Lite client primes PKR for new partnerships
New low-memory, quick-download client makes PKR more attractive to potential partners in US and Europe, says COO.
The impending launch of a ‘lite’ poker client sets PKR up for an eventual move into the US market, the company’s chief operating officer has told eGaming Review.
PKR Lite is set for a soft-launch tomorrow with COO Leon Walters keen to stress the new product is more than just a 2D client. “It’s more of a strategic project than it is a commercial one at this stage, although we do expect the number of users cancelling to drop off by 10-15% and we expect a good number of reactivations to come out of it,” explained Walters.
“If we want to do a partnership with somebody “ be it in America or even another European operator “ from a B2B perspective then [this is] something we realise we really require…they’re not even going to look at us if we don’t have a 2D client.”
Essentially, any offering which improves the conversion of registrations to active players makes the company more attractive to potential partners, and elements such as improved download speed and smaller memory usage are expected to help to this end.
However, rather than creating a 2D version which is completely independent of the company’s flagship 3D platform, PKR Lite downloads at the same time as the original client and uses a shared player-base.
Players have the opportunity to stop the 3D download once the Lite client is downloaded, or leave it running in the background while they begin using the Lite alternative.
“It actually puts both the 3D and Lite shortcuts on your desktop so if for example you have a laptop that’s a bit underpowered you can just go straight into the Lite client and play from there,” added Walters, who hopes the launch will see some of PKR’s inactive customers return.
The user interface is similar to the 3D client, with the only major differences being the lack of animated avatars and the fact that only a top-down perspective is allowed.
Furthermore, players using the Lite client will be able to play on the same tables as those playing in 3D, thus adding the appeal of potentially improved liquidity in an effort to bring in new (or old but previously inactive) players.
“I guess top of the list is to hoover up the people who have cancelled downloads or who download [the 3D client] then never play, so it’s making that journey into playing a little less painful for them.
“We were seeing a drop-off after 10 minutes of download time because either people’s computers weren’t good enough or their broadband connection wasn’t good enough, or they were worried about data limits and that kind of stuff – it’s really aimed at those kind of people to get them over that initial hump, and get them in quick.”
PKR has recently ramped up its presence in the US, becoming a founder member of the US Online Gaming Association (USOGA) when it was set up in January.However, while PKR Lite has been deemed a necessity in terms of further partnerships stateside, the current aim is the expansion of the company’s existing player base to incorporate more multi-tablers and players who use laptops rather than high-powered desktop computers.
A review of PKR Lite appears in the forthcoming issue of eGaming Review. For a free trial subscription of eGaming Review, click here