Magnus Olsson, CCO at Play’n GO: “Quality of content missing in operator retention strategies”

Focus Gaming News attended a captivating panel discussion at iGaming NEXT’s Valletta 2023 event, where Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer of Play’n GO, shared his insights and expertise.

Malta.- The latest edition of iGaming NEXT has been held in Valletta, Malta on 21-22 June. The conference has been visited by 4000+ senior delegates for two days of high-level networking and world-class content. An expert line-up of speakers took to the stage to shed light on their strategies, investments and areas of focus for the coming year.

Play’n GO’s Chief Commercial Officer Magnus Olsson commented on the importance of quality and entertaining content to retention strategies during a standout panel at iGaming Next’s Valetta 2023 event

Joined by the CEOs of Crucial Compliance and Aspire Global, Olsson highlighted how the drive towards regulation in many markets had made player acquisition costs so high that ‘retention strategies through great content are what everyone needs to invest more in’.

While the panel moved to discuss the importance of RTP levels in retention strategies, Olsson added: “I think it’s more about the content than RTP. If you’re a good supplier, you can design a game that is engaging and entertaining and has loads of both acquisition and retention capabilities.

“If you look at mechanics and volatility, I would say those two things are far more important [than RTP levels] in retention strategies. 

“I think what’s missing in retention strategies today is an emphasis on the quality of content and entertainment value.”

The panel went on to discuss the importance of giving players a good experience immediately after you’ve paid to acquire that player, but that the slot games they land on first to play didn’t really matter.

Olsson disagreed with this view strongly and said: “If your first experience in online casino is with a game that has a base game that just goes on and on, and basically has been designed for functionality like bonus buys, you end up with a very very bad customer experience – that person will probably never return to online slots. It’s not a good start.

“The first game a player sees has to be a high-quality game. One that really captures the player. I don’t think that a winning experience is required if they get to enjoy a high-quality, entertaining game.”

The discussion moved onto how markets, and therefore players, differ and Olsson was able to highlight the strength of the Play’n GO portfolio. He said: “We have some amazing games in our portfolio that were released a few years ago like Lady of Fortune, which is perfect for markets with a strong land-based history and it’s nice to see them coming back in popularity – especially as it’s medium volatility with a relatively low max win of 500x. It shows that great games that are fun to play trump everything else.

“Where I think the industry can do better is to not focus so much on short-term thinking – what’s the latest release only etc.. – and get away from predatory functionality games in your retention strategies.”

Finally, the panel discussed VIP players and the future of revenue generation in a regulated reality. Olsson added: “The old ‘80/20’ rule, where 80 per cent of the revenue comes from 20 per cent of the players in certain markets, like Germany, the UK, and other markets in Europe, is gone forever. 

“What Play’n GO would like to see is marketing that adjusts to this new reality. Where recreational and social players are the main audience. We aren’t seeing that yet.”

See also: Play’n GO’s Thea Agius: “Our seamless flag integration solution really does set us apart”