Michael Maokhamphiou: “We look for innovation within and in the competition”

Casino Guru News has sat down with Michael Maokhamphiou, Operations Manager at Lightning Box, who walked us through the company’s latest releases and innovative features. Maokhamphiou talks about Lightning Box’s game development process and how innovation is achieved. It takes an internal effort, but also keeping a sharp eye on the competition and spotting the trends that may draw players early. Interestingly, Maokhamphiou also mentions the way that players and audiences respond to innovation, with some regions taking longer. Read our conversation with Maokhamphiou in its entirety below.

Q: Lightning Box has had quite a few successful releases of late. One of your more prominent titles has been Stellar Cash Dragon Palace. Can you tell us a little more about the bonus feature and how it has affected your game development?

It’s the next instalment in the Stellar Cash franchise where we have revived our successful Stellar Jackpots series with updated graphics for the space-themed Shoot em’ Up feature. This franchise has already proven to be extremely popular with players and this latest release will no doubt be another huge success on the market.

The main Stellar Cash Bonus requires players to shoot their way up six challenge levels before reaching the ultimate Jackpot level. In the Jackpot level, players have the chance of winning either the Grand, Major, Minor or Mini Jackpot, with the Grand Jackpot orchestrating huge wins for players.

Combined with the original Dragon Palace, a classic hit, we have added more fun and excitement to an already successful title and it gives us confidence to evolve slots moving forward.

Q: We live in a time when innovation in slot content is almost mandatory in order for games to be among the top-shelf choices of suppliers - and players. How has Lightning Box been responding to this?

We innovate through looking at ways of enhancing and improving our established features and concepts. We make adjustments where necessary to game design and math to keep players entertained and coming back for more.

At Lightning Box, it is also vitally important for us to keep an eye out on what other suppliers are bringing out into the market and what new innovative features may draw players in from all gaming vertical, including land-based, igaming and social. This can help inspire us to develop similar or varied concepts for a wide range of players.

We also ensure that we review reports from independent bodies on top-ranking games in the market to understand what games are sticking with players and what type of theme that they keep on going back to.

Q: Do players want innovation as such or is there a subtler approach where players focus on themes and experiences and do not put as much emphasis on new features as such? In a sense, is better the devil you know?

To some extent yes, players would like to see new takes and concepts on slot games. It also depends on the market. We feel EU/UK and Scandinavian players tend to adapt to new innovative concepts quicker than the North American market.

Themes and experience also play a massive part in a player’s choice but it always comes down to the mechanics of the game and how engaging it is.

Q: In Stellar Cash Dragon Palace you unlock various bonuses - are bonuses important to player engagement and building a more successful product?

It’s a treat for players to have various bonus options. Offering an array of bonuses keeps players engaged and intrigued, to the point where they want to trigger the various features on offer.

However, it does not always translate to a more successful product. It’s all about the mechanics on offer and how it draws players in.

Multiple Bonuses should be designed and considered carefully and incorporated if deemed appropriate and advantageous to slots game play.

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