Shalva Bukia, CPO at SPRIBE, on why the studio always develops for mobile first and how this approach has launched its Aviator crash game to unprecedented heights
Mobile is the dominant channel of play, with more than 80% of players using their smartphones to access online casinos and sportsbooks. This is nothing new; the shift from desktop to mobile has been happening for several years, but I’d argue we are now at a point where mobile is the priority.
Where once user journeys, functionality, features and games were being retrofitted for mobile, they are now built for mobile from the outset. That was the case for SPRIBE when developing Aviator, the world’s number one crash game with 60 million monthly players placing 400,000 bets per minute.
It’s because of our focus on creating an immersive yet seamless mobile experience that the game has enjoyed the success it has, effectively creating the crash format as we know it today. But with around 20% of players still accessing online casinos and sportsbooks from their desktops, we needed to ensure the game also played well on PC and laptop devices. 
This begs the question: how do studios develop games that deliver a compelling mobile experience while ensuring those playing from desktop get the same white-knuckle ride? This is how we did it with Aviator…
Develop for mobile first
It’s much easier to develop a game with a mobile-first approach and then re-work it for desktop than it is the other way around. This is because the screen real estate for a smartphone is much smaller than on desktop, so it’s more challenging and limiting to build for.
You must ensure that all game controls can be easily accessed with just the player’s thumb, as they are using their other digits to hold the smartphone tightly in their hand. They also need to be able to navigate through additional features, such as accessing the chat, claiming bonuses and browsing leaderboards, with ease.
Despite the smaller screen, the core gameplay, and the other features mentioned above, must be easy to find, explore and control – again, this all needs to be done via the player’s thumb.
Of course, once you have the mobile UX locked in, you can rework it for desktop, where there are few restrictions to work around – for example, you can have more of the core features available on the screen instead of hiding them away behind taps and swipes.
Dial up the gameplay
Regardless of whether the game is being played on mobile or desktop, players want to be put on the edge of their seats round after round, and this means studios must consider new and exciting gameplay formats.
SPRIBE was the first studio to bring the crash format out of the crypto gaming space and into the online casino and sports betting market, and with Aviator, we opted for the increasing curve format.
This works incredibly well on both desktop and mobile because of the high level of anticipation it builds with each game round, and the high-risk, high-reward nature of the format.
Players watch as the plane takes off and flies higher into the sky alongside a win multiplier that increases with it. They must then decide when to cash out – go too soon and the win is small, wait too long and the plane flies away, taking their bet and accrued winnings with it.
The simplicity of the format is perfect for mobile, but it still gets the adrenaline pumping for players on desktop.
This isn’t always the case with some game formats – especially complex slots that have initially been designed for desktop and then reworked for mobile. In this scenario, studios often struggle to make the complexity work on mobile with its reduced screen size and single-digit control.
More than just a game
Players now expect more than just a fun and thrilling game – they want social interaction, multiplayer features, plus added action through things like tasks, missions, challenges and tournaments. And they want this on both mobile and desktop.
That’s why Aviator was designed to be multiplayer from the off, and why there’s a chat feature where players can interact throughout their session. Not only that, but they can also claim and share free bets in the chat and even dish out their winnings among their friends.
This is what makes for a deeply engaging experience across all channels, connecting players regardless of whether they are on mobile or desktop.
Lean on advanced technologies
Finally, it’s important to develop games using the latest technologies, and this is certainly the case when launching content into emerging markets where the infrastructure is not quite so advanced as in established markets.
Aviator is a data-lite game that can be played on feature phones as well as smartphones, laptops and desktop PCs.
This means it can be offered in fast-growing markets like Africa, where many consumers are using feature phones and the cost of mobile data is high, but also in markets where there remains a strong preference for desktop play.
In short, SPRIBE focuses on mobile-first game development and by doing so, we can offer a thrilling player experience across smartphones, tablets, PCs and laptops, and regardless of the market the player is in when strapping in and taking flight with Aviator.
