Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN APR 2020 52 casinos that means new branding possibilities. Today’s players have come to expect more sophisticated gameplay even from relatively simple games. We are seeing a trend in technology which is pushing games to new platforms and distribution methods, slowly rendering the days of boxed games obsolete. As a result, new models for monetization and engagement are becoming necessary. Gaming companies are quickly coming to this realization, with many looking to understand the technology and many more shifting, or planning to shift, their business models to adapt while looking for potential crossover points where land-based and digital can work together through blockchain technology. The elephant in the room for new branding and monetization strategies is the free-to-play (or F2P) model. F2P games are games which are available at no cost to players. Micro transactions within the game are then used to monetize the game, or in the case of some large properties, loyalty points accrued can be redeemed at the branded property. Players can play for free, but are often encouraged to pay for certain in-game items (like powerful bonuses, levels or costumes) and maintained through frequent updates and patches over long periods of time. In other words, in the F2P era, games are becoming less like a product and more like a service. Innovative operators are now looking at the bigger picture by not only accepting digital currencies, but through developing and integrating blockchain fuelled platforms enabling bi-directional exchange of private and base tokens. One such gaming group to have built a business model that incorporates blockchain technology is a social gaming company called RubieCon. Seeing a massive gap in the social casino market, particularly in Southeast Asia, RubieCon plans to offer F2P tokenized social casino games targeting new generations of Asian players. As a part of their development plan, RubieCon is also creating an independent foundation managed platform which will be open and free to all game publishers, advertisers, marketers and players. COLUMNISTS