Q&A: Head of Studio, Ihor Lozynskyi, speaks to Slotsoo
Push Gaming's Head of Studio, Ihor Lozynskyi, spoke to Slotsoo about our recent release, Mad Blast!
It is nice to see that you continue to innovate and release completely new games, instead of just milking your most popular series. How much does the average player spend on your new games compared to on Razor Shark, Jammin' Jars and your other classics?
We are proud to have a diverse portfolio and it’s fantastic to see that acknowledged. I think there’s a fair balance between players getting stuck into our new games and classic Push Gaming titles. That being said, those classic games you mentioned have such longevity because they resonate well with players, and I think we’ll always see a large number of them gravitating to those games, regardless of what future content we put out.
Push Gaming has been live on MGA licensed casinos and Swedish casinos for a long time, and during the past year the company entered new markets such as Spain, Denmark and most recently Brazil. Does the player taste vary in the different countries?
Player preferences differ everywhere, however those differences might be miniscule in certain regions. For example, players across Scandinavian countries and central Europe tend to have similar preferences for feature-rich content, whilst players in North America might lean towards classic slot gameplay that lean into jackpot mechanics. It’s imperative that we have a strong understanding of each region so that we can offer them content that’s perfectly tailored to them.
Mad Blast is a game with high volatility. Could you walk us through the process of how you decide which volatility each game should have? Is there some kind of testing phase or is the volatility set in stone already from the beginning?
Ultimately, when developing any game we take a good look at what’s working within our current content portfolio and often stick to what’s working well. We usually know at a very early stage how a game will look and feel, we wouldn’t opt to change things mid-way through the development process. It’s also worth noting that certain features and mechanics complement high volatility gameplay, and Mad Blast was a great example of that.
As a matter of fact, all of your new releases are either high or medium-high volatility. Why is that? Does nobody want to play low volatility games anymore?
There’s definitely a market for low volatility games, and there are plenty of suppliers out there that create some great low volatility content. However, we know from years of experience that our players gravitate towards medium and high volatility games, so we’ll continue to ensure that the majority of our portfolio meets those player expectations.
The Extra Life is another feature offered in Mad Blast, and some of your other more recent releases. Could you tell us more about how it works please and why you decided to include it in this game?
The Extra Life symbol is a great addition to Mad Blast. This special symbol only triggers on a losing cascade, exploding and clearing all symbols except for scatters, multiplier boosts and the most common symbol type on the grid. We included it in the game as a way to keep players engaged and on the edge of their seats. What could be more exciting than turning a losing spin into a winning one?
Last question! Do you think we will see games combining different Push Gaming universes in the future? For example, will there be a Mad Blast 2 with shark-themed robo-bombs?
Who knows! If we get an indication to say that’s what the players want then we might well make it happen one day! We’re extremely lucky to have a whole host of legendary titles that could be combined to make something new and exciting. We’re all about listening to our players and delivering the best possible content possible!
