Are Branded Games Necessary?

The short answer is yes. However, there are several nuances to consider.

Let’s break down how branded games can impact a project:

• Brand recognition. In a world full of slot games, branded titles stand out and attract player attention.
• Exclusive content. Unique content (a branded game) increases player loyalty and encourages deposits.
• PR tool. Branded games create newsworthy content for posts, newsletters, and other marketing activities.

This list could go on, but it’s important to note that these points are somewhat abstract. We’re more interested in the actual impact of branded games — so here’s our experience.

On a project with a monthly GGR of $ 9−10 million, we added three branded slots and monitored the results.

📊 Registration Conversion

The first test ran for 3 months.

Hypothesis: The presence of branded games will build trust and increase the registration conversion rate.

Traffic was split 50/50.

The test group saw a registration form featuring branded game logos placed at the top of the homepage. The control group saw a standard form with the games positioned mid-page.

Visit-to-registration results:

Month 1:

Test group — 29%

Control group — 31%

Month 2:

Test group — 33%

Control group — 32%

Month 3:

Test group — 31%

Control group — 36%

Conclusion: The hypothesis was not confirmed — branded games did not improve registration conversion.

🤔 Interest in the Games

After launching the branded slots, we sent out a newsletter. The open rate was 43%.

Over the next week, interest grew:

One game entered the Top 9 by bet volume, another hit Top 14, and the third made Top 21.

Two weeks later, interest declined, and the slots dropped to around Top 35−40 — players returned to their familiar games.

🏅 Boosting Interest Through a Tournament

We launched a tournament using only the three branded games to spark interest.

Results:

• 42% of players registered for the tournament
• 41.4% placed at least one bet
• During the 2-week tournament, the games reached Top 8, Top 11, and Top 15 in bet volume

Interest was successfully boosted. Even after the tournament, some players continued playing these slots. Total bets on these games increased by 25−30% compared to the pre-tournament period. The branded slots stabilized in the Top 15−20 range.

While most players still prefer familiar games, branded slots have formed their own audience.

🫡 Conclusion

Branded games are an effective marketing and PR tool. However, their advantages for players are not always obvious.

To boost engagement, it’s worth launching additional activities and tournaments, and actively introducing players to the games.

Game quality also matters — strong visuals and popular mechanics (like hold and win) significantly improve the chances of attracting and retaining players.