FlowPlay Gaming Now Has Everything and the Girl!
Earlier this month, shorty after FlowPlay Inc. announced the release of the first ever sportbetting platform in the rapidly growing social casino market, Gambling 911 reporter Tyrone Black had the opportunity to teleconference with CEO Derrick Morton before he attended a confernce to dicuss the launch of BetZone and what it will mean for their flagship social casino MMORPG, Vegas World. Morton is an online gaming veteran, and Seattle Washington based FlowPlay is a leader in virtual world games and all related technology.
Derrick was in a fine mood that morning as he was very excited about the launch of another platform to better evolve and sustain the growth of the widely popular Vegas World, FlowPlay’s proprietary social casino consumer product a massively multiplayer online role playing game ("MMORPG"). This former general manager of RealNetworks and former VP of GameHouse (and iWin) first got his start in the industry in 1994 as a producer of Wheel of Fortune. While leading the mobile division at RealNetworks he met with his co-developer "every Wednesday for a over a year" to develop what eventually became FlowPlay, which was launched in 2007.
This CEO believes the entertainment attraction as well as the gaming aspect will support the expected growth of the industry and keep players happily paying for social casino games - even if no real money is exchanged. BetZone - with its virtural coin currency - will attract players with objectives similar to those of both the conventional sports wagering offered by every Las Vegas casinos and the fantasy sports league wagering offered by sites such as FanDuel or DraftKings. Eilers Research estimates social casino games resulted in the 10X increase in revenue for regulated online gambling in Q1 2014 (U.S.).
While mobile technology will play an integral part in the growth of this sector of virtual online gambling, currently only slot games in Vegas World are accessible via iOS and Android smartphone apps. A massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG) marries the large-scale social interaction and persistent world of a multi-user dimension (MUD) with graphic interfaces. Typical MUDs are text-based, so I imagine converting the fluid graphic interfaces to a mobile platform is structually complex. However, I will hedge this confident CEO (and his team) will solve any development issues, and FlowPlay will provide the same apps for BetZone players - before the start of the 2015 NFL or NBA season.
Morton believes there are few challenges to the fantasy sports industry, especially with daily and weekly wagering replacing the once season-wide commitments of classical fantasy NFL and MLB fantasy leagues. Bettors no longer have to suffer the downside of being stuck with an already injured player and having their ranking for an entire season handicapped (for the lack of a better word). This caused many players to lose interest. In the coming weeks BetZone will incorporate casual fantasy sports-related games, along with betting on political on elections (world-wide) and wagering on lifestyle elimination-driven TV shows such as Survivor. When asked about its future he stated "it is on the cusp of taking off!"
Prior to the last week's announcement, Vegas World players only had the option of eithering using their virtual currency to play various multiplayer casino-stlye games, including bingo, poker, blackjack and up to 32 varieties of slots, or using their vitural coins to customize their avatar. Players also may have used their conis to purchase drink-charms for either their own avatar or the avatar of others players... furthing the thrilling feel and real-life atmosphere of chatting and socializing in an actual casino.
While a cash payout is not available, the for-pleasure community enjoys the suite level upgrades, the prize-rewards and the opportunies to socialize. Unlike most MMORPGs, Vegas World actively promotes in-character role-playing. Players can use the games' communication functions to role-play so long as other players cooperate, which they apparently do very successfully. According to Derrick multiple real world marriages have resulted from relationships that were formed in Vegas World.
As sure as the rising sun warmed the shores along Lugana Beach that morning, it seems equally as certain the addition of BetZone to Vegas World will further the industry's interest in the union of virtual environments and sportbetting. With wagers being placed on everything from the outcome on sportting events to the outcome on real-world events such as the recent vote for independence in Scotland, the realization by FlowPlay to provide the same entertainment thrill - already provided by every Las Vegas casino - to their MMORPG Vegas World will eventually prove to be quite lucrative for the company led by CEO Derrick Morton. For now it is just another great win-win situation for the approximate 35 million monthly social casino players in the U.S. They now each have a chance for everything and the girl....just like a Derek Jeter.
