Phantom EFX talks about the potential for iPhone casino games
What's the plan behind the Reel Deal games?
The interesting thing about iPhone and its App Store is the involvement of developers and publishers who haven't made traditional mobile games.
One such company is Phantom EFX, which is best known for its Reel Deal range of PC casino games.
In partnership with War Drum Studios and Publisher X, Phantom EFX has so far released four iPhone games: Reel Deal Blackjack (pictured), Reel Deal Slots, Reel Deal Texas Hold'Em and Reel Deal Video Poker.
However, the company has a whopping 40 (yes, forty) iPhone games on the way. We couldn't help but find out more from the company's president, Jim Thompson.
Pocket Gamer: What's appealing about the iPhone as a platform for these types of games?Jim Thompson: The technology! The iPhone and iPod touch offers a lot of unique gameplay features for our casino games. The Reel Deal brand has always been about quality and realism and this platform allows us to bring those features to life.
The ultra realistic Reel Deal brand of card and casino games are truly appealing and we're happy to bring these games to the millions of technology savvy iPhone and iPod touch consumers.
You have plans for 40 games – can you give any more details?With three Reel Deal game lines (Cards, Casino and Slots) and multiple versions of each, we have hundreds of very popular and already tested games for the platform.
We can't go into too much detail on the titles we'll be releasing next, but keep an eye on Phantom EFX, we have some really exciting announcements coming in the future.
There's a lot of clutter on the App Store, including casino games. How do you plan to stand out?Phantom EFX is well known for delivering some of the most realistic casino gaming experiences to date with its Reel Deal series of slot machine, table and card games for Windows PCs, and as we've grown, we were fortunate enough to extend our brand to the iPhone and iPod touch.
With that said, it's all about consistency in the brand – we've launched quality games on the PC and we plan to do the same on the iPhone and iPod touch.
We're also aligning the sales materials (home page, icons) to have the same look and feel so consumers know they are getting quality rather than just another casino game.
What improvements / additions would you like to see on the iPhone or App Store to make it even better from your point of view?I would like to see upgraded 'sort' features and possibly a publisher/developer brand search function that would allow gamers to find titles easier. The biggest fear is knowing we have a great title but consumers can't seem to find it.
Our thanks to Jim for his time. We'll be keeping an eye on the Reel Deal range on the App Store and will bring you more as Phantom EFX continues its iPhone invasion.
