5 Star chats with SG Digital, Content Specialist Director, Rob Procter about the longevity of the world famous leprechaun and its success from land-based to online.

Can existing land-based titles work as effectively in the digital environment? What steps are required to ensure that a popular retail game theme/mechanic works in the online environment?

There’s typically a three-step process when it comes to the developing these types of games. Firstly, we review the game mechanic and see how it can work in the digital space.

Based on feedback from player insights and previous experiences of transferring games to the online environment, we’re able to make a judgment on what needs tweaking. We then consider the theme and if it needs altering at all. While the front end needs to work well for online, it can be refined and updated to suit the online player base.

Lastly, we take an in-depth look at the math model and we usually evolve and adapt this to meet the online audience. This approach has worked particularly well for us. For instance, 88 Fortunes came from the US land-based sector and has performed strongly online, with its brand, mechanic and theme fitting the online profile. Similarly, the Rainbow Riches suite of games from the UK encapsulates how that transition to digital can work.

When it comes to Rainbow Riches specifically, how do you explain the success the franchise has seen in the online space? What has contributed to its longevity in resonating with players?

Rainbow Riches is one of our biggest brands at Scientific Games, across both our land/ retail estate through to the online space. This is an IP that has come to familiarity in its own right through the gambling industry, rather than existing IP from movies or video games for example.

One reason the Rainbow Riches brand has remained at the forefront is that Scientific Games has re-invented it so that it remains relevant, while still ensuring that the original, classic concept, characters and environment stay intact and familiar to players.

To remain relevant, we have responded to the ever-changing online landscape by producing versions that resonate in the present. Through partnerships with innovators of blockbuster mechanics such as Megaways^TM and Slingo^TM, we’ve managed to keep the Rainbow Riches brand top of mind with players in the UK market. And next up, we have Rainbow Riches Cluster Magic, which brings the brand into this millennia with a cheeky edition introducing, you guessed it, Cluster Pays.

These Rainbow Riches reincarnations have driven the brand on and have allowed us to provide fresh gameplay for a loyal player base, that prefers a timeless, classic theme.

The evolution is what has ensured that the brand value is still there. This is apparent through our customers continuing to place Rainbow Riches games at the forefront of their marketing campaigns and product placement – And players continuing to play. 

The players always show us what they want and we will continue to breathe new life into the Rainbow Riches brand as long as we maintain a healthy response to new and innovative mechanics that players want to engage with.

Looking forward,what is at the heart of the Rainbow Riches brand and what is SG doing to ensure its continued success?

From grass-roots beginnings in the retail space, Rainbow Riches has been largely responsible for emerging that “Lucky Irish Theme” following. This theme is now everywhere across content studios and has become one of the most popular, foundational themes within the slot game space.

No supplier or game studio has the magic solution but finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with a quirky leprechaun as your guide resonates well with a wide audience. When a classic theme with strong land-based familiarity is married with a sticky mechanic online, it has the potential to be a recipe for success.

There is a knock-on effect through continuous re-invention. We deliver a new release and players are naturally curious, so we see a spike in activity. Equally, it reminds players of the classic predecessors and re-invigorates the entire brand – similar to a movie or video game franchise where fans experience a new release and it inspires them to revisit what brought them there in the first place.

If we can also ensure that operators are keyed-up and ready for new launches well in advance, it really provides the opportunity for them to maximize the impact of the launch. If our customers can provide players with advanced warning, they can build up excitement and really hype what the next version has in store.