NetEnt Sees Another Surge In Growth Thanks To Purple Cow

purple cow netentAnyone who has taken even a cursory glance at NetEnt‘s performance over the past five or six years can see how well they’re doing. A closer look at the statistics however is both alarming (for competitors) and exciting (for players).

From 2011, their overall revenue have gone up by over 240%, making them not only the top of the food chain when it comes to making casino software, but the dominant force that could end up monopolizing the market. And it’s all thanks to their “purple cow” method they have employed to their approach in slot-making from Day One.


The Facts

pie chart graphicWe won’t bore you too much with statistics, but basically NetEnt’s profits and overall revenue have gone up by a huge amount. In 2015, it made £100 million. Last year, in 2016, it shot up to £130 million in total revenue. This is an insane amount and just goes to show how well the company’s doing. And the biggest component to that success is thanks to how many mobile slots they make on a yearly basis.

NetEnt’s repertoire is currently 89% made up of slots, meaning almost 9/10 of the company are entirely dedicated to one form of gambling. There is a reason for this: mobile video slots are NetEnt’s most successful enterprise. Therefore, it is what they dedicate most of their time and energy into.

And yet, most would think, given how saturated the mobile slot market is, the ability to make a profit is highly unlikely. This is hard enough in of itself, let alone mobile slots making up the majority of your business. But even to this day, NetEnt churn out slot after slot, producing many on a yearly basis… and despite the conveyor belt nature of their output, they’re not terrible slots either. They’re actually pretty good. More than good, in fact. They’re bloody excellent!

So what’s going on? What makes NetEnt so different from its competitors that it can dominate the market? The answer is surprisingly simple yet many mobile casino software developers fail to realise it. And the answer lies in what is known as the Purple Cow method.

The Purple Cow Method

slotsmillion iphone starburstFor those who don’t know, a purple cow is something that’s ordinary (like, a cow) made memorable by giving it an unusual twist (like painting the cow purple). This method applies to NetEnt because they successfully manage to make what could be a boring, run-of-the-mill slot into something extraordinary and unique.

They don’t even have to do anything that complicated, either. Take Their Aloha! Cluster Pays slot, for instance. Instead of the generic Polynesian 5×3 slot reel theme that bases wins on rows of symbols, they make it into a slot where you win based on a cluster of symbols.

It’s a simple change yet it rethinks the entire approach to making a slot. You don’t have to just switch a theme around to make something stand out — you can change the fundamentals of videos slots entirely.

Of course, if NetEnt were in a different position, say they were more of a in-house slot developer, they may not do this so much. Not because they’re uninspired or lazy but because being the top dogs, they can get away with a lot more.

People are going to play NetEnt slots no matter what they do, even if the slot they make is below their usual level of quality. We’re yet to think they’ve made a truly “bad” slot but the new emoji slot they’re making has raised causes for concern.

The Reason For Their Success

successBut this is precisely why NetEnt are top dogs at this moment in time! Their daring and willing to take risks has resulted in them creating better and more unique slots. People appreciate it when you shake things up a bit (though, not too much) because it makes them rethink how things work. Not everything has to be the same, nor should it be!

While NetEnt don’t always produce purple cows, their general approach to slot making is greatly appreciated and explains why they continue doing what they’re doing. By next year, we predict they’ll soar even higher with their revenue and this will help them to create better and more worthwhile slots to play.

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