In our Slotomania analysis, I dissect the overwhelming success of this popular casino game and what Playtika had to do to cash in.
Here are some of the things I cover:
- Slotomania’s KPIs
- Advertising techniques
- Creative strategies
- App store optimization
- Tips & tricks
Let’s dive right in!
About Slotomania
Slotomania by Playtika is one of the most popular casino games in the slots subgenre. Its publisher is the Israel-based game studio Playtika.
This casino game features casino slots full of adventure. Players get 1 million free coins to start as well as rewards and bonuses as they progress in the game. Furthermore, Slotomania includes several different mini-games that make the game more interesting.
How Successful Is Slotomania?
The success of Slotomania is undeniable. Even though this is not a new game, (it was released 10 years ago) it’s still one of the top games in the genre. KPIs like the number of downloads and revenue show that clearly.
Let’s go through each of them.
Data source: AppMagic, a leading mobile intelligence platform. Get 3 days of free access to all AppMagic’s features, as well as 10% off, by clicking this link.
Slotomania Downloads
So far, Slotomania has been downloaded more than 70 million times. Interestingly, the downloads peaked in September 2021, a decade after the game’s release. So far in 2022, this casino game got up to more than 6 million downloads.
The majority of the downloads came from the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, and Russia.
Slotomania Revenue
When it comes to revenue, Slotomania is hitting the jackpot. So far, it earned more than $1.9 billion!
As you can see, the revenues are enormous. There were some significant spikes like the one in 2020 when the whole mobile gaming industry boomed. 2020 alone brought $332 million to Playtika’s pockets. So far in 2022, Slotomania has earned more than $160 million.
The majority of Slotomania’s revenue comes from the United States, Australia, Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Slotomania’s global cumulative RpD (lifetime revenue divided by lifetime downloads) stands at $26,79, which is exceptional. But get this, Slotomania’s Tier 1 West RpD is as high as $45.59!
Who Is Playing Slotomania?
The data shows that Slotomania has 1.5 million daily active users on average. But who are those players? What motivates them to play casino games?
I answer these questions in the sections below.
Player Motivations
The graph above answers the following question – why are people attracted to Slotomania?
According to GameRefinery, one of the main reasons for playing are escapism (excitement & thrill), exploration (collecting treasure), and social (competing against others).
Based on these motivations, GameRefinery identified three types of mobile gamers who are playing Slotomania – Thrill Seeker, Treasure Hunter, and King of the Hill.
Here’s some basic info on each one.
Thrill Seeker
Treasure Hunter
King of the Hill
To explore these motivations in-depth, we need to analyze user behavior.
User Behavior
One might wonder, why are people playing a virtual casino game and spending real money on it, when there are no cash returns? Why not go to a real-life casino and get a chance to earn real money?
Well, for engaged casino players, the main motivation is not even the money or rewards, but the sheer thrill of gambling. In other words, it’s more about the journey than the destination. People who play games like Slotomania relish in the excitement of betting, the possibility of high returns (even if it’s virtual coins and not real money), beating the odds, and getting lucky.
This falls into the escapism (excitement & thrill) category from GameRefinery.
Furthermore, we need to consider the age and habits of casino players. As we have seen, the majority of Slotomania’s audience belongs to older generations – Generation X and Baby Boomers. That’s also who you’ll find in real-life casinos.
This demographic is either retired or works fewer hours, which allows them to frequent casinos or play mobile games. It becomes a part of their daily routine and gives them something fun to do.
What mobile casino games offer is the opportunity to play at home or wherever they are. Furthermore, they can play for longer amounts of time, as investments are lower. Additionally, for many people, the fear of losing real money is another motivator to play mobile games instead. There’s no guilt when you lose in games like Slotomania, but you get equal thrills.
The only question that remains is how do game studios like Playtika acquire casino players?
The answer lies in their advertising strategy.
Slotomania Analysis: Advertising Strategy
Paid advertising is the central part of any mobile game user acquisition strategy – it’s the quickest way to acquire a large number of users.
In Playtika’s case, the goal is to acquire people who are interested in playing casino games, as well as in spending money on in-app purchases.
In the section below, I analyze top-performing Slotomania ads to uncover just how successful Playtika is in appealing to its target audience.
Slotomania Analysis: Top-Performing Creatives
John Goodman Official Commercial
To start off, I wanted to include Slotomania’s official commercial, from late 2020. It features the popular actor John Goodman, best known for his role in the TV show Roseanne. He’s also featured in other Slotomania ads and in the game.
Here’s why John Goodman is the perfect pick for advertising Slotomania.
As we have established, the target audience for Slotomania are Gen X and Baby Boomers, i.e., mature players.
These demographics know very well who John Goodman is. Many remember him from back in the 80s and 90s when he was at the peak of his career and adore him for his larger-than-life characters. Born in 1952, he also belongs to the same generation of many Slotomania players.
However, because of his famous role in Roseanne, many younger players know him as well. For example, many Millennials remember watching this TV show when they were kids.
In other words, he attracts a broad audience, which makes him the perfect choice for this commercial.
But what makes this commercial stand out, apart from featuring a famous actor?
Well, the fact that John Goodman’s face is on a finger.
Yes, it’s creepy. And yes, it’s weird and disturbing. But that’s the whole point. It draws your attention immediately.
This ad went viral and so far it has more than 12 million views on YouTube.
Judging by the YouTube comments, the viewers love it. One commenter says, “Finally. A creative ad amongst a mountain of boring, poorly made ads.”
And that’s the main takeaway from this ad – game studios need to come up with creative and unique concepts to get noticed in this saturated market.
Slotomania Ad #1
This is an example of another ad where John Goodman appears. Once again, the actor is a finger, as he presents the hottest games of the week.
While the ad is quite simple, the addition of this funny and absurd John Goodman appearance makes it so much more interesting to watch.
Slotomania Ad #2
Many Slotomania ads are about showcasing different slots, just like the one above. Players get to experience the Medusa Magic, a unique slot machine.
Just like the game, the visuals in this creative are very colorful and bright, which grabs the viewer’s attention. The music is quite alluring and compliments the visuals very well.
Furthermore, we see lots of gameplay in this ad (as well as most other Slotomania ads) which is a good strategy. While cinematic scenes look cool, they can be misleading, which is why it’s best to showcase gameplay in mobile game creatives.
This ad does a good job of portraying the gaming experience. Notice that the first spin in this video is a fail. However, the second spin is a “big win” and the third one results in a grand jackpot.
Granted, it’s not this easy to win the jackpot in Slotomania, or any casino game for that matter. But showing it in a video is very alluring to casino players. The prospect of cashing in is what these players get excited about.
In the end, there’s a nice animation along with a CTA and Slotomania’s slogan – “What today will spin?”. The slogan is a play on words and a reference to the popular saying, “What today will bring?”.
Slotomania Ad #3
Above, you can see another example of a Slotomania creative that showcases unique slots. In this case, it’s the Mighty Silverback slots.
Once again, there’s plenty of gameplay footage that shows just how exciting it is to play this game.
Slotomania Ad #4
This creative is a bit different from the rest, which shows variety. As the camera moves from left to right, we see a visual representation of the game’s features, as the narrator guides viewers through it. It’s an array of slots, jackpot, Sloto cards, game characters, mini-games, and of course, lots of coins. It’s everything any casino player would love.
Although there’s no gameplay footage, this is a very interesting and unique approach to a mobile game creative that’s bound to garner attention.
Slotomania Ad #5
The ad above is a prime example of Playtika trying to reach a broader audience and appeal to gamers who love storytelling/narrative games.
It’s about a new slot machine – High Life Mystery. However, there’s the addition of a narrative mini-game. After a woman’s necklace is stolen, the player has the choice to ignore it or help her. Choosing to help her results in a big reward.
The main slogan for this type of Slotomania ad is “The only game where you choose your story and make an impact”. It is featured both in the ad copy and the video creative.
Interestingly, the main slogan of Episode, a storytelling game, is “Choose Your Story”. I can’t help but think there’s a connection there.
This adds an interesting meta-layer to the game which allows Playtika to expand their audience further, and not just focus on casino gamers. However, it should be noted that Slotomania has very few mini-games.
At the end of the ad, there’s a “Can you solve it?” text, which poses a challenge to the viewers, along with a “Play now” call-to-action.
Slotomania Ad #6
I have included one more example of a mini-game ad. As everyone has learned from Playrix’s advertising strategy, featuring mini-games in mobile game creatives can be very lucrative, as it attracts a lot of users.
What’s good about this Slotomania ad is that it’s not a rip-off of Homescapes’ mini-games, like it was the case with Clockmaker. Even though it has nothing to do with slots, the mini-game is unique and allows players to earn free coins.
The only issue with this ad is that it just abruptly ends. No ending scene, no CTA. The attention to detail is lacking in this one.
Slotomania Analysis: App Store Optimization
App store optimization is one of the key aspects of organic user acquisition. Improving a game’s visibility in the stores can get you a significant number of users – for free.
As you probably know, the main aspects of ASO are the game’s title, icon, description, keywords, images, and an app promo video – the most important of all.
I’ve decided to analyze Slotomania’s app store pages as well, as they complement Playtika’s paid UA efforts.
Game Title
The game title is quite catchy and it perfectly describes the game. It’s the combination of two words – Slots and mania. Everybody is crazy about slots, right?
Game Icon
As you might expect, the icon for Slotomania features a slot machine. The art style is quite modern. Furthermore, there’s text in the icon – “Slotomania” and “Casino”. All of it screams – this is a casino game.
App Promo Video
The app promo video for Slotomania starts with a big proclamation – “You are a millionaire!”.
It’s a great way to pull people in.
Another big proclamation is “The best free slots game on the planet”.
Furthermore, the viewers learn that they get 1 million free coins, which is an important game benefit. This is something that attracts casino players. Not to mention the possibility to turn that million into a billion, which is another thing that’s emphasized in the video.
Another game feature that is mentioned is that this game has over 160 free slot games. For any casino player, variety is key, which is why it’s smart to include this feature in the promo video.
Mini-games are also mentioned in the video, which is smart considering many ads feature them.
In the end, we have the popular Slotomania slogan, “What will today spin?” and a “Play now” button.
Overall, Slotomania’s promo video does a great job of presenting the game’s best features and benefits. It’s bright and colorful and full of great sound effects, which is perfect for a casino game ad.
The narrator is also a great choice for this promo video, even though it’s readable when watching on mute as well.
Interestingly, this video is also used as an ad.
Screenshots
As you might expect, the screenshots on Slotomania’s app store pages are as colorful and fun as the game. They’re carefully designed with a lot of attention to detail, which gives them a high-end look.
Furthermore, each image showcases one game feature – different slot styles available, 1M free coin welcome bonus, mini-games, and social aspects of the game.
Slotomania Analysis: 3 Things You Can Learn From This Game
To finish off our Slotomania analysis, I’ve listed 3 important lessons and tips from this game. If you have a casino game, this is what you need to consider when coming up with a user acquisition strategy.
Influencer Marketing Pays Dividends
As we have seen with Slotomania and John Goodman, collaborating with influencers/celebrities is a great way of promoting mobile games. Especially, if it’s done in a creative and unique way.
Also, John Goodman is not simply a star of Slotomania’s commercials, he’s also a part of the game.
Broaden Your Audience
What’s clear from Slotomania’s advertising strategy is that Playtika is trying to expand its audience. In other words, reach not just casino players, but gamers who are into narrative, adventure, and even puzzle games.
This is what many game studios are doing right now and it’s a strategy that works.
Target Different Types of Gamers Through Creatives
The way to target a broader audience is to come up with ads that will appeal to other types of gamers by including elements of other game genres. For example, let’s say you have a casino game, but you want to target players who love puzzles.
The main motivational drivers for playing puzzle games are escapism, thinking, puzzle-solving, improving cognitive skills, etc. Thus, it would make sense to include a casino-based brain teaser or puzzle mini-game in the ad, along with a challenge – “Can you solve it?”. That way, you attract people who love puzzles but wouldn’t mind trying a casino game.
Final Thoughts on Our Slotomania Analysis
As we have learned from this Slotomania analysis, the first step to cashing in as Playtika did is to come up with a killer user acquisition strategy. Regardless of the game genre, creative production and advertising techniques are the key to having a successful game. We specialize in both, so make sure to message us if you need any help.
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