LCB Exclusive Interview: 4ThePlayer.com Creating Games for Players

As players we have the power to make games successful – it’s a no brainer of a concept. Collectively, gamblers have preferences and 4ThePlayer is one provider that’s picking up on our desires when it come to the development of slots. Industry veterans got together to create a new brand of online games after identifying a need for player focused providers. LCB is thrilled to present an interview with Henry McLean, Commercial & Marketing Director 4ThePlayer.com. We discuss the company’s mobile first approach, the launch of 1 Left Alive, innovative in-game features and much more!

Q: The name certainly shows where you place the value. Give LCB’ers more information on the company’s early beginnings and moves your making these days.

A:  The company was brainchild of Andrew Porter; he was MD of Ash Gaming and then Head of product at Playtech. He felt there was a gap in the market for a games provider that was ‘for the players’.

Removing as much of the confusion and bloated gameplay as possible and going back to big win potential and entertainment. Also, deep diving into the math to make sure it’s the best it can be – after all this is where the wins are!

He joined forces with Chris Ash (the founder of the original leading content studio Ash Gaming) and later me, also formally Ash Gaming and Playtech.

Fast forward to today a year and half later and we are pleased to say we have already made a great impression in the industry both with Casinos and players and we have only just begun ?

Q: With a mobile-first approach, what does this mean in terms of game development and the player experience?

A: We want the player to have the best possible experience no matter what device they are on. We don’t make an amazing desktop game and then think about mobile – we think about all devices and device orientations from day one. So, we don’t have to ‘squeeze’ a desktop top into mobile.

Q: 9k Yeti introduced the ‘BIG REEL PORTRAIT MODE™’. Please describe the feature and any others exclusive to 4ThePlayer.com

A: Innovation is key to us; we want to improve the player experience – BIG REEL PORTRAIT MODE™ is an example of this. Like we said about our mobile first approach we want portrait play to also be a good experience however the current classic UI the industry uses is not as good as it could be.Traditionally around 20% of the screen is used by the reels – the key element in the game! We wanted to change this without sacrificing so developed BIG REEL PORTRAIT MODE™, this uses up to 70% of the screen by stacking the reels and spring right to left. We are pleased to say early analytics data shows it’s a big hit with players!

Q: Since the announcement of the company joining YGS Masters in February 2019, what has transpired since then with regard to game development?

A: It has been a busy year that’s for sure! We done two more platform deals. One with Relax Gaming to offer games on their Silver Bullet program as well as a deal we are about to announce with SG Digital.

We have also released two games 9k Yeti and 100 Bit Dice with one more before the year ends, 1 Left Alive.

Q: Tell us about your upcoming slot launch 1 Left Alive?

A: 1 Left Alive by 4ThePlayer is all about a Zombie Apocalypse, the Lone Survivor is fighting for her life. This game is packed with innovation – we have created a new Ways payout mechanic called PLUS+WAYS™

This makes the slot more exciting with more wilds and stacked wilds without removing any big win potential.  Creating 1,024 single win ways + 32,768 PLUS+WAYS™

In the bonus round you get to find a Zombie hidden behind a Biohazard. When you encounter that Zombie on the reels with the Lone Survivor, she shoots it transforming it into a Bloody Wild that falls down the reels with each spin, hopefully creating epic wins as it does.

The game is 97% RTP and medium to high volatility.

Q: 100 Bit Dice is described as the “original Crypto game reborn for real money”. What was the drive behind this as the company’s first table game launch? Are there any new releases in the pipeline?

A:  100 Bit Dice is inspired by the crypto gaming game Satoshi Dice. This game does over 20M Euros in the unregulated coin space, as all the transactions are on the Blockchain it’s all clearly visible.

We thought there was a great opportunity to bring this game format, with improved UI and mobile support to real money RNG gaming.

Innovation and not being afraid to try new concepts is in our DNA – we don’t want to create just another Roulette game or another slot, as why would players want it?!

Q: We’d like to offer you the opportunity to provide further information you’d like LCB members to know about the company and/or your products.

A: We would like to say thank you to the players who have tried our games so far, we have had a brilliant response!

To those who have not tried our games yet; If you like volatile games with big win potential 9k Yeti is the one for you, if you like innovative different table games gives 100 Bit Dice a roll.  Love Zombies and Ways games – 1 Left Alive is for you!  Have a play and hopefully you will see the passion and attention to detail that goes into every game.

We are also building a community of player community of our website 4ThePlayer.com to get early feedback on game ideas and theme, feel free to join!