White label in gaming industry

White label solutions allow companies to use their own brand identity to offer a desirable gaming platform to the online gaming community, while avoiding significant development costs. This focus on branding and marketing instead of development increases the chances that the game will be highly popular and widely played.

What is White Labeling?

White labeling refers to the practice of a company producing goods or services, then selling them to another company who rebrands and markets them under their own name, hiding the original manufacturer or developer. This is commonly seen in the retail sector, where “store brand” goods are produced by corporations and sold to grocery stores, each of which labels and markets them as their own.

Benefits of White Labeling:

1. Cost-effective: White labeling eliminates the costs associated with creating, producing, and marketing a product, making it a cost-effective option for businesses, especially small firms.
2. Faster to market: White labeling allows for a faster launch as the product is already developed and can be quickly rebranded and marketed.
3. Lower risk: By reducing the costs associated with product development, white labeling reduces the risk of starting a business.
4. Greater adaptability: White labeling offers greater flexibility, allowing companies to modify the packaging, branding, and marketing of the product to better suit their target market.
5. Better quality control: White labeling ensures better quality control as the white label manufacturer is likely to have a higher quality control process and a staff of quality control specialists.

Drawbacks:

1. Limited customization: White labeling may limit the ability to fully customize the product as per the limitations imposed by the white label supplier.
2. Pricing competition: There may be a pricing war with other producers who market the same item under a different name.
3. Dependent on supplier: Order fulfillment is dependent on the supplier and may be affected if something goes wrong at their factory or if shipping takes too long.

Games developed by white label companies

White label options provide a solution for customers who want to concentrate on marketing and branding while letting developers handle technical aspects. In the gaming industry, white label products are gaining popularity as businesses recognize the potential for mobile/online games to serve as a form of advertising. They purchase ready-to-use game solutions with their own brand name and image, resulting in the creation of advergames.

Advergames, also known as branded games, offer an effective way for businesses to reach new clients and increase engagement. Thanks to growing popularity of gaming and advancements in technology, creating these games is now more affordable and accessible. White-label platforms make it easy and cost-effective for brands or loyalty program operators to take advantage of the benefits of advergames. These games provide a reward and experience that appeals to both emotions and practicality. They are enjoyable, fulfilling, and create a lasting impact. However, some white-label game platforms may lack variety or have average quality games, despite offering a large selection.

Key Features of Advergames:

1. Free to Play and Mobile-Oriented: Most advergames are free to play and designed for mobile devices to reach a wider audience.
2. Microsites or Landing Pages: Advergames are often hosted on microsites or landing pages that are easily shared through various channels such as social media, websites, and newsletters.
3. Casual or Hyper-Casual Games: Due to their mobile focus, advergames tend to fall under the casual or hyper-casual category, with simple gameplay and a low learning curve.
4. High Attention and Engagement: Advergames generate higher attention, engagement, and positive connection as audiences actively choose to play them.
5. Customizable: Advergame publishers offer customization options, allowing advertisers to incorporate their brand style into the game’s design and mechanics, either through building from scratch or using templates.

Recently, the use of white label development has gained popularity in the gaming industry, particularly in the mobile gaming sector. With the rise of mobile gaming, many companies seek to enter the market and provide their own branded games. White label development offers an appealing option for these companies as it allows them to offer their own branded games without the need for technical expertise in game development.

White label development offers numerous benefits for both the development firm and the client company. For the development firm, it generates a steady income and enables them to establish strong client relationships in the gaming industry. Meanwhile, for the client, it offers an affordable solution for entering the gaming market and presenting their own branded games, without the need for investing in technical game development knowledge.

However, there are also some challenges to white label development in gaming. One of the key challenges is ensuring that the game aligns with the client’s vision and specifications. This requires close collaboration between the development firm and the client to understand their objectives and design a game that reflects their brand and appeals to their target audience. Another challenge is the matter of monetization and revenue sharing, which requires both parties to agree on how to generate revenue from the game and distribute the profits.

Successful white label development in gaming industry can be seen with companies like Skillz, KamaGames, Unity Technologies, Play’n GO, and MGA Games. These providers offer platforms for game development and distribution, customized with the branding and design of the client. Skillz specializes in mobile games, while KamaGames and Play’n GO focus on casino games. Unity Technologies provides solutions for virtual reality games, and MGA Games offers a variety of online and mobile games. These companies have been successful in helping their clients enter the gaming market quickly and cost-effectively, without the need for in-house game development expertise.

In the gaming industry, white label development can encompass a broad range of game genres, including action, adventure, strategy, puzzle, and simulation. Nevertheless, some genres have proven more successful in white label development:

• Casual Games: Simple and easy-to-play games that are designed to be accessible to a broad audience. They usually have a low learning curve, making them ideal for white label development as they can be easily customized for different clients and target audiences
• Puzzle Games: Games that challenge players to solve puzzles and complete levels. Puzzle games are popular in white label development because they offer high replayability and can be easily customized to different themes and styles.
• Strategy Games: Games that require players to make strategic decisions and plan ahead to succeed. White label development companies often create strategy games because they offer a high level of depth and can be tailored to different target audiences, including casual or hardcore gamers.
• Simulation Games: Games that simulate real-world scenarios and environments. Simulation games are popular in white label development due to their high level of customization and adaptability to different themes and settings, such as city-building, farming, or aviation.

It’s worth noting that these genres may still have a niche audience, and a well-made text-based, turn-based, point-and-click, or virtual pet game can still be successful in the white label development market. However, these genres may not have the same level of widespread appeal as the more popular genres of casual, puzzle, strategy, and simulation games. Ultimately, the success of a game in the white label development market will depend on factors such as quality, target audience, marketing, and overall design, rather than just the genre.

The growth of white label development in the gaming industry has been propelled by the rise of mobile gaming. A study by App Annie revealed that mobile gaming generated $86 billion in 2020 and is forecasted to surpass $100 billion by 2023. Additionally, the rise in white label development can be attributed to the growing demand for gaming apps among consumers. Newzoo’s survey indicates that the number of mobile gamers is estimated to reach 2.7 billion in 2021, and mobile gaming contributes to 45% of all gaming revenue.

Despite the growth in the white label development of games, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. One major challenge is to maintain the quality and attain success for the game being developed. According to a study by Adjust, the typical lifespan of a mobile game is merely 30 days and the majority of these games generate less than $5,000 in terms of revenue. To tackle these challenges, white label game developers must concentrate on developing games that are of high quality and appealing to their target audience. They must also make sure that the game has proper monetization and marketing strategies in place to enhance its chances of success.

Examples

KFC shrimp attack

Gamify was approached by KFC Japan to develop a smartphone game to generate excitement for their new shrimp menu item. The game, named “Shrimp Attack,” tasked players with defending the KFC offices by swatting away attackers with shrimp strips. KFC promoted the game through social media and it became a huge hit, attracting over 800,000 players and 600 hours of gameplay. The success of the game was evident when 22% of players redeemed their reward coupon at a KFC location. However, the promotion had to be cut short due to the high demand for the shrimp menu item causing product shortage.

Wendy’s Smoky Shroom Sprint

Wendy’s wanted to bring attention to their new mushroom burger and “Catch the Human” television ad campaign. They aimed to make a game that would be played and shared as frequently as possible on social media. In an endless running game created by Wendy’s, you took on the role of “Wendy” and had to race through the woods, jump over logs, duck under trees, avoid netted traps, and of course, gather hamburgers. The game was playable on a computer, tablet, and mobile device from any location in the world. In comparison to their past marketing initiatives, this game garnered over 4 times as many social shares from Wendy’s. 

Sage Intacct’s Snowball Game

Sage aimed to create a holiday game that would not only entertain their audience but also encourage them to vote for their preferred charity. The solution was a snowball game with multiple levels. Players had to complete the game and submit their email address in order to cast their vote for the charity of their choice. At the end of the campaign, Sage would donate a grant to the charity that received the most votes. The game was a huge success, raising tens of thousands of dollars and attracting thousands of players.

So, is it worth to try?

White label game development offers businesses a cost-effective way to bring their own branded games to their customers. With the rapid growth of mobile gaming, white label development is poised to remain a popular trend in the industry. However, it is crucial for both the development company and the client to be mindful of the potential benefits and obstacles and to collaborate closely to guarantee the game’s success.