An Evolving Company
But enough with the history already – what exactly is it that Nektan actually do? Well, in its short time of operation the company has established itself as one of the industry’s leading mobile gaming content developers and platform providers. In layman’s terms that means the company builds and operates mobile games in both the regulated Real Money Gaming and free online gaming spaces.
Using their end-to-end technology platform, Evolve, Nektan is able to manage the full customer experience and back-office operations of a mobile casino, meaning their commercial partners are free to focus all the efforts on marketing the product to customers. Nektan is essentially in charge of everything from the development and operation of casinos to customer care, with the company taking on full regulatory responsibility and providing fraud prevention and player tracking services.
In terms of Freemium gaming, Nektan offers a service where prospective partners can provide them with a design brief and they will create a bespoke skin for any given game. Unlike RMG, Freemium gaming does not require a gambling license and allows customers to play games for free up to a certain limit, allowing partners to attract a new audience who, while not wishing to gamble, may be willing to pay for in-App benefits like additional levels and other optional upgrades.
Smartphones Equal Smart Graphics
All of Nektan’s content is built in HTML 5, a specific mobile gaming technology base that allows products to be developed and deployed across all internet-enabled devices, including smartphones, tablets and desktop PCs. With slot machines, blackjack and roulette all currently available and bingo also now on offer, the company provides a strong and solid selection of games to its partners.
Graphically-speaking, the games are characterised by fluid and attractive animations which provide a rich graphical experience on smaller interface mobile devices. Unlike some of the industry’s more established software providers, Nektan’s relative short time of operation and mobile-focused stance means all of their games look fresh and new and there are no eyesores hiding in the back catalogue.
Furthermore, the functionality of their games is second to none, with modern touch screen compatibility coming as standard with all of their products and bonus features being highly intuitive and user-friendly. In short, Nektan is a company that prides itself on delivering premium products for the mobile gaming market, and as out-and-out specialists in that field, they simply don’t disappoint.
Big Hitters On The Small Screen
With Nektan and their software partners, NetEnt, developing upwards of 100 games including slots, scratch cards and casino table games, there are a few familiar faces dotted throughout their array of mobile casinos. With everything from the iconic Best of British Nektan-original slot to NetEnt slots like South Park, the movie themed slot, Aliens and rock themed Guns and Roses, there’s something for everyone at a Nektan-powered casino – and all games look crisp and sharp in their high definition format.
The aforementioned Best of British slot machine has proved to be one of Nektan’s most popular slots since its launch in 2014, with its over-the-top selection of English iconography proving a big hit with American players. Set against a Union Jack backdrop, this slot with 15 paylines really does go all out to display any British stereotype you can imagine, with everything from red buses, teapots and fish and chips appearing on its five reels and the unmistakable British bulldog acting as the game’s wild symbol.
Another favourite for players at Nektan casinos is the Carnival Cup slot, which tapped into the hysteria of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil when it first launched and still remains just as popular today. Serving up a mix of soccer and samba culture, the game was a vibrant addition to Nektan’s portfolio of free slots and even went as far as to place the classic A, K, Q, J, 10 slot symbols inside football shirts to add to the theme, with carnival costumes accounting for the reels’ other icons. Unsurprisingly, Carniaval Cup is a huge hit in the Brazilian online casinos market.
Although both slots were relatively straightforward and didn’t go out of their way to provide innovative bonus games, this can be excused by the fact that the games were designed with a mobile audience in mind. As such, simple yet bold graphics and bright colours were prioritised to enhance the two slots’ functionality on smartphones and tablets, and both games work like a dream.
Cooking Up A Storm
As mentioned above, Nektan also provide a range of scratch cards and table games from their mobile gaming platforms, with very functional versions of roulette and blackjack available at most of their online casinos. However, perhaps more exciting to the more casual gamer is the fact that the company has struck up a deal with UK commercial broadcaster Channel 4 to develop a new Freemium bingo game based on the popular TV show, Come Dine With Me. It will join other games themed around popular TV quiz shows, like the IGT slots game, Jeopardy, and Super Star Turns, which is part of the Barcrest slots range.
Though currently still in the pipeline, the deal highlights just how well-equipped Nektan are to cater for casual players and provide games that appeal to new audiences who are not necessarily interested in playing online slots for real money. With Nektan also already powering the Sun newspapers’ free-to-play gaming product, it’s obvious the company has a clear vision of where the future of mobile gaming lies and they look set to go from strength to strength in the coming months.
Ones To Watch
All in all, Nektan have come a very long way in a relatively short space of time. A clear business plan to provide mobile-focused products has quickly established the company as true innovators in their field and their simple yet functional approach to game design is perfectly tailored for their target audience. Nektan’s ability to identify topical themes that resonate with the more casual player should see them make great strides in the Freemium gaming space, and if they keep up development at their current rate, they could soon become leaders in the mobile gaming market.
