“Never stop learning” - with Richard Vermaak at Slingshot Studios

This week, Slingshot Studios upcoming releases African Legends and Game of Thrones™ Power Stacks™ are in focus in our exclusive interview with Richard Vermaak, head of studio at Slingshot Studios.

22.09.2020
Interview with Richard Vermaak, head of Studio at Slingshot Studios

Interview with Richard Vermaak, head of Slingshot Studios

Welcome Richard, we’re glad you gave us the opportunity to chat with you. Please introduce yourself and Slingshot Studios to our readers. What’s your history in the iGaming sector?

Hi, I am Richard Vermaak, head of studio for Slingshot Studios. I have been working in iGaming for just over 20 years, creating exclusive games for the Microgaming platform over that time. I started as an illustrator and game designer, progressing to art director and most recently had the opportunity to build something new with a great team in Slingshot Studios. Designing creative solutions to technical challenges and vice versa is something that drives me, and game development certainly has no shortage of that.

What’s the story behind the foundation of Slingshot Studios?

We are based in Durban, South Africa and are a relatively young studio, having initially formed about four years ago. We have a great mix of new blood, highly experienced industry veterans and everything in between. We want to entertain players. We love games that exhibit unique character and that is something we try to bring to every new product we create.

The player experience is key for us; it’s at the center of every design decision we make.

Cash of Kingdoms was the first game we released under the Slingshot Studios brand in 2018, which was a great milestone for us. We have continued to evolve our technology and design with multiple games since then, including Zombie Hoard, Banana Odyssey, A Dark Matter and the soon-to-be released African Legends.

What is it like working at Slingshot Studios and what’s your vision?

We are a close-knit family, who have been through a lot together, working hard to establish our place in this incredibly competitive industry. There’s a great energy that comes from being a diverse group of people with varying ideas and opinions who can come together to achieve a common goal.

Although we are all living through strange times now, the team has been amazing at getting the most out of working remotely and has risen to the challenge, which is something they all do not shy away from.

Game development is a collaborative effort and we foster an environment that promotes this. Open communication with as flat a structure as possible is how we like to operate.

We love designing games and want to produce beautifully crafted and highly entertaining experiences for our players to enjoy and remember.

We have a few behind-the-scenes videos up on our site that show a bit of what goes into creating our games.

Your portfolio of high-quality games has really stuck in the casino lobbies, even years after the release dates. Clearly, the players are appreciating your games! What do you think is the main reason behind your success?

I think there’s a good dose of who we are in all our games; it’s what makes them unique and I think you can feel that.

We aim to build games that engage the player in multiple ways and show their potential in every spin. I believe if you love what you do and strive to enjoy the creation of it as much as possible, then that energy ends up in the product and players feel it. We are still just getting started and with the release of our next few games we are entering a second era for Slingshot games and technology. I can’t wait to get them into the hands of the players.

Are there any specific types of players or geographical markets that you aim to please?

Our goal is to have something for everyone in our portfolio and appeal to as broad a player base as possible.

Next month you’re releasing your next game African Legends. What can we expect from this game?

African LegendsWe are extremely excited to bring African Legends to the market. The interest and enthusiasm for this game have been great to see. We are looking forward to its early release on 22 September with Leo Vegas, as part of an exclusive early launch Microgaming have planned to give their players the chance to experience the game ahead of the global release on 6 October.

Featuring Microgaming’s WowPot Major jackpot, the game transports players into the middle of the African savanna and conveys the power, spirit and magic of Africa through iconic representations of some of its most recognisable creatures. With the return of player favourites 243 ways and Rolling Reels™, we wanted to bring our own version of the experience to market with a whole new focal point for players.

Could you tell us more about the Wow Major Jackpot feature?

WowPot is one of the newer progressive jackpots in the Microgaming library and is rapidly building momentum. It’s great timing to be going live with African Legends, as Microgaming recently added Book of Atem: WowPot and Sisters of Oz™: WowPot games to the jackpot pool – this will really help the jackpot grow for the players to enjoy. We are excited to be part of its growth and offer our entry into its great win potential.

We saw an opportunity to create a new kind of progressive jackpot game by focusing on a single layer of the multi-tier jackpot and chose to go with the Major jackpot as it offers fantastic win potential, while being more attainable to players. The Major seeds at €50,000, which is five times higher than the Major tier in Microgaming’s Mega Moolah, and can grow substantially higher, having been hit 20 times so far this year on Wheel of Wishes (Alchemy Gaming), paying out over €2.4 million in total.

How did you decide on the concept of the game?

We are a South African team and as such the theme has a special place in our hearts. It has an unmistakable magic and regality to it that we feel fits the win potential of a great jackpot game.

What was it like developing the game?

The game holds a lot of firsts for us as a developer and for the industry too. Doing anything for the first time is challenging, but everyone involved rose to meet those challenges and together have created something functionally and aesthetically beautiful. I am extremely proud of the team and what has been achieved with this game.

Is there any part of the game that you feel extra proud of?

It’s hard to choose any one aspect as I am proud of so much of what’s in the game. If I must single something out, I would go with what I am most excited for players to experience and that would be the core chase in the mathematics design of the game.

The Rolling Reels™ mechanic is connected to the multiplier trail, which in turn leads the player through multipliers, free spins features and ultimately to the Wow Major jackpot. A lot of hard work went in to designing that system and I think it makes for a truly unique and exciting experience where any spin could win you to the jackpot.

What would you say is the most important lesson you’ve learned about developing slots during the last two years?

This is a massive, competitive and fluid market and no matter how much experience you have, you should never stop learning.

What other games do you have in your roadmap?

The team is hard at work developing a new Game of Thrones® branded online slot, which builds on Microgaming’s successful brand relationship with HBO. Game of Thrones™ Power Stacks™ was first teased at ICE this year and is coming early in 2021. This is a big leap forward for us as it’s a great brand to work with and the beginning of a whole new technology stack for our studio. The game will also incorporate the Hyperhold™ feature, which we know is popular with players having seen strong player engagement from other recent releases for Microgaming in 2020. The team is putting everything we have into making this a great game. There’s more to follow soon after that, but I don’t want to ruin any surprises!

Could you provide us with any details on what we should expect from them?

Feature rich games with a nuanced player experience and tons of win potential.

What would you say is the main key differences between developing a quality slot today, compared to two years ago?

It must be incredibly responsive to interact with on a multitude of devices; players have a great deal of choice with how they can engage with the games now and we need to support that as much as possible.

Gone are the days of the large asset heavy downloadable games and the new focus is creating lightweight but rich experiences.

There are a lot of options for players now and finding a way to stand out in the market is key.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with us Richard. Would you like to say something to your fans, future fans or possible employees before we say goodbye?

Thank you so much for the opportunity to talk to you and your readers. I’d just like to say to all our players out there, we can’t wait to get our future games into your hands, and we hope you enjoy playing them as much as we enjoyed creating them.

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