June 26, 2020
Gambling.com interview with Andrzej Hyla: Q&A on Wazdan’s new games & features
In this Q&A Gambling.com spoke with Andrzej Hyla, Head of Sales for Wazdan, about the games he’s enjoyed working on most at the company, the new Sonic Reels slot, other upcoming releases he’s looking forward to and much more.
Hi Andrzej! Thanks so much for joining us. First and foremost tell me a little bit about your career so far and how you came to join Wazdan.
Thank you for having me. When I joined Wazdan, I joined a very passionate team who wanted to make an impact in the iGaming industry. I became a part of a company who had the knowledge, motivation and necessary skills to challenge the industry leaders with a great set of games. It has been very rewarding for me to be a part of this journey, and help Wazdan games grow through partnerships with many operators across the globe.
In 2020 we are an established game developer, but we still have the same passion for growth and new games as we had when I joined. Wazdan strives to make each game unique, it is our mission for our games to stand out from the crowd. With each new game release, we want to create a game that is more exciting and engaging than the last! We are #teamWazdan.
What are the main responsibilities of your position?
As Head of Sales for Wazdan, I am responsible for all Wazdan games, and work towards the target that our games will be available in online casinos everywhere. Wazdan is passionate about games and wants to deliver great games to players, at their casino of choice. This is our goal. As part of this, I am also responsible for new partnerships. Myself and the Wazdan team work to bring more casinos on board so that we can reach more players.
What Wazdan title have you most enjoyed working on?
I cannot pick just one! It is our mission to create engaging games that keep players entertained. So everything we develop is exciting, and we are passionate about all of our games. I have particularly enjoyed working on our most recent releases; as all three are different and unique. 9Tigers has a compelling oriental theme, Lucky9 with its retro style and Black Horse Deluxe has a great gamble feature which I am a big fan of. All three of them were incredible fun to work on, I hope our players enjoy playing them as much as we enjoy making them!
You recently released a brand new game called Sonic Reels. Tell us a little bit about the mechanics of the game and what makes it so unique?
Sonic Reels is an online slot game that looks and sounds amazing. It boasts vibrant colours, a unique retro atmosphere and first-class sound effects. It has 6 reels and a massive 729 paylines. What’s more, there are plenty of bonuses, activated by pumpkin-speakers.
Who came up with the idea for Sonic Reels? Is it one person or more of a group effort?
It was a team effort. At Wazdan we believe in creativity on every level. So when one or more of us has a great idea for a new game, we pick it up as a team and create a masterpiece. It is hard to put one name behind our products – teamwork makes the dream work as they say!
What inspired the audiovisual music/fruit theme?
At Wazdan, we believe that to engage players in our games we need to provide visually inspiring themes and audio with enticing sounds. We care about the aesthetics of our games as much as game mechanics and wanted to create a game that was as audibly appealing as it was visually!
Tell us about the Unique Gamble Feature
This is one of our favourite game features. After each win, the Unique Gamble feature gives players the opportunity to double their prize. Every Wazdan game has its own unique mini game that gives players a chance to double their win on the spot. For example, in Sonic Reels the player gambles on choosing the correct speaker, and in Black Horse Deluxe the player throw a horse-shoe. The Unique Gamble Feature doubles the fun of playing!
And what about the Buy Feature?
Our newest Buy Feature is designed for players who want to explore the full potential of their gameplay, whenever they want, with the click of a button. It is easy and fun and enables players to buy their way to the bonus round. Our Buy Feature is available to use on our newest games including our recently released slots Black Horse Deluxe, Lucky 9, 9 Tigers and Sonic Reels. As an example, when playing Sonic Reels players can buy 10 Free spins instantly or choose to acquire Left or Right Speaker bonuses. The Buy Feature can add excitement as it speeds up gameplay.
We notice that in Sonic Reels the player has the opportunity to switch to an Ultra Lite mode which is an optimised version of the game. Tell us why you feel it’s important to include these options?
Our games are designed to fit all player’s needs. Sometimes it is important to have very optimised – Ultra Lite Mode which significantly decreases the game load time. This feature also works well when players have slow internet speed.
In Sonic Reels the player has the option to play at normal, fast, or Ultra Fast Mode. Why is it important for players to have this choice?
We include Ultra Fast Mode in all our slots to boost the gaming experience even more. Ultra Fast Mode gives players the freedom of choice to choose the speed of their gameplay. Some players want to play really fast to enjoy the winning combinations. We provide this unique value. It is very simple and easy to use during gameplay. Every spin can be normal, fast or Ultra Fast, it is up to the players to decide how fast they want to play.
Similarly, you also allow the player to choose whether they play the game at a low, medium or high volatility level. Why do you want players to be able to customise their play experience like this?
Volatility Levels is our famous feature that differentiates us from our game developer competition. Volatility Levels gives players freedom of choice to modify their win size and frequency on the fly. It tailors the game play experience to player’s needs. If they want to win big, they can choose high volatility and if they want to win more frequently but lower amounts they choose low volatility. And it is adjustable at each spin!
What is the one thing that makes Wazdan unique when compared to other game developers in the industry?
We put players first when designing our games. It is our goal to create games that players love, and find thrilling to play. The whole team puts their maximum effort into designing each game, with an additional focus on Unique Wazdan Features to enable players to personalise their gameplay. This personalisation makes Wazdan games stand out from the crowd. If you want to know what defines Wazdan, play our latest games and you will see for yourself!
Can you give us three key ingredients for making a good slot game?
My three ingredients would be:
- A passionate team working behind the scenes
- Listening to market feedback to make every game better
- Unique features that allow players to personalise their gameplay.
What other upcoming Wazdan releases are you excited about?
This year is set to be packed with amazing new releases. Our latest release Reel Hero has already had great feedback from players, and was awarded ‘Slot of The Week’ by Slot Beats in June. Coming soon, we have an Ancient Egyptian themed slot: Power of Gods: Egypt with a unique Ra Spins bonus, and Choco Reels which is packed with delicious chocolate and candies representing symbols and bonuses. It is set to be a great year for fans of our games.
Interview originally published on Gambling.com
