Following on from our chat about the US, Lightning Box’s Michael Moakhamphiou shared his thoughts on the evolution of the UK market, innovations players can expect in 2022 and beyond, along with insights into their latest releases.
Hi Michael, thanks for speaking with us – how are things and how has the start of 2022 been for Lightning Box?
Hi Sam, thanks for inviting me to share Lightning Box’s insight into the industry with both you and your readers. 2022 has had a momentous start to what is shaping up to be a massively successful year for Lightning Box. We have had releases of hit games like Murphy’s Pots, which blend classic gameplay with unique bonus features and Lightning Gorilla which sees the return of our much-loved Lightning Respin feature and is packed full of jackpot prizes. In addition to these popular releases, we have expanded our reach bringing our games to many different regions and new operators. Delivering our exciting games to more players and creating additional hits is always a passion of ours and 2022 has so far exceeded these goals.
Can you tell us a little about your release Lightning Gorilla and what we can expect?
Lightning Gorilla builds upon one of our fan favourite game mechanics Lightning Respin. Here players receive three respins that reset every time a Lightning Bolt, featuring instant cash prizes, lands on an activated reel. These are joined by Colossal Lightning Bolts which are bigger variants of these and split upon being landed to reveal individual prizes. Additionally, these can carry jackpot prizes up to 1,250x the players’ bet size. All this action takes place in a lovingly crafted forest setting with reels filled with forest animals and wilds that we are sure players will enjoy.
How have regulatory changes around slots, such as those brought in by the UKGC in 2021, affected slot game development at Lightning Box?
Slot titles are much more malleable than you may initially think. In regions like Germany there is a minimum of five seconds enforced between each spin, whereas in Greece there is a three-second spin limit imposed on players. Creating slot titles that cannot easily accommodate these regional changes would be quite short-sighted. As a global provider we make our games easily adjustable to reflect these regional changes and the UKGC’s implementation from a development standpoint was easily integrated into all our games.
Across the industry, what can slot players expect from games today that they couldn’t five years ago?
Slot players’ tastes and preferences change quite rapidly and as a provider we work tirelessly to pre-empt these changes. There was a time when graphics were the main draw, but these aren’t entertaining enough on their own to maintain attention over an extended play session. Players can now expect engaging features, jackpot prizes and the ability to have truly unique spins available to them instead of repetitive mechanics. Our Waysfecta system built upon this in our hit game Enchanted Waysfecta which changes the number of winning ways and reels available every spin.
How are slot themes decided at Lightning Box, and why do you think some themes (such as Olympian gods, Norse mythology, Westerns) have remained so popular over the years?
We conduct extensive market research and data analyse our previous releases to see what players are drawn to and use this to help formulate the team’s ideas in our next project. You are right, some themes seem to be synonymous with gambling. Perhaps is what keeps them so popular. Recent release Murphy’s Pots benefits from using a popular theme being based around Leprechauns, which has a proven track record of being a player favourite. However, we also like to change things up. One of our most popular games Chicken Fox is set inside a chicken coop and has a remarkably new and distinct theme. Striking a balance between creating industry favourite themes whilst developing your own unique style is key.
Is there a favourite genre/specific game series the in-house team love working on?
I’m certain you can tell our team’s love for the animal kingdom from our releases! However, they also have a huge passion for creating games with jackpots and big prizes attached to them. These can award massive wins to players and have proven to be a hit among our audience. My favourite game series, as you may have guessed through previous answers, is Chicken Fox.
Slots with gamification features are popular with consumers – one example from your collection is Murphy’s Pots – why do you think these types of features are so popular and how do you appeal to this demand from consumers?
Giving players agency over the game they are spinning is key to creating a truly engaging release. Murphy’s Pots has two different bonuses packed into it with the rainbow feature giving players a choice of different hidden prizes awarding a multiplier or cash awards. The player is escorted to a rainbow bridge thereafter where this prize can increase further at the risk of also losing the accumulated prize so far. This risk and reward factor along with players having a choice over what hidden prizes to choose from creates a more immersive experience. Rather than our fans, playing the game passively we give them options and interaction, increasing overall engagement.
What kinds of innovations might be in store for slots fans over the next few years?
We expect this player agency to become even more integral to slot development in the future, prompting more choice for the player and creating a more immersive experience. The interaction offered by land-based casino is predominantly missing when playing games online as we aren’t physically pulling a lever, pressing the spin button, etc. Focusing on these elements could innovate the iGaming space by converging interactivity with gamification.
More specifically, what’s in store for the rest of 2022?
Lightning Box’s 2022 is shaping up to be a historic year for us. As part of Light & Wonder, we aim to grow our global market positioning from the acquisition of new partners and operators in existing and burgeoning markets. We will also be adding to our portfolio of high-quality slot titles, introducing new features whilst also expanding upon our fan favourite mechanics.
