After 20-years spent redefining the slots experience, the award-winning games studio Play’n GO shows no sign of slowing down, writes Lauren Harrison.
Internationally renowned for pushing boundaries and setting industry standards, Play’n Go continues to capture the attention of players worldwide.
But what’s the secret to its success?
With a pipeline of exciting new releases on the horizon, Play’n GO’s Games Ambassador Magnus Wallentin sat down with iGF’s Head of Content, Curtis Roach, to explore the company’s attitude to innovation, ask why new mechanics matter, and examine how its latest titles are reshaping the biggest vertical in iCasino – and reeling-in players.
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Curtis began by asking Magnus:
Beyond buzzwords, what does innovation mean for Play’n GO?
“Our goal isn’t novelty for novelty’s sake. We want to create genuinely exciting player experiences that are also intuitive and make sense in the context we use them. This isn’t a simple process, but fortunately, we have more than two decades of practice.
“We prototype, learn and iterate across releases. So you might spot a new idea in one title, then see it return in a smarter and more dramatic manner in the next. It’s an approach that allows us to keep titles fresh while bringing the player along for the ride in a coherent way.
“Take ‘Blitzways’™ in ‘Legacy of Gems Blitzways’™. The reel heights shift between two and seven symbols every spin, wins form from connected clusters that travel across at least three reels, then the winning tiles drop and new ones cascade in.
“Crucially, wins create Wilds, and if a Wild helped that win, it returns as a Multiplier Wild. In Free Spins, those Wilds stick, so the screen builds momentum over time. You don’t need a manual to enjoy that loop.”
Momentum, tension, pacing. How do you build emotions into the reels themselves?
“We often design around state change, with the board evolving in front of you. Abyssways™ is a good example, as is ‘Scourge of Rome’.
“In ‘Scourge of Rome’, we introduced a dynamic board where, during Free Spins, a set of tiles at the bottom freezes and then falls away, while a fresh row is added at the top before the next spin.
“Our ‘upgraded’ Elephants can stick and pay across gaps, which creates real jeopardy: will they hold on or slide off the edge? A special Warhorn symbol can ‘save’ them by nudging them upward.
“We refined this concept in ‘13th Trial Hercules Abyssways’™. Here it’s framed as Hera’s Wrath burning away the bottom tiles; a new row grows the grid between spins. Hercules symbols become sticky and ignore gaps, and Pegasus can ensure you have enough Hercules on screen, or lift them a step before the burned positions drop.
“The result is a cinematic rhythm where the board itself tells the story. When the canvas moves, the features don’t feel bolted on. That’s the sweet spot.”
Can you talk more about iteration and how ideas travel from one title to the next?
“‘Abyssways’™ is the perfect case. We planted the seed in ‘Scourge of Rome’, then grew it into something more spectacular in ‘13th Trial Hercules Abyssways’™.
“Players recognise the feel, but each game expresses it differently. Elephants clinging to siege ramps, or Hercules resisting Hera. It’s the same backbone with different pay-offs.
“‘Blitzways’™ follows the same philosophy. Variable reel heights and win-powered Wild creation make the board ‘wake up’ whenever you connect. Again, it’s about a cause-and-effect loop the player can track with their eyes.”
Let’s talk about what’s next on the horizon for Play’n GO?
“We have two titles coming this September that spotlight where we’re heading.
“First, ‘Rosy Orbit Treasure Turn’ introduces ‘Treasure Turn’™. It headlines with shifting reels through the Treasure Turn system, supported by large symbols, Starfall, Free Spins and multipliers, all wrapped in a cosmic fairy-tale world. The motion on the reels mirrors that sense of orbit and wonder. It’s a fresh take we’re really proud to have built.
“Then there’s ‘Lab of Madness It’s A-Wild!’. This is a mad-science caper with Tesla coils, glowing bulbs and a switch-throwing genius at the helm.
“Alongside a trio of Special Wilds (Expanding, Walking, and Multiplier, which can also combine), we’ve added a simple, punchy pot mechanic called Zap Prizes. Land a Power Up symbol and you can instantly award one of four visible prizes: Mini, Minor, Major, or Mega, displayed right next to the reels.
“It’s a straightforward concept, but it elevates the base game to something really engaging.”
How do you introduce new mechanics while keeping things understandable for players?
“We’re very conscious that mechanics need to be appealing to both experienced players and new ones. We tend to think about this challenge in terms of guardrails, which help different levels of players understand a game.
“Clarity is the first one. Does a mechanic make sense, and does it do what it says it will? Does it feel intuitive and logical to players? This can be quite abstract, but we’ve been doing this long enough to have a strong understanding of what works and what doesn’t.
“Then there is pacing. This is how a mechanic can evolve as a user plays, with the full extent unveiling itself through the gameplay. We want the experience to flow smoothly, through creation, escalation and resolution.
“Finally, is the purpose. We’re not in the business of shipping a new feature unless it really deepens the moment-to-moment play of the title and suits the overarching narrative we’re telling.
“We’ve found that if we focus on these three guardrails, players are quick to pick up new mechanics.”
Editor’s Note:
Innovation is a word so overused in the iGaming industry that it risks losing meaning.
But for Play’n GO, it has always been and remains a driving force behind the studio’s creations.
Play’n GO doesn’t innovate for the sake of it. Instead, every mechanic, feature and game is designed to be intuitive, offer a genuinely exciting experience that fits the narrative and builds on emotion – a strategy informed by decades of practice.
Crucially, not every game is a fresh invention, but we’re also not talking about generic re-skins.
Play’n GO builds on what works, refining successful mechanics sequentially across new titles and gradually enhancing the player experience.
This iterative process, as described by Magnus, hits the “sweet spot”, bringing the player along for the ride, and is guided by clarity, pacing and purpose to create titles that feel natural and avoid confusion.
This is innovation with purpose. And it’s an approach that continually raises the industry bar, prompting others to follow in trailblazer Play’n Go’s wake.
