Exclusive Interview with Relax Gaming
“Expertly put together maths models and well-timed feature rounds remain at the heart of every top-performing video slot”
Relax Gaming is one of iGaming’s most unique game developers.
You may know them by popular video slots like Temple Tumble Megaways, Dragons’ Awakening, Erik the Red, or the most recent one, King of Kings with a jackpot side bet. Perhaps you’ve played Unibet Poker with the cool characters, which they pioneered.
The fact is, Relax Gaming is one of the most ambitious game studios in 2019 with a growing team of the industry’s most sought-after experts. So, what are they going to do with all that brain power? And what makes their games better than the rest? Well… I went to find out!
Here’s an exclusive interview with Relax Gaming CEO Daniel Eskola.
Please enjoy!
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Relax Gaming recently released Temple Tumble Megaways, which promises to be one of your biggest hits while producing up to 46,656 line wins. Do you see high risk and big win potential games or collaborations like that making a bigger or more important part of your portfolio in the future and why?
We’re immensely proud of Temple Tumble. It has had a great reception in the period since it launched, and we are confident that its blend of immersive features and excellent central mechanics will see it secure a significant long-term audience.
Licensing the Megaways mechanic through our Powered By partner Big Time Gaming is a clear string to its bow in ramping up the excitement, but it also features three engaging feature games and clear volatility, enhancing its impact and driving it up to our partners’ landing pages.
Openness and collaboration are central to how we conduct our business and realise our strategic growth ambitions. This is one of the key reasons we launched our Silver Bullet partner program in 2018.
We’re empowering up-and-coming studios with a commercially transparent route to market that picks up the heavy lifting while smoothing operators’ access to new and exciting content. We’re working closely with a number of innovative studios to enhance their distribution through our expanding partner network, and from the positive reaction this approach has generated across the wider industry, it is clear that collaboration will play a key role in the future of the slots market.
You’ve launched several other in-house games within the course of a few months: Erik the Red, Zombie Circus, Epic Joker, and Dragons’ Awakening. How do you go about creating a unique video slot when it seems like everything’s already been done multiple times over?
While it is important not to overly dilute the core gameplay which keeps players coming back, our video slots all contain unique features to set them apart from the competition. Innovation is one of the key drivers of success for any company in a technological industry, and this is especially true in igaming, a sector where staying ahead of the curve is paramount.
Relax Gaming has a real aptitude for developing a unique feature and bonus rounds that tie in thematically with the game world to create a richer overall experience. By way of example, Zombie Circus features a Zombie Waves mode which sets players in a pitched battle against a horde of the living dead, giving them the opportunity to zap zombies to unlock the biggest wins.
How do you think the recipe for a successful video slot will change in the coming years? Do you see any trends?
As player tastes change, diversity is sure to increase. One key factor will be an extension of in-game marketing tools and retention tools.
Relax Gaming offers a great deal of market leading functionality and there is a strong case for retention mechanics to boost player engagement. In recent times, however, we have also seen a large upswing in more trimmed down, easy-to-use casinos that have gained rapid traction and underlined that the appetite for a ‘no-frills’ experience remains.
You’ve also built a success of a poker for Unibet. I’m sure many will recognise the charismatic poker avatars that add some character and personality to the games. How important is the visual aspect in a slot design compared to the math and mechanics of it?
It is no secret that immersive audio-visual design is an important piece of the puzzle in building a successful slot game. Great artwork and sound design serve to draw the player into the world of the game, can give critical feedback to the player as to how they have won, or how they might go on to win in future.
However, while there is no denying the significance of the visual aspect, even the most visually arresting of titles won’t hold players’ attention if the gameplay does not match up. Expertly put together maths models and well-timed feature rounds remain at the heart of every top-performing video slot.
Now that you’re picking up the pace in the video slots production, what can Relax Gaming fans look forward to in 2019 and beyond?
There will be plenty for fans of our slots to look forward to over the coming months. We have considerably boosted our in-house studio capacity recently, bringing on board some of the industry’s most sought-after experts. Making the most of their talent as we continue to build on the success of our video slot portfolio is key to Relax Gaming. We are always assessing opportunities when it comes to entering new markets and deploying exciting new innovations – watch this space.
To wrap it up, if someone had €100 in a casino account right now but had never played Relax Gaming slots, which of your games would you recommend starting with or what games would you choose to play?
There are plenty of games from our portfolio for players to choose from, and our growing team has worked hard to create a hugely varied portfolio of games which can appeal to players of all tastes. Erik the Red offers a story-driven experience, drawing players into the world of Erik and his wife Helga as they search for a new home for their people on the untouched shores of Greenland, while Temple Tumble features a visceral cascading mechanic which places players right in the thick of the action.
It all comes down to the players’ individual preferences – our portfolio has something for everyone.
Thank you!
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Enjoy and as always, play responsibly!