Tournaments are an exciting and competitive campaign type where players compete against each other to climb a leaderboard by achieving specific goals, such as the highest win multiplier, the most rounds played, or completing a mission in the fewest number of spins.
The transparent and competitive nature of tournaments, where players can see their position relative to others, adds a layer of excitement and motivation.
Tournaments can be set up for a wide variety of games, including Slots, Crash Games, Traditional Live Casino Games, Game Shows, and Table Games. The choice of games should align with your target audience and the goals of the tournament.
For example, a Slot Tournament might focus on the most popular or newly released slots, slots of a specific theme, or why not all Slots combined, while a Live Casino Tournament could include games like Roulette, Blackjack, or Baccarat.
The selection of players for tournaments should be tailored to your campaign goals. Tournaments are highly effective in engaging frequent players, but they can also be designed to include all players or specific segments, such as players from specific value segments, or those who have not played recently.
It's important to consider the frequency of winnings in your tournament design. In general, across most players and campaigns, frequent smaller wins keep players more engaged than rare, large wins. Distribute the prize pool across more players and prize levels to maintain excitement and encourage participation in future tournaments.
For example, if only 1% of participants will win a prize, the majority may feel discouraged. A balanced prize distribution keeps more players motivated to continue participating.
Also, consider how the leaderboard structure accommodates late entrants, as a well-designed prize pool and tournament structure can keep these players engaged without discouragement.
Prizes should be proportionate to the effort required to win them. If the cost of achieving a prize is perceived to be too high, such as a $5 prize requiring $1000 in gameplay losses, players may lose interest. Ensuring that the rewards are meaningful to the effort needed to achieve them is key to maintaining player engagement.
Tournaments can be designed with different structures to fit your campaign goals:
- A one-off event where players compete within a set timeframe.
- To promote a specific game, or set of games
- To highlight a festive season or cultural event
- To tie in with a full campaign concept (for example an F1 Tournament where winners get tickets to a Formula 1 Grand Prix)
- Regularly scheduled tournaments, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, providing ongoing engagement.
- A set of scheduled tournaments where players finishing in certain positions qualify for the next round tournament, adding an element of anticipation and excitement.
.1 Ensure a good spread of prizes across the leaderboard to keep more players engaged.
.2 Actively promote your tournament through multiple channels to maximize participation.
.3 Use player segmentation to invite specific groups, such as high-value players, to increase relevance and participation. Ensure that game selection, minimum bet settings, and prize pools are adjusted according to the target audience.
This guide aims to help you create engaging and successful tournaments that resonate with your players, driving both player satisfaction and campaign success.