Do you know what the most powerful weapon in marketing is? It’s not technology and it’s definitely not social media. To this day, storytelling remains #1 method to gain a cult following, and it seems that casino game developers started to understand this.
That’s why many of them decided to take casino gaming to the next level and do something that has never been done before — introduce stories to casino titles.
Let’s take a brief overview of how online slots started introducing plots and characters to gain attention from players.
Slots Before Internet
Before the age of the Internet, slots were rather simple. The first ones had only three reels and no special features at all. When electronic slots appeared in casinos, developers started experimenting with various features, visuals, and more. That’s when the first slot theme was born, which means symbols did not revolve around bells, sevens, and bars.
This was the first step towards making slots into what they are today. Don’t get it wrong, the majority of slots still follow a very simple formula and many of them are available on sites such as Mega Casino UK.
As soon as the first theme was introduced, slot developers realized that much more could be explored in this regard, which would make slots even more exciting to play. Older slot players remember some of the classics such as the Book of Ra, which is still very popular. Those slots were the basis for taking the slot development to the next level.
Introducing Plot to Slots
Once developers realized how powerful slots could be with certain elements added to them, they started making slots that have particular settings and plots. An interesting example of one such slot is Play’n GO’s Wild Blood (and Wild Blood II).
Once you start spinning the reels, you get to meet some of the characters. In the case of Wild Blood II, these are Laura, Margaret, and Rebecca. All of them have different skills that affect your gameplay experience and trigger different features.
But some slot developers went one step further and started exploring storytelling to make games more immersive. Microgaming’s Immortal Romance is a game inspired by vampires, just like Wild Blood.
However, the developer even provided backstories for characters you can find on the reels. You can literally click on the Story button for each character and learn more about their intertwined vampire lives. Once you get to know the characters on a personal level, the entire reel-spinning experience becomes much more exciting.
Rich Wilde Enters the Room
The Book of Dead slot focuses on ancient Egypt and features a brave explorer willing to go the distance to find valuable artifacts. The name of this explorer is Rich Wilde and he plays a unique role in the online casino industry — he is the face of an entire slot series. Think of him as the Indiana Jones of the slot world.
What Play’n GO did here is introduce the concept of a slot protagonist — someone who slot lovers would follow on different adventures. That’s why there are several games inspired by Rich Wilde. Those are Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness, Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead, and Rich Wilde and the Aztec Idols.
By doing this, Play’n GO managed to incorporate several popular settings for slots into a series and create a sort of franchise.
Conclusion: Rich Wilde Is Here to Stay
According to this article, one of the ways to keep games interesting is by introducing levels. In the world of slot machines, levels are not such a common occurrence. Yet, Play’n GO managed to add them with the introduction of the Rich Wilde series of games. This way, you can follow the brave adventurer on his exciting journeys and win lucrative prizes if you’re lucky.
Play’n GO is certainly exploring uncharted territory with Rich Wilde games, but the strategy seems to be working. Will this affect the future of slots? Will casino games in the future turn into entire sagas featuring heroes, villains, and more? The industry certainly seems to be moving in that direction.