Can Celebrity IP Games Give Studios a Real Advantage?

During AffPapa Conference Madrid, our host Surya Palli spoke with Simone Bacchin, Head of Sales at Kerma Games, for Episode 75 of iGaming Real Talk.

The conversation looked at why Kerma Games is choosing quality over volume, how celebrity IP can become part of the actual game experience, and why an existing celebrity community could give operators something a normal game cannot.

Snoop Dogg dealing blackjack cards was probably the easiest way to explain it.

Here’s what stood out.

More games do not always mean a better game studio

Kerma Games works across slots, instant win, crash games and live casino. But Simone was clear that the company does not want to compete by releasing as many titles as possible.

The focus is more on the experience around each game.

“We are not like a quantity studio. We just don't ship out 50 new titles per quarter.”

For Simone, game studios are becoming closer to entertainment studios. Players have more choice now, so simply getting another title into a casino lobby does not guarantee that anyone will remember it.

The game still needs to give them a reason to care.

A celebrity IP game needs more than a famous face

This was where the conversation became especially interesting.

When Surya first asked about celebrity IP games, the obvious thought was putting a celebrity's image and name into an existing game.

Kerma Games is trying to take a different approach.

“We just don't slap a face on the game.”

Simone believes the public figure needs to feel like part of the whole experience. That means thinking about their personality, music, behaviour and the things their audience already connects with them.

Otherwise, the celebrity becomes little more than artwork.

Snoop Dogg has to feel like Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg was the clearest example.

In Kerma Games' Snoop Dogg Blackjack, he is not simply shown somewhere on the screen. He deals the cards, has his own behaviour and brings the personality people already know into the game.

Simone explained that the team thinks about specific songs, movements and the general mood around the celebrity.

The aim is for a Snoop Dogg fan to enter the game and immediately recognise that world.

That can create something a normal casino character may struggle to offer: an emotional connection that already existed before the player opened the game.

The celebrity also brings a community with them

This is where celebrity IP becomes interesting from a business perspective.

Operators and studios normally have to build awareness and trust around a new game from zero.

A celebrity already has an audience.

Fans know their personality. They follow their work. In many cases, there is already a strong connection between the person and their community.

As Surya pointed out during the conversation, Kerma Games is also banking on that existing audience.

For Simone, this can give operators a head start. The player is not entering a completely unknown world because they already know part of the story.

Kerma Games is taking the idea beyond one celebrity

Snoop Dogg is not the only example.

At the time of the conversation, Kerma Games had also launched a game with American rapper Lil Baby, including a dice title called Strict Dice.

Simone also spoke about more celebrity partnerships already being developed for different regions, including Latin America and Europe.

That matters because celebrity appeal can also be very local.

A personality who has a huge audience in the US may not have the same recognition in Europe. The same applies when moving into Latin America or other regions.

Choosing the right person for the right audience could become just as important as choosing the game itself.

Celebrity IP only works if the partnership feels real

A famous name can get attention.

But attention alone does not make a good product.

What came through in the conversation was that the game still needs to match what the celebrity represents. If the partnership feels forced or low effort, players may notice very quickly.

This becomes even more important as younger generations become a bigger part of the player base.

They already spend their time across gaming, streaming, music, creators and online communities. Their idea of entertainment is much wider than a traditional casino lobby.

Game studios are now competing with all of that for attention.

The next generation may change what a casino game looks like

Simone believes the industry is already going through a generational change.

New players have grown up with very different forms of entertainment. Their expectations around graphics, personalities, communities and interaction are also changing.

That means the studios that understand what is coming next may have an advantage.

As Simone put it:

“Nowadays having a competitive advantage and differentiation is the key in our industry.”

Celebrity IP is one way of creating that difference.

It may not be right for every game or every audience, but it shows how studios are starting to think beyond traditional casino themes.

What stood out to us

1. Releasing more games does not automatically create a stronger studio.
2. Celebrity IP needs to become part of the game experience, not simply appear on the artwork.
3. Snoop Dogg Blackjack shows how personality and behaviour can be built into a casino game.
4. Celebrities bring existing communities and familiarity with them.
5. The right celebrity can give an operator an audience that already has some emotional connection to the product.
6. Celebrity selection needs to make sense for the market and the players.
7. Younger generations may expect casino games to feel closer to wider entertainment.
8. Differentiation is becoming increasingly important as game libraries continue to grow.

What stayed with us after the conversation was that celebrity IP is not really about putting a bigger name on a game.

The more interesting idea is whether studios can take a community, personality and culture that already exists and turn it into an experience players actually want to spend time with.

If they can, celebrity partnerships may become much more than a marketing campaign.

Do you think celebrity IP can genuinely change the player experience, or does the game itself still matter far more than the name attached to it?

As part of the 4th edition of The Real Roadshow 2026, Episode 75 was recorded at AffPapa Conference Madrid and is brought to you by Evoverse, providing custom crypto casino source code solutions, and Wicked Games, creating slot games that slap.