PokerStars starts alpha testing eSports-inspired poker format
New product is part of operator’s ongoing efforts to attract new players to the vertical
PokerStars has started alpha testing for a new eSports-inspired version of poker that gives players greater ability to influence the game.
PokerStars Power Up, which has been developed from scratch by the operator, offers powers like Reload – where players can redraw selected hole cards – or Engineer – where a player can choose the deck’s next card from three options.
The format has been tested for the last six months by a group of experienced poker players and gamers in an effort to “break the game in every possible way”.
“It’s taken a lot of time and effort to get to this stage in the game’s life,” PokerStars’ director of poker innovation and operations, Severin Rasset, said.
“We integrated a new engine within our software, created animations and powers, and put a lot of time and thought into how poker players will have fun with the game.”
Rasset added: “Fun is one of the hardest things to measure and you can never be sure if the game will hit the right spot for players.
“However, having seen poker pros and focus group members asking to play again, and smiling and laughing as they’re playing, I feel confident that we really have something that our players will enjoy as much as we do.”
Power Up is now in a closed alpha testing phase, meaning it is available to a limited number of people, but Rasset said the pool would be periodically expanded as the game was improved.
He added: “More projects are in development with one common objective – to bring sustainable growth to PokerStars through exciting new products that people will discover and re-engage with. And this will mean that more people will continue to enjoy the great game of poker.”
Rasset said the innovation push was part of the ongoing adjustments to the poker ecosystem that are expected to help generate record 2016 revenues.