Interview with Pragmatic Play
HraiGamble Group talks with Anastasios Ioannidis, Affiliate manager at ARRISE powering Pragmatic Play.
1. How did 2024 begin for Pragmatic Play?
Pragmatic Play kicked off 2024 with a bonanza of new games, launching the likes of Blazing Wild Megaways™ and Loki’s Riches in January. The next month saw even more diverse and entertaining Slots added to the portfolio, with The Alter Ego, Big Bass Floats My Boat, Pompeii Megareels Megaways™, and Wheel O’ Gold among the highlights. Big Bass Day at the Races and Beware The Deep Megaways™ followed in March before the launch of Sugar Rush 1000, which is based on the multi-award-winning original Slot and includes even more mouthwatering multipliers, with players able to win up to 25,000x their bet. Pragmatic Play is producing up to eight new Slots every month that are designed for a range of audiences, from beginners and casual gamers to more experienced players.
2. Could you share your plans for 2024? What can we expect from the ambitious Pragmatic Play?
We’ve had a sneak peek at the first few releases of 2024, and we can say honestly that it’s going to be another exciting and packed year of top-quality across the portfolio. We see on average, 8 slot releases, plus Live Casino games coming out every month. If this pace is continued, we’ll see an incredible year to come. We’re not giving away anything just yet, but we guarantee that 2024 will be even bigger.
3. What new Slots from Pragmatic Play can we look forward to later in the year?
After the release of Sugar Rush 1000, players can look out for Fire Portals and The Dog House – Dog or Alive. Fire Portals is a unique 7×7 Slot that features a new wild roaming multiplier in both the base game and bonus game. The Dog House – Dog or Alive adds to another player-favourite Pragmatic Play game franchise, this time taking the lovable hounds on a classic Western adventure where wilds hit with random multipliers and the bonus round is triggered with a random number of free spins. Looking a little further ahead, Candy Blitz Bombs is also one to watch. Launching towards the end of April, this 6×5 reel Slot extends the sugary theme made popular by Pragmatic Play with games such as Sweet Bonanza and Sugar Rush. The new Slot features multiplier bombs ranging from 1x to 500x on consecutive tumble wins. And more games are being added to the hugely popular Big Bass series, with Big Bass Secrets of the Golden Lake and Big Bass Bonanza – Reel Action coming up next.
4. What have been some of the biggest wins in Pragmatic Play Slots to date? How often do players win big?
There are hundreds of games in Pragmatic Play’s Slots portfolio, which is available to players in markets around the world, so big wins are a frequent occurrence on this scale. And they don’t come much bigger than the 40,000x max win awarded in Power of Merlin Megaways™ last month – in this case, the player won an incredible €4,000,000! Following the launch of new dedicated Jackpot Play games earlier this year, we can expect Pragmatic Play titles to generate even more big wins, as players hit local progressive jackpots unique to each casino operator.
5. As a games supplier, you know better than anyone how the world of games develops. Could you tell us what types of games you think are gaining momentum?
Crash games and other non-traditional casino titles have been gaining in popularity for some time, but Slots continue to lead the way. Established themes, features, and mechanics are constantly being refined and reworked to build on what’s already popular and successful, so the momentum is still very much with Slots. That’s not to say non-traditional games and other product categories, such as Live Casino, aren’t becoming more and more popular, because they are – but Slots are a known quantity for players that still offer so much room for growth and imagination.
6. Pragmatic Play is known for its content expansion around the world. So, this year we have seen your successes in Latin America, Belgium, Austria, etc. Could you please share what challenges you faced along the way?
New markets are very exciting, it means we get to reach new audiences and get to delight even more players worldwide. One of the challenges of offering games to a variety of markets is that many of them come with their own regulatory requirements. For that reason, Pragmatic Play slots are meticulously designed to ensure that they comply with the key requirements of each regulated market. Player protection is the top priority, which goes hand-in-hand with a focus on creating a fun experience when it comes to developing games. From the conception of a new game to marketing, responsible gambling and player protection is at the forefront of development considerations.
7. HraiGamble Group for responsible and conscious gaming. What measures does Pragmatic Play take to ensure the safety of its players?
Player protection is the company’s top priority, and it is intricately linked to Pragmatic Play’s goal of creating a fun and enjoyable gaming experience. Responsible gaming and player protection is considered at every stage of the development process, from the conception of a new title all the way through to how it is marketed once released. As a globally prominent supplier, Pragmatic Play offers games in a variety of markets and jurisdictions, often each with its own regulatory requirements and rules. For that reason, titles are first and foremost created to comply with the key requirements of each market and given a lot of attention to ensure that it’s created with player protection top of mind.
