NewsSotGames.net interview with Andrzej Hyla: We all share a passion for games

I welcome the opportunity to speak about tendencies in modern slot machines with one of the world’s most advanced iGaming companies, Wazdan. At the start, I’d like to ask you to say a few words about Wazdan, and to say what you think is your biggest advantage.

Wazdan’s been creating amazing slot experiences for its players for over a decade. We prioritise creating innovative, mobile-first games for players, driven by a development team with a real passion for games.

Our customer-centric approach has allowed us to thrive in regulated markets all over the globe, where we pride ourselves on going above and beyond to fit our partner’s needs.

Not only do we focus on our customers, but ultimately the player’s experience. Our Unique and Special Features allow players to customize their gaming experience to suit their demands, as well as offering games in over 24 languages and all currencies.

I’ve read the following on your company’s website: “Wazdan is the synergy of several different entities coming together to create the innovative company you see before you today”. If we look at the slot machines that are popular today, often enough we’re finding that classic slot machines are still the ones that get the most attention, many of them being launched more than 10 years ago. Even new slot machines launched these days, will often copy the classic design and features that we all know. Despite the lack of innovation, these slot machines are still popular. It seems that players love a good classic. Why does Wazdan define innovation as a key principle for their work?

In all our slot design we aim to create exciting, modern games. If the theme is classic, or it has an old-school feel, we’ll strive to add a unique twist to it and surprise our players. We believe there’s always room for innovation, even when creating classic-style fruit slots.

Telly Reels™ is a perfect example of combining a classic theme and aesthetic with modern technology. Based inside an old-school 80s tv, complete with buttons and knobs, its colourful reels are filled with fruits and other classic symbols which bring the juiciest wins as well as a little bit of nostalgia. The Wheel of Fortune awarding additional features to be active during the Free Spins round, including Multipliers, Random Wilds, additional Free Spins and even the Infinite Multiplier, makes this slot super exciting. Old-school TV sliders move up and down and when they align, the marvellous Telly Bonus Spins feature with Sticky Wilds is triggered. Mini Telly Bonus awards mystery prizes up to 10x player’s bet. During the exciting Unique Gamble Feature, tuning the old-school TV will double the player’s win on the spot. As you can see, there’s plenty to offer in what at first glance, appears to already be a classic. We have some exciting news to share with you! The game has recently been shortlisted for Casino Beats Game Developer Awards in the Game Retro-Style category.

Another example is our Burning Stars 3™ slot, which combines a classic fruity-style game with our thrilling Hold the Jackpot™ bonus. Its fast-paced gameplay hots up as players trigger the bonus, with them receiving three re-spins to collect as many Sun symbols as possible. The count resets for every successful spin, in search of a full reel matrix which will trigger the Grand Jackpot of 2187 player’s bet. Classic design and huge prizes up for grabs make this slot a perfect choice for all players looking for a fruit slot with a twist.

I’ll be honest, I like to play fast. I like Wazdan’s Ultra Fast Mode and Ultra Lite Mode. I can guess how you found the idea for these options. But your slots have other features as well, which are also popular among players, the Volatility Levels™ and the Hold the Jackpot™ options. Can you tell us where are you finding ideas for new features and slots mechanics? Is that the work of one “Superman”? Or maybe you have a “Super Idea Day”, where each employee contributes with his own ideas? How did you do that?

At Wazdan, we all share a passion for games. That’s why we create games that we’d love to play ourselves. It is a collective effort, and our games are the result of the entire team’s hard work, with us fostering a culture of openness that allows us to truly reach our creative potential.

Not only do we allow creativity to thrive, but we also conduct comprehensive market analysis to see what players like and expect from a slot game, before doing our best to meet their often-high expectations. However, we’ll always aim to exceed expectations and add new, exciting features to our games.

We also go above and beyond traditional gameplay by allowing players to adjust our games to their desires, with our customizable features ensuring players can tweak the game to their preferences and enjoy an unmatched gaming experience.

Let’s talk about your latest releases and the Hold the Jackpot™ feature. For me, it’s a very interesting bonus, the Hold option. What are other players saying about this feature?

They love it as much as we do! Having the opportunity to land a huge jackpot win in an exciting bonus round is what players love doing, and with our Hold the Jackpot™ games we provide them with unique gaming experiences.

In every game with the feature, we either try to enhance, refine, or change the mechanic. For example, in Clover Lady™, Direwolf symbols act as Multipliers, giving players a chance to multiply their Jackpots by up to 7x, while in Prosperity Pearls the Golden and Black Pearls act as modifiers, accumulating prizes and multiplying them, keeping players engaged in their quest to fill the reels.

From classic hold and win style re-spins to content heavy enjoyment, there’s plenty going on in all our Hold the Jackpot™ games. To find out the differences between all of them, you’ll have to try them out!

Are you planning to upgrade Wazdan’s most popular slots with the Hold the Jackpot™ option?

Our most popular award-winning slots, 9 Lions and Larry the Leprechaun, already feature a similar mechanic, allowing players to hold symbols for another re-spin.

We believe our Hold the Jackpot™ titles will quickly become as popular as our all-time classics, so we’re keen to focus on continuing to develop exciting, new and innovative titles rather than revisit top performing hits and alter them.

As you know, NewSlotGames.NET is about New Slots and Games. Can you tell our community a little about what we can expect from Wazdan in the second part of 2021?

We’ve got some more upcoming Hold the Jackpot™ games, and as always, these will have new features incorporated.

Midnight in Tokyo, coming July 14^th, adds two types of innovative Wild Splitters, both of which increase the numbers of ways to win using our splitter mechanic. Wild symbols not only substitute for other symbols, but they also split the adjoining symbols into 2 if there are two adjacent symbols, or 3 if there is one adjacent symbol. Ninja Cats slice symbols either side of them, while Kung-Fu Cats split symbols above and below. In the Hold the Jackpot™ bonus round, players can also win multiple jackpots for huge wins, as well as additional cash prizes. We are sure, players will love this action-packed slot and it’s claw-some features!

Fortune Reels is released on July 27^th and makes the Hold the Jackpot™ bonus even more exciting. On the top reel, where only three spots exist, Special Bonus symbols such as a Jackpot Coins, Golden Ox Coin, Money Tree or Mystery Symbol can appear, all of which can act as modifiers. The Golden Ox Coin accumulates all values from Golden Coins drawn on the reels below and multiplies them randomly by up to 9x, the Money Tree adds more Golden Coins to the reels, or increases their existing values, while the Jackpot Coins award one of three Jackpots – Mini, Minor or Major. Finally, the Mystery symbol can transform into any Bonus symbol. Like all Hold the Jackpot™ games, if all reels are filled, the Grand Jackpot is awarded, however, players will also keep other prizes collected during the bonus round for a huge total win.

We’re also set to launch Power of Gods™: Hades and Jelly Reels, which will be released in September and October respectively.

Also, can you send us one screenshot of an upcoming slot, to share with our community?

Sure! Here’s a sneak peek of our two thrilling slots to be released in July.

Thanks for this interview. I hope Wazdan will remain just as innovative in the future, and will continue to offer us, players, cool new slots with cool features. Let’s Play!

Interview originally published on NewSlotGames.net