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A word with… Heather Baker
UK spokesperson: Viaden Gaming
Casino International Online (CIO): Who is the target audience for this product?
Heather Baker (HB): 70% of our audience are 20-35 year-old Europeans and Americans. There are also a lot of players from Russia and Asia (China - particularly Hong Kong - as well as Japan and Taiwan). When creating the app, we thought about young technology-savvy poker fans that are eager to communicate via social networks.
CIO: What feature is your favourite?
HB: I really like our messaging system. This allows me to communicate with my in-game friends in a variety of ways. I can invite a friend to my table and send them a message. When they join me I can talk to them openly or in private.
CIO: What features will you be introducing later?
HB: We have huge plans for the app. Firstly we’re going to launch Zeda.com, an online poker room. All our players will be able to play in their browsers or download a desktop client. Zeda.com and the Texas Hold’em Poker app for iPhone/iPad/iPod will use the same database and server, so that every player can choose the most convenient way to play. All their friends, achievements etc. will be available on both platforms. After that we are going to launch the Android and Facebook versions of our game, due early autumn.
We also plan to add new games to our application soon; Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi/Lo are first on the list. We plan to add an exciting range of features such as VIP tables, private tables and tournaments, additional profile customisation, 3D-avatars, new gifts, achievements and much more.
CIO: Tell us about normal chips and gold chips.
HB: A player can easily increase their chip stack; they can win chips in the daily lottery, or get them as a level-up or achievement bonus. However their gold equivalents are VIP chips. Gold chips aren’t awarded as bonuses, but can be bought for real money or won at the special gold tables. The main purpose of gold chips is the separation of VIPs from guests or occasional players.
CIO: How do Achievement Points work?
HB: We have 16 categories of achievements in our app, for example ‘Best hand’ or ‘Non-stop game’. There are nine achievements in each category: Ribbons, Medals and Cups, each of them coming in three levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold. Players have to fulfil certain conditions to get an achievement. For example, you must have 500 friends to get a Golden cup in the ‘Number of friends’ category.
CIO: What do the experience levels unlock?
HB: We are going to add special achievements and new gifts that are only available for top players. New items will unlock as soon as players achieve a certain level. There will also be discounts on chips, gifts and other items; the higher the level, the bigger the discount rate.
CIO: How you are monetising the app?
HB: There are a number of in-app purchases ranging from $0.99 to $99.99, both for normal and gold chips. The main principle is the discount, i.e. buying the cheapest package will only get you 2,000 chips or 5 gold chips for each $1 spent. However, the most expensive package will get you 100,000 normal and 200 gold chips for each $1 spent.
CIO: When I played there were no players on Gold Chips tables yet. Why do you think this is?
HB: Players used the regular tables first to try the app out. Those that liked it and wanted to move to VIP status bought gold chips and are playing at gold tables - they’re there now! We expect that only 3-5% of all users will play at gold tables.
CIO: Do you think incorporate social elements and links will become standard for all games going forward?
HB: We believe so. There are a huge number of basic poker apps available on the internet, App Store or Android Market. To distinguish yourself from the rest of the field, you need to appreciate the popularity and future roll of social media. The monumental success of Facebook, Twitter and other services means every developer will ultimately have to integrate some sort of Facebook or Twitter functionality in order to succeed.
CIO: Are you concerned about people’s attitude towards poker in light of the recent events in the USA?
HB: No. On the contrary, we expect new users after Black Friday. People like playing poker and this is not a crime. They will continue playing their favourite game, with friends, on a multitude of platforms.
