Play’n GO Q&A: ‘Experience and creativity to build great games’

From tech start-up to one of online casino’s most beloved suppliers, Play’n GO is now embarking on a new chapter as it expands into the US for the first time. We spoke with Play’n GO’s Games Ambassador George Olekszy to find out what makes the team behind Book of Dead tick.

You started as a small group of tech enthusiasts and have evolved into Play’n GO, one of the most prestigious software houses in the iGaming world. How did you get so far?

We were always passionate about building great games, and that hasn’t changed from when Play’n GO was a small founding team to today when we are nearly 700 strong. The entertainment aspect has always been part of our origin story. It sounds simple, but more than anything we want our slot machines to be fun to play, and in a competitive industry where success is too often measured by growth and player values, that fundamental part can sometimes get lost.

Aside from the games themselves, we’ve also never been afraid to forge our own path. We were building mobile-first before the iPhone had launched, and we prioritised regulated markets when they accounted for just a fraction of the total sector. We always wanted to build something sustainable and for the long-term, and we’re now being rewarded for our long-term vision.

You have introduced a number of innovative features and unique patterns into your games, such as Reverse Clusters and Special Powers. What is the innovation you are most proud of and in which games can we find it?

For us, innovative features are at the heart of everything we do. We build games to be genuinely entertaining and that’s what sets us apart from the rest. We aren’t taking shortcuts, like adding bonus buy features to our titles, because we don’t believe that it’s sustainable or fair to our players. We want our games to be thrilling experiences that players can safely enjoy regardless of whether they win or lose during the session. To achieve this, we need to keep pushing the boundaries of what a slot can be.

Perhaps the type of game we’re most proud of is the grid slot, which we pioneered here at Play’n GO. Many of our grid slots, such as Reactoonz, have quickly become fan favourites. These games are tough to build, and we lean on the unmatched experience and creativity of our team to deliver them.

You recently obtained a licence to operate in Michigan, landing in the US market for the first time. What does it mean to have arrived in one of the most promising markets of the moment?

Bringing our content to the US was always going to be a landmark moment for us. When we first started out at Play’n GO, regulated online casino in the US was a very distant prospect. But in many ways we’ve been preparing for this moment all these years, because our focus has always been on building games for these regulated markets. We’re active in more than 25 of them around the world, and it’s given us unique insight into how to create games that can be responsibly enjoyed while still delivering world-class entertainment.

Our impending launch in Michigan is really just the start of our push in the US. Our forward-thinking team and our portfolio of titles (including the world’s most popular online slot, Book of Dead) is going to be a winning combination in the US. Our aim is to ensure our games are every bit as loved in the country as they already are in other markets around the world. We’re already working hard to bring these titles to regulated states across the US. It’s yet another exciting new chapter in the Play’n GO story.

In terms of content, have you adopted a different marketing strategy between the European market and the North American market? For example, in terms of themes or special features?

There’s a balance to be struck here. Regulated markets tend to share certain principles, but similarly we know we can’t just enter the US and expect everything to work exactly as it has in Europe. For us, the most important thing is to build real partnerships with operators in the US, and be open minded about how we may need to adjust things.

We have absolute confidence in our games, but we’re always looking to listen and learn from partners and find new ways to offer players the very best experience possible. We’re sure Book of Dead will be a smash hit as it has been everywhere else, but we also expect to find games deeper in our portfolio which perhaps prove more popular in certain US markets than they have elsewhere. It’s an ongoing process, but we’re always looking to improve.

Play’n GO is known for their branded slot games inspired by very famous bands and artists like Alice Cooper, Kiss, Annihilator and *NSYNC. We are sure that producing this type of slot requires a different approach than other slot machines. How do you rise to this challenge?

Licensed games can be a little more complicated to build simply because more stakeholders are involved in the process. We’re always focused on building the best game possible, but when IP is involved, we must also make sure the IP holder is happy with the product, and that the game does justice to its subject. It’s a really exciting challenge, and one that inspired some of our very best work.

Our recent *NSYNC Pop is a good example. The game needed to capture the essence of one of the most popular groups of all time, recreating that 90s nostalgia feel while also feeling modern and relevant. And of course it had to meet the expectations of one of music’s most passionate fandoms. We were really happy with the result, which was built around an unusual 2,3,4,3,2 grid layout and gave fans the chance to unite the members of the group on the reels. The game is already performing really well, and that’s because it recreates just a little of that magic of an *NSYNC performance.

Let’s talk about your new games. What can we expect from Play’n GO in the coming weeks and months?

The next couple of months are packed with titles that will keep you firmly on the edge of your seat. To give you a little taste of what’s to come, Dio is the latest rock icon to join our huge collection of music titles in Dio Killing the Dragon where we see the creator of the sign of the horns battle fire-breathing dragons on a musical quest. Boat Bonanza is our take on the classic fishing game and has the potential to net a Mega Catch of prizes. King Arthur returns in the fight for his throne in Clash of Camelot, the sequel to our Arthurian Legend title, Diamonds of the Realm. And Count Jokula is not only the latest, but the spookiest joker to join our renowned Joker Series and promises to be a fang-tastic title! And that’s just to name a few.