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Movers and Shakers: Silverback Gaming: taking slot design beyond the traditional with character-led narratives
“Movers and Shakers” is a dynamic monthly column dedicated to exploring the latest trends, developments, and influential voices in the iGaming industry. Powered by GameOn and supported by HIPTHER, this op-ed series delves into the key players, emerging technologies, and regulatory changes shaping the future of online gaming. Each month, industry experts offer their insights and perspectives, providing readers with in-depth analysis and thought-provoking commentary on what’s driving the iGaming world forward. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the scene, “Movers and Shakers” is your go-to source for staying ahead in the rapidly evolving iGaming landscape.
In this first edition Katya Machuganova (Катя Мачуганова), Gaming Product & Partnership Manager at Silverback Gaming, discusses all things game design, as she highlights the role that character-led titles can have on player engagement.
Game design is an integral part of launching any new slot title. In fact, game design is responsible for creating that first impression that can determine whether someone is going to play your game or not.
But designing a new slot isn’t as simple as it sounds. There are so many factors that you must consider: do you stick with an already-popular theme? Do you design a wholly new concept? What music will engage players? These are just some of the many questions a game design team must answer before embarking on the development process.
Themes that have typically resonated with players have often drawn inspiration from popular culture, mythology, and history, but we’re also seeing a rise in themes that focus on personal empowerment and adventure.
For example, themes like ancient civilisations, fantasy worlds, and modern-day heists are particularly popular, as they offer a sense of both escapism and adventure – taking the slot experience beyond the boundaries of playing on your mobile phone.
You also have to keep the shifting trends of the industry in mind. What players might enjoy today might not be the case tomorrow. So, as you can imagine, this makes the ideation process quite difficult.
One of the most prominent trends that I’ve noticed over the last few months is the integration of narrative-driven content. Players are increasingly looking for immersive experiences that go beyond the typical spin-and-win mechanics; they want stories that captivate them, characters they can relate to, and worlds that they can explore.
Another growing trend is the incorporation of advanced graphics and sound design. High-quality visuals and engaging soundtracks significantly enhance the gaming experience, making it more appealing to players and emulating that sense of excitement that they may get from other forms of entertainment, such as cinema and video games.
Social interaction is also becoming a key element, with multiplayer options and community-driven features gaining popularity. Players enjoy competing with friends or collaborating in quests, adding a social dimension to what was traditionally a solitary activity.
And discussions taking part at industry events have shown that both customisation and personalisation are gaining traction, as players seek games that reflect their preferences and offer personalised rewards. This trend reflects a broader move towards making gaming experiences much more user centric.
Designed by women, for women
A combination of these trends and shifting industry dynamics have all been contributing factors towards the development of our Wild & Free series – a new series of titles from Silverback Gaming that promises to wow the industry in terms of features, mechanics and narratives.
Now, titles that are narrative-driven aren’t a particularly new concept for the iGaming industry, we know that. But what sets this series apart from the crowd is that it’s been designed by women, for women.
We understood that there is a growing number of women who are enjoying the occasional flutter. But what we also realised was that there were very few products that were specifically tailored towards the female demographic of players. That, in my view, needed to change.
When carrying out our research, we found that women tended to prefer solitary gambling activities – with the majority favouring mobile gaming over desktop. We learned that women have a particular preference for customisation and storytelling within the games they play, often having a fondness for games that allowed them to be immersed in the characters and narrative. Slots therefore seemed like the ideal choice.
Silverback’s extensive experience in designing new, innovative slot titles put us in the perfect position to cater to female players. We came up with the idea of introducing three characters to the series, otherwise known as the Moto Girls.
Creating a series of slots that centres around the development of both characters and narratives has allowed us to create something that reflects what women want from their gaming experience.
No pink-washing, please
Silverback Gaming has always prioritised experimentation, innovation and diversity within our company. These are three values that have also transcended the four walls of our office and are evident in the games that we create too.
The raison d’être for this series was to create a product that blended the world of video games with the excitement of slots. All the while, we wanted to make sure that we took a thoughtful approach to the design too; we didn’t want to go down the line of “pink washing” or inappropriate characterisations.
I truly believe that by taking a considered, holistic approach to the series’ design, combined with the features of slots that we all know and love, we can really create an experience that is not only engaging but memorable for all players – male and female.
Character-led titles: the future for slots?
Following our extensive research into player trends and how this differs across different demographics, we strongly believe that the Wild & Free series of games will absolutely change the game for bettors, particularly for those women who have previously felt disenfranchised by the products that have been available to them in the past.
I think a large part of that success will be due to the character-led narratives that we have run throughout the entire series.
When it comes to the wider industry, I do think that there is a significant opportunity to further explore character-led titles, and we may indeed be overlooking their potential.
Characters serve as the heart of a narrative-driven game, and when players can connect with these characters on a personal level, it transforms their gaming experience into something truly memorable.
Character-led titles offer an emotional depth that standard slot games often lack. By developing rich backstories, unique personalities, and compelling journeys, we can create games that resonate more deeply with players. This engagement leads to increased player retention and loyalty, as gamers become invested in the outcomes and adventures of the characters they grow to love.
Moreover, character-led games allow for a more immersive experience. When players step into a world where they can follow a character’s story, make decisions that impact the narrative, and explore various paths and outcomes, it elevates their involvement and creates a sense of ownership and agency.
The industry has seen success with character-driven stories in other gaming genres, such as role-playing games (RPGs) and adventure games, and there’s a clear appetite for similar experiences within the iGaming sector. By embracing character-led narratives, we can tap into new player demographics and offer something fresh and exciting that stands out in a crowded market.
However, it’s crucial to approach character creation thoughtfully and avoid falling into stereotypes or shallow representations. Characters should be multidimensional and reflect the diversity of our player base, offering authentic portrayals that players can relate to and care about.
eSports
Esports Charts and GG.BET have presented an interactive map with data on tournaments around the world
Esports Charts, an analytical service that analyzes esports viewership, has partnered up with betting brand GG.BET, to present Esports Map, an interactive map with data on the most popular esports tournaments in 110 different countries. Each tournament also comes with historical moments when favorites and outsiders unexpectedly switched places in the bracket.
The analytical service Esports Charts has added a new interactive tool to its website, the Esports Map. It features the most popular tournaments by country, as well as data on peak viewership, winners, and prize pools. It also contains information on the most popular games in each country. There are also separate analytics dedicated to the United States, with information available for each of the 50 states. Data has been collected for a period spanning from 2017 up to right now, and is continuously updated.
GG.BET, who partnered with the project, supplemented the tournament information with interesting facts about participating teams. The insights include historical breakthroughs by underdogs and unexpected losses by tournament favorites. The information is provided using past outright betting data.
Esports Map allows users to track the esports industry’s development in various parts of the world. For instance, although League of Legends remains the most popular game and the League of Legends World Championship has kept its spot as the top esports tournament for many years, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is visibly closing the gap between the two games. Worlds 2024 in London had 6,856,769 peak viewers, breaking the world record among all esports games since 2017. However, MPL Indonesia’s Season 15 of MLBB has kept its place in the top spot for 2025, with 4,132,224 peak viewers. Today, MLBB remains the only mobile game capable of attracting such a massive audience, and its fan base is growing, especially in Southeast Asia. Analysts are looking forward to Worlds 2025 in China, which will allow them to update the available data and compare how different games are developing.
“Esports Map is a new project from Esports Charts, which we’ve launched alongside GG.BET as our first partner. We aimed to create a tool that would be interesting and useful to both fans and industry professionals. At its core lies Esports Charts’ analytics, supplemented by betting insights from GG.BET—covering everything from peak viewership and prize pools to discipline trends and stories of unexpected victories.. When combined, this data turns into a live snapshot of esports that can be tracked by country and region,” said Esports Charts’ press office.
“GG.BET regularly supports projects that help people understand esports at a greater depth. Esports Map provides an easy-to-understand visual representation of the industry’s progress in individual countries around the world and displays the breakdown of games by region. It will be of interest to fans and will prove useful to professionals who are developing the industry,” added GG.BET’s press office.
Esports Charts and GG.BET have previously worked together on an analytical project dedicated to the BLAST Premier 2024 season. That project displayed data on views, unique statistics about both the game and bets placed, an analytical breakdown of the season, and exclusive infographics on teams and players.
Eventioz.cl is thrilled to announce the launch of its new comprehensive online casino resource in Chile. With an experienced team dedicated to utilizing thorough, transparent analysis and reviews, Eventioz.cl’s goal is to provide useful resources for Chilean players, whether they are just starting out or already experienced in casinos online chile.
“We warmly welcome you to the site that brings together the most renowned and safe casino experts in Chile,” said a spokesperson for Eventioz.cl. “Every veteran of the booking world knows the wide variety of online casinos in Chile. In our opinion, an online casino must meet several key features so that we can consider it a great online casino in Chile: our goal is to help you find sites that have them.”
Online casinos in Chile are experiencing rapid growth in popularity, offering players a diverse range of games, enticing promotions, and secure payment options. With so many platforms available, players need clear and trustworthy information that explains which casinos are reliable, which games are worth trying, and how to play responsibly.
Eventioz.cl helps players to find the best online casinos in Chile by focusing on safe and reliable platforms that offer the most popular games, including roulette, slots, blackjack, poker, bingo, and live dealer experiences. The new resource also features platforms that enable players to deposit and withdraw safely using local and digital options, such as Cuenta RUT, Mach, WebPay, RedCompra, bancoestado, and cryptocurrency.
From highlighting how to confidently choose a safe and reliable online casino in Chile by encouraging players to search for key signs of trustworthiness, including licensing, payment security, and reputation, to the best bonuses and promotions for Chilean players, such as welcome offers, free spins, loyalty programs, and other special deals, Eventioz.cl aims to showcase the casinos with the top user-experience.
Along with reviews, best online casino lists, and helpful guides, Eventioz.cl offers easy navigation to community forums, shared player experiences, and practical tips for managing play and finding support if needed, all with mobile compatibility and Spanish-language support.
With more Chileans choosing online casinos over land-based ones due to convenience, accessibility, and the gamification of online casinos with more achievements, tournaments, and interactive features that feel like video games, Eventioz.cl takes into account diverse player preferences, cultural habits, and new trends shaping the online gambling scene to offer an all-inclusive location to online casinos in Chile.
Eventioz.cl invites players seeking the best casino online chile to browse its new resource today to find the ideal platform to suit their unique needs, preferences and budget.
What does it really take to pick the right iGaming offer for promotion? With so many variables to consider, it’s easy to make mistakes, especially for affiliates just starting out.
To help clarify things, N1 Partners and the RichAds ad network joined forces to share practical advice on choosing profitable offers and avoiding common pitfalls.
The conversation took place during the N1 Puzzle Promo — a competition where affiliates, both seasoned and new, experiment with different traffic sources, tools, brands, and GEOs to achieve one main goal: maximize profits from their traffic. And selecting the right offer is the first step toward success.
Meet the Experts
Before diving into the tips, here are the people sharing their insights:
Daria Maichuk Affiliate Manager at N1 Partners |
 Veronika Ponomareva Head of Customer Service at RichAds |
What is RichAds?
RichAds is an ad network offering a wide range of traffic sources, including:
- Telegram ads
- Push notifications
- Popunders
- Domain redirects
- Native ads
- Display traffic
Prices start at just $0.005 CPC for push ads and $0.5 CPM for popunders, with access to traffic across 200+ GEOs from Tier 3 to Tier 1.
How to Choose an iGaming Offer: Expert Advice
We asked Daria and Veronika the most important questions affiliates have when evaluating iGaming offers.
1. What parameters of an iGaming offer should be analyzed first before launching?
Daria Maichuk
“Start with the GEO: is gambling legal, how competitive is the market, and how solvent is the audience? Then check the payment model (CPA, RevShare, Hybrid) and the funnel: registration flow, minimum deposit, and site usability. The product matters too — top providers, live casino, sports, esports, localization, and bonuses. Finally, look at retention: how long players stay active and what campaigns keep them engaged.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“First of all, it’s the payout conditions, brand and its reputation on the market, as well as the funnel flow and the content of pre-landing/landing pages to pay attention to. Many things can affect a campaign’s result such as verification before the first deposit, the lack of locally popular payment methods support and the first deposit amount.”
2. How can a beginner determine the potential of an offer? Which metrics should they focus on to avoid wasting budget?
Daria Maichuk
“Key metrics are Conversion Rate (CR), Earnings Per Click (EPC), and Click-Through Rate (CTR). A low CTR usually means the offer doesn’t match the audience or creatives. Test multiple landers — welcome pages and reg forms typically perform best. Also consider First Time Deposits (FTD) and retention, as they reflect the long-term potential of an offer.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“Cost per registration, cost per conversion and ROI — are basic yet the most crucial things to look at. Potential means the long-lasting profit, so pay attention to the LTV (Lifetime Value). An offer could have a moderate EPC, but if the player retention is high and brings many secondary deposits, then the LTV would be extremely high accordingly. Ask your manager about the LTV of the offer in the required geo.”
3. How does a brand’s license affect the choice of GEO and traffic?
Daria Maichuk
“White licenses allow affiliates to work in regulated markets and run campaigns on official ad channels like Google Ads, FB, and TikTok. Grey licenses are also usable, but platforms often restrict or ban them, so affiliates need strong moderation skills.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“The licensing topic is highly important due to the fact that it determines the legality of traffic and what sources are acessible. Strict licenses (MGA, UKGC) approve only the cleanest traffic (mostly PPC and SEO). The traffic is very expensive, but provides quality leads. Curacao license gives more freedom as you can work with push-traffic, teasers and popunders. High risks come with no license at all as well as the accessible traffic sources are very limited.”
4. Which three GEOs currently deliver the highest ROI in iGaming, and why?
Daria Maichuk
“Germany: high purchasing power, stable LTV and retention, large deposits, strong conversion.
Canada: fast-growing, high trust in licensed brands, boosting CR and retention.
Australia: players spend more, stay active longer, and convert well into deposits.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“Depends on the traffic source we’re looking at, for example, if it’s either push or pop, then Bangladesh, Brazil and South Africa are currently on top.”
5. How can you understand whether an offer fits your main traffic source (FB, PPC, push, etc.) before testing?
Daria Maichuk
“Beginners often test blindly, but it’s possible to know in advance. FB and Google are the most widespread sources. Google traffic is highly engaged because players search for the product themselves. Facebook is harder for retention, but we work actively to improve it, especially for this audience, where push campaigns are essential. Push/Pop works for most offers, though CR is lower. If an offer has working apps (ASO), it can also be promoted through stores.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“Facebook and Google Ads are following strict guidelines on accessible content regarding iGaming offers, so it’s a common headache for marketers to test offers there and co-exist with moderation rules. Push and pop traffic doesn’t apply so many demands to the advertising content, so they’re way more preferrable for promotion means. So are Telegram Mini Apps, by the way, since they feature more tolerant moderation by advertising networks and fresh relevant audience.”
6. Top 3 traffic sources for iGaming in 2025?
Daria Maichuk
“Google: high-intent users, precise targeting.
Facebook: huge reach, flexible creative testing.
SEO: long-term stability, independent of traffic costs, especially effective for RevShare.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“Telegram Mini Apps: fresh audience, broad opportunities for advertising formats and extremely relevant users who come from casual games and tap-to-earn clickers.
Push-notifications: proven traffic source with high CTR and pre-made user bases that provide easier outreach to converting players.
Popunders: high CR and cost-effective means for promotion, since quality landing pages are usually enough to convert impulsive gamblers.”
7. Do your affiliates drive traffic through Telegram and what are the specifics? What do you think about mini-app traffic?
Daria Maichuk
“Yes, we’ve seen such cases, but most affiliates still prefer other sources. Data is still limited, but we’re closely monitoring Telegram and mini-app traffic and see strong potential here.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“For us it’s a channel that we actively explore, since introducing Telegram Mini App ads showed us how much of a potential they hold straight away. First of all, TMAs themselves offer a global coverage and outreach to a variety of potential leads for the iGaming products, coming from all over games and applications. In fact, since the moderation policies there are independent from the official Telegram Ads platform, that gives additional interest to this traffic.”
8. How many FTDs are needed to objectively evaluate an iGaming offer?
Daria Maichuk
“PPC: 20–30 FTD.
Facebook (slots): 20–30 FTD.
Facebook (crash games): at least 100 FTD.
In-app: around 100 FTD.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“At least 30 FtD, but to evaluate the offer properly it’s best to look into the player activity in the long run, the average amount of the deposits and other in-depth metrics.”
9. Which KPIs do you recommend for testing: ROI, FTD, deposit, or retention?
Daria Maichuk
“We often use soft KPIs. On average, we expect the avg dep count to be >=2. Sometimes we also track the ratio of total deposits to partner payout.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“It’s a complex matter as hitting the KPIs is usually the result of a combination of factors getting along.”
10. What should affiliates do if an offer “drops” after two weeks — switch or optimize?
Daria Maichuk
“If results were good initially, optimize creatives and targeting. If not, check whether the creatives included slots actually available in the product. Our managers always provide updated slot and targeting recommendations.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“Optimize the campaign, examine the metrics, check the creatives, change landing pages – try to find the correlation to this in the traffic performance.”
11. Which statistical indicators show that an offer can be scaled?
Daria Maichuk
“The main sign is stable positive ROI over several days or weeks. Also look at the funnel (click → registration → deposit) and player retention.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“Simply, a more or less stable ROI is the main indicator here.”
12. How to scale an offer within one source without lowering CR?
Daria Maichuk
“Increase budgets gradually — 10–20% every 1–2 days. Scale your best-performing bundles first. Always refresh creatives: without new content, audiences burn out and CR declines.”
Veronika Ponomareva
“The same level scaling is the key. If by creatives, then create new combinations of creatives and landing pages. If by the audience — gradually add more newcomer oriented targetings, instead of increasing the bids on the current ones. Just test everything by degrees.”
Conclusion
The N1 Puzzle Promo highlighted not only the competitive spirit among affiliates but also the importance of knowing how to pick the right iGaming offers. From choosing GEOs and traffic sources to tracking KPIs and scaling campaigns, the advice from N1 Partners and RichAds gives affiliates a clear roadmap to better results.
RichAds continues to support the iGaming community with its self-serve platform, offering access to 220+ GEOs and multiple traffic types from push and popunders to Telegram Mini Apps and native ads.
Launch smarter campaigns, work with the right offers, and grow your iGaming profits!
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