CASINO
should provide the same experience on mobile devices, because this is where most time is spent. “Another major topic for understanding desktop vs mobile is use cases. Most people have both devices and use them for different things. For the entertainment industry, numbers vary: if we look at social media, almost all traffic is from mobile devices. “For video content like YouTube or streaming services, desktop remains in a better position. Igaming is part of the entertainment industry, but use cases can vary as well. For example, there might be a case when someone is playing on the go from a smartphone, or someone wants to enjoy a more immersive slot or live roulette experience from a desktop device. Either way, desktop is not going
WHEN WE ARE SURE THAT EVERYTHING FEELS AND LOOKS GOOD ON MOBILE, WE CONTINUE TO DESKTOP
anywhere, but mobile has already shifted as a primary platform.” Picking up on the same point, Fredrik Johansson, commercial director of Fantasma Games, asserted a longheld belief of reaching the point where we currently find ourselves, citing that 75% of play on the Stockholm-based studio’s titles comes via the mobile channel. “This has grown significantly over the past few years – when we first launched, around 50% of play was from mobile but now it is approaching 80%,” he stated. “We expect this to flatten out at some stage as there will always be a percentage of players that enjoy playing from desktop. “Due to our mobile-first approach, each of our games is developed with mobile and in particular portrait play as the number one priority. As part of this, games are also developed so that they can be played with one hand and in particular the player’s thumb. “Developing for portrait mode and one-handed play on mobile is a tough task, but once this has been achieved it is then relatively easy to re-develop the game for desktop play as there
EITHER WAY, DESKTOP IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE, BUT MOBILE HAS ALREADY SHIFTED AS A PRIMARY PLATFORM is so much more screen real estate to work with. “So we still see desktop as being important as there will always be desktop players, but for us it is all about designing and developing slots that go beyond gambling and deliver the best possible experience on mobile.” With mobile firmly established as the undoubted front runner, what further implications does that hold for the developmental process? Is landscape optimised over portrait? How much of a factor is one-handed play? And is any emphasis at all placed on desktop? In response to these questions, Johansson pointed towards the central focus on portrait and one-handed games, with Fantasma previously having to convince Microgaming that
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