Q&A with Pearfiction Studios: an exciting and fun journey into the world of slot games

Today we have the opportunity to speak with Thierry Semof, founder and CEO of PearFiction Studios. This programming studio started by developing games for smartphones and then focused on slot machines. PearFiction games mix fun mechanics with thrilling storylines. Today Thierry will tell us a little more about their story and what we can expect in the coming months.

Hi Thierry, thank you for your time. What exactly do you do in PearFiction Studios?

Hi! I’m Thierry Semoff, founder and CEO of PearFiction Studios. I’ve been in the iGaming industry for just over five years, having started in 2016, when we made the  switch from making mobile games to online casino games. Although I wear many  hats as CEO, my primary responsibilities are to lead the studio’s game design,  pipeline, and direction. 

What do you think is your added value that can differentiate you from other competitors?

At PearFiction we try to give each game a personality, a story that it can tell, a mark that bears the PearFiction seal. We are always looking at ways to mix the game mechanics and features with the story of our games. Can we tweak the story to match the game mechanics? Can we tweak the mechanics to fit the story? Those are the types of questions that guides us during our game development process. 

Our goal is to create unique gameplay experiences for players by combining stories, humour, a high-level of survivability and depth of features with amazing characters and artwork.

On your website you describe your games as “engaging and innovative”, what are the main factors that reflect these characteristics?

We often talk about the players and the road leading to the bonus game. Our goal is to make that journey as varied and thrilling as possible. The bonus is just one part of the game; players should be entertained and engaged the whole time while spinning and waiting for that big potential bonus to hit.

With so many games coming out each month it’s important to develop unique games that have high retention, high entertainment, and high production value. Both the market and operators are demanding this and we’re delivering on that demand.

The launch of PowerUp Slots in 2015 was a success. What prompted you to enter the world of social slot machines?

Early in 2015 we purchased a portfolio of about 20 mobile games. Some of those games were mobile casino games. Even if they were not great those games were more popular than other types of mobile game.

With that popularity in mind, we started to develop our own mobile slot games. We did a few dozen slots before starting the development of PowerUp Slots. We learned so much during that period. We had no idea that it was extremely complex to develop great slot games. PowerUp Slots was a great experience, and the game was popular for some time, but the game did not have a lobby to push new slot games to our newly acquired players and keep their interest alive. We set our sails to real-money casino games not too long after that game launch when attending G2E in Vegas in the fall of 2016.

According to your experience, what does the user seek in an online slot game?

Players want to play games that are fresh, that offer something new, something that will draw their attention and keep them entertained. That’s exactly what we focus on delivering.

 What strategies do you use to always keep up with the latest trends in the iGaming industry?

We play all the time! We play online games, mobile games, land-based games, as well as console games. We are constantly playing, observing trends, discovering new games, and exploring the potential of new mechanics. So much to love and experiment with! It’s our passion; this is what makes us tick and one of the reasons why our industry is so amazing.

In a few years of activities, you have already demonstrated you can provide high-quality slot games. Have you ever thought about expanding your offering and starting to develop other casino games like roulette or bingo?

At the moment that answer would be “no”. That said, we don’t know what the future holds. There is so much to be done to improve our games; we need to sharpen our skills and improve the studio productivity and game quality. That said, if bandwidth allows, it would be great to develop other types of casino games.

 What are you plans for 2022?

2021 was a very exciting year for us and we have an amazing roadmap ahead. Our main objective is to release about eight titles between now and the end of 2022. It might be less, but in the end, it’s quality that matters more to us. 

In the short term you’ll see PearFiction pushing the edge of instant jackpots and prizes, and our SwiftHits™ mechanics, with 15 Tridents™ coming out in March of this year. We will also dive deeper and enhance our LockNWin™ mechanics by the end of Q2.

Watch out for PearFiction! We have a lot of exciting games coming out in the coming months. We are truly looking forward to seeing players enjoying our games throughout 2022 and beyond! Follow our journey at pearfiction.com.