Fishing-Shooting Games or Slots?– The Key Differences

Fishing-shooting games: everyone is talking about them but are they like slots or completely different? Are they competition to slots? Are players abandoning slots and racing to start shooting fish or is there room in the market for both?

Overall, slots are the main driver of the iGaming industry’s success. However, from complete domination originally, slots have seen their position diluted by new concepts such as crash games and now fishing-shooting to around 70/75% of the industry’s revenue generators.

The reasons behind the surge in interest in games like fishing-shooting are multiple: from new demographics by age, sex and location accessing the global iGaming market to a demand for more skill-influenced gameplay, smart providers and operators are listening to their customers and adding variety to their offering. 

Diversification is important for driving new customer growth but the key is to attract a new audience whilst keeping your existing one satisfied. As recognisable RNG casino products, fishing-shooting games appeal to seasoned players looking for challenges and to new players who want an enhanced video gaming style experience. 

TaDa Gaming is the No. 1 provider for fishing-shooting games but also delivers a significant and diverse slots portfolio for which it has already secured industry awards: so who better to give facts and insights on slots vs fishing-shooting games, the key differences between fishing-shooting games and slots and what this means for players and operators?

• Design

Although both are RNG products, fishing-shooting games have no reels or paylines. The whole screen is the game - much like video gaming - with 2D and 3D cinematic animations. With slots, players spin the reels on a grid with great graphics and potentially some animations.

• Gameplay

With slots, although some mechanics require strategic choices, players usually spin the reels and chance/RNG dictates how the symbols land which affects the win value. In fishing-shooting games, wins comes from successfully hitting moving targets giving immersive and dynamic gameplay. RNG dictates the timing/appearance of the fish. The value of the win is based on the prize or multiplier value of the target. Successful hits are a mixture of strategic shooting, understanding weapon choices, decision making and skill-influenced gaming.

• Strategic Decisions

Fishing-shooting games offer choices and decisions. From the initial room or hall choice which will set the game volatility and consequently RTP, to risk management, target choice, ammunition and weapons, players are in control of the game direction. With slots, chance plays a higher role and the RTP is set.

• Interactivity

Fishing-shooting games are highly interactive. From the shooting mechanics, the decision on solo or multiplayer activity to Power Up features which can include explosions and whirlpools, the games are non-stop action. Slots offer immersive play but in a contained environment until you trigger a bonus feature.

• Win Potential

Depending on the max payout, both slots and fishing-games can offer significant win potential. 

Players earn rewards based on successful hits in fishing-shooting games. Each fish has a unique bonus value/multiplier and RNG is used to ensure the random distribution of fish by value. Shooting does not affect the RNG. The choice of weapon & ammo and wager size will also affect win value. 

With slots, RNG is used to ensure random appearance of all symbols and these must land on specific positions in a set order to trigger a win.

• Solo or Multi Play

Fishing-shooting games usually enable up to 4 players to be in a game simultaneously or to choose solo play choice. With slots, these are individual player games. Competitions and leaderboards in tournaments are the main way to compete or enjoy social gaming.

• Betting System 

With slots, players set a wager level. Each spin places a bet and payouts are based on winning combinations and the number of paylines.

Similarly with fishing-shooting, players set a wager level. Each shot fired places a bet and payouts are based on successfully hitting targets for their multiplier values.

For TaDa, its fishing-shooting games are played as well as and not instead of its slots. Giving players a choice means that they will stay longer on a casino site while enjoying different experiences. TaDa’s research shows that operators who integrate its games instantly see increased screen time from existing customers and increased new player sign up with a minimum 10% uplift in both engagement and DAUs (Daily Active Users).

In summary, there are multiple differences between slots and fishing-shooting games as they offer very different gameplay experiences. Many second/third gen digital natives are drawn to fishing-shooting as a new variation on video gaming, so delivering cross sell opportunities for operators. 

Slot players looking for challenge influenced gaming have also responded positively to the new vertical, incorporating fishing-shooting games into their visits and extending their stay on the sites that offer these games.

Despite significant differences in gameplay for different experiences, those operators hosting both slots and fishing-shooting games clearly show that true entertainment will always drive customer engagement and retention. And with TaDa’s portfolio on your site, it’s definitely both verticals that will drive business success.