North America has witnessed an abundance of slot suppliers enter the US market over the last 12-months.
However, there has always been one slot brand that seems to appear more often than others, High 5 Games. The slot sector is so stranger to oversaturation, with the battle for prominent placements on operator platforms hotter than ever. Yet, according to Eilers-Fantini Online Game Performance Report, H5G continues to excel.
Establishing a status in the top six of the report, this performance comes without having to invest in the type of expensive promotional campaigns usually utilised by rivals in the vertical.
In the most recent edition of SBC Leaders magazine, a deep dive into how High 5 managed to take the low-profile route was undertaken to reveal how it became a top tier games developer.
During 2022, High 5 formed numerous partnerships within the North American igaming market, with names including FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, Rush Street, PokerStars and Loto-Québec across jurisdictions such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Connecticut, Ontario, and Quebec.
Founded by Anthony Singer in 1995, High 5 built its reputation for innovation by developing video slots for IGT’s cabinets and producing such smash hit titles as Da Vinci Diamonds and Golden Goddess.
A subsequent move into the online social casino space saw its games reach huge new audiences – more than 28m players at the last count – and provided the High 5 team with a treasure chest of information about features that work and how to earn customer loyalty.
In 2020, with real-money igaming looking set to take off in the US, the High 5 team focused on the engaging products, unique features and promotions, and service levels that would be required to succeed in their home nation. By 2022, those efforts saw the company able to announce new market entries and new partnerships every month.
The studio’s philosophy is “listen, learn and improve”, which has led to the firm utilising operator feedback and player data to inform the next generation of games to add to its portfolio of games, ranging from long-running franchises, such as Green Machine products, to one-off titles including Retro Riches and Cannon Cove.
In addition to implementing this philosophy onto its games, the studio also sees the benefit when applying to its Rapid Rewards promotional program. An in-game network-wide monthly prize pool, this product includes random cash prize drops of up to $1,000, feature boosts that create additional chances to win and super boosts that multiply prizes.
Unusually, the program also allows players to defer their promos and use them at a later date, allowing them to begin tomorrow’s play in the knowledge that they have, for example, 20 boosted spins to use.
For operators, Rapid Rewards is proving to be one of the top-performing player retention tools in their armoury. Also, it is said to be “one of the most cost effective”, as the model means it is a way for registered players to enjoy a “more entertaining experience” without it costing the operators money or time.
One of the biggest planned enhancements is the addition of progressive jackpots, which will offer players the chance to claim a big win without having to spend more.
Coupled with the existing flash prizes and the introduction of gamification features such as leaderboards, the jackpots will form part of a Rapid Rewards brand package moving forward that players will instantly recognise and that operators will be able to add to their site to drive engagement and customer loyalty.