles from Evolution brands will be Game Night, MONOPOLY Filthy Rich, MONOPOLY Roulette (all live online games with live presenters), and a number of online slot titles.
At Hasbro, we’re all about play—whether it’s classic board games or casino experiences. After a thorough RFP process, we’ve chosen Evolution as our exclusive partner for online live casino and online slots for Hasbro Games titles,” said Claire Hunter Gregson, Director Gaming Relationships. “We trust them to bring our brands to life in fresh, exciting ways for our adult fans and look forward to our partnership.
Todd Haushalter, Evolution’s Chief Product Officer, commented: “The combining of Hasbro and Evolution just feels right — we will make magic together! The bidding process was extremely competitive, but showing our commitment to innovation and excellence with MONOPOLY Live and MONOPOLY Big Baller, really helped! The team and I are incredibly excited to bring the Hasbro Games brands to all our various brands. I think MONOPOLY is the world’s best casino game brand, and we can do so many great things with it, and, of course, with many other Hasbro Games brands. It is hard to believe, but these are still the early days of online gaming, and with Hasbro we will forge a new chapter in our industry.”
The post Evolution and Hasbro sign exclusive online live casino and slots partnership agreement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Expanse Studios, the B2B game development division of Golden Matrix Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GMGI), has received official certification from Croatia’s Ministry of Finance for its flagship game Super Heli, with additional titles in the company’s 56-game portfolio expected to receive approval in the coming weeks for the EU member state.
The certification marks a strategic entry into a market that generated US$484.70m in 2024, with projected growth at a CAGR of 8.4% during 2024-2030. Super Heli, Expanse’s most popular crash-style game, becomes the first of the studio’s titles approved for the Croatian market, paving the way for broader portfolio distribution.
Tapping Into High-Growth European Market
Croatia represents a compelling opportunity for B2B gaming suppliers, with the Online Casinos segment alone projected at US$218.10m in 2024. According to iGamingToday’s latest market research, Croatia’s gambling market will reach €720.42 million by 2025, making it one of Europe’s fastest-growing regulated markets.
Among the key market benefits are:
- Accelerating digital adoption – Internet penetration jumped from 76% in 2020 to 83% in 2023
- Over 20.6 million tourist arrivals in 2023 following Schengen Zone entry
- Over 500,000 Croatians expected to engage in regular online gambling by 2027
Strategic Value for the Company
The certification strengthens Expanse Studios’ European footprint at a critical juncture. With 56 proprietary titles and 500+ B2B partners globally, Expanse is expected to capture a meaningful share in the growing EU market.
“Croatia certification is more than market access—it’s validation of our content quality and compliance capabilities in demanding EU jurisdictions,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. “With our flagship title Super Heli already approved and more games in the pipeline, we’re very excited for the opportunities this markets brings us”
Competitive Advantage in Regulated Markets
Croatia’s regulatory framework favors established, compliant B2B providers. Operators must obtain licenses requiring significant capital investment, and only licensed casino games operators who have at least one brick-and-mortar casino can offer online gambling. This creates high barriers to entry and positions certified B2B suppliers like Expanse as essential partners for operators.
The post Expanse Studios (GMGI) Obtains Croatian iGaming Certification appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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