I love hearing what the people who actually make the games think of their work, and where they see the gaming world going next.
One provider I have a lot of time for is Play’n GO, an award-winning slot studio that’s approaching 20 years at the coal face of online gaming. I recently caught up with their Games Ambassador Magnus Wallentin to get his take on the best thing to come out of Play’n GO last year, and what’s in store for 2024.
If you don’t know Play’n GO, you’ll certainly know their all-time greatest hit, Book of Dead. It’s a hard act for any studio to follow, but every year they give it a bloomin’ good go. In 2023 they released around 40 new online slots in the UK, including Raging Rex 3, Viking Runecraft Apocalypse and Viking Runecraft 100, possibly my favourite Play’n GO title of the year.
Cluster Pays games like Viking Runecraft are a bit of a Play’n GO specialism, and Magnus had another Cluster Pays game in mind for his top Play’n GO slot of 2023.
“My favourite title from the past year has to be Gargantoonz. Releasing sequels of our classic titles is always challenging. Players want us to maintain the essence of the original, while also injecting enough novelty into the new version to attract them to play. For me, Gargantoonz manages that very well. The multiplier feature within a 7×7 grid slot, combined with the three unique features that eventually unlock the bonus round, are unlike anything else in the industry. It’s been exciting to watch the game perform so well in these early days.”
Gargantoonz came out in late November at PlayOJO, and as a fan of the ‘Toonz slot series (especially the incredible Reactoonz 2), I’m always happy to see another very playable addition to the franchise.
So what can we expect from Play’n GO this year? More games that bring together “the best story and narratives with ground-breaking game mechanics”, Magnus reckoned. “We will continue to develop fresh mechanics and build on captivating storylines.”
He also told us that this month – 25th January to be exact – they’ll release their new Power of Love slot, the latest game in the Moon Princess series.
“This standalone adventure centres around Princess Love, who embarks on a quest to find romance amidst the courtship of the two princes, Hail and Blaze.”
According to Magnus, we should expect “a fresh narrative plus new cutting-edge mechanics that deliver an even better overall gaming experience”.
Sounds good, and entirely standard for Play’n GO game, as the studio just doesn’t do predictable cookie-cutter slots. Fire up any of their 2023 slots – games like Legacy of Dynasties – and you’ll find slick graphics, entertaining gameplay and an unusual game mechanic or two. For me, graphics are critical, but they can only get you so far, and it will be increasingly ingenious game mechanics that propel providers to number one this year.
