Speaking to CasinoBeats, Honney began by sharing some of the challenges that AvatarUX has faced in the last 12 months, highlighting that the company will be doubling down on its commitment to deliver entertainment and excitement for players. 

“I would say the pandemic and the instability it has brought around the world was the biggest challenge we had to face during the past year,” he said. “However, I have to say we have managed to adapt quite well and created an operating model that lets us work without any major disruptions. 

“Of course, we are missing the more frequent igaming events and meeting partners and industry professionals in person, but we have achieved so much by operating fully remotely last year that, despite the situation, I am pleased with the results. 

“This year we simply continue with our plans and keep on offering entertainment and excitement to players. We not only want to release new games and features, but also focus more on promotional tools and gamification. So, I’d say for 2022, we are upping the game.”

So what role will innovation play in AvatarUX’s company development in 2022? Well, for the AvatarUX MD, we can expect to see a range of new products and features which he hopes will disrupt the current market offering. 

Giving us a sneak peak of the upcoming Lollipop title, which is due to be released at the end of this month, Honney noted that players will now be able to enjoy access to the firm’s new Scatter Reward Upgrade feature.

He explained: “Innovation is also key to our work. We are always seeking new ways of offering more engaging and fun products. We have big plans this year and you will see many ground-breaking things coming out. 

“One that I can mention already and that players can enjoy pretty soon is the introduction of new features in our upcoming game Lollipop. This new title, set to be released end of the month for partners with direct integrations and globally in April, will introduce a very interesting and innovative element called the Scatter Reward Upgrade. 

“This new feature will upgrade scatter symbols to higher value during free spins creating additional win potential. This is of course just one example of what is coming up with plenty more features we are discussing and planning on.” 

Building on from this, innovations such as the Scatter Reward Upgrade can help bolster engagement and retention among new and existing players.

When we quizzed Honney about this, he emphasised that audiences want to play games which deliver a sense of excitement. This, he implied, will keep players coming back.

“We know that the audience wants to see and experience new things and we strongly believe that by adding new exciting and quite rewarding features like the one mentioned above can drive engagement and retention,” he added. 

“In the Scatter Rewards feature, for instance, two or more symbols of the same value upgrade to a higher value with each new one causing an even higher upgrade. 

“This can lead to a chain reaction that can quickly turn multiple scatter upgrades to even 500x the bet size. So, it offers potential for some huge wins for the lucky ones. Such innovative features are what we believe keeps the players entertained and willing to choose our games.”

Scatter Rewards aren’t the only innovative feature within the AvatarUX portfolio, with the developer having launched its PopWins offering at the end of 2021. 

Over the next few months, Honney told CasinoBeats that players can expect to see “plenty of permutations” of the PopWins mechanic with the launch of features such as PopCoins, ClusterPops, StickyPops, JackPops and PopXReels. 

In addition, the MD disclosed that plans are in place to also roll out a range of “feature rich games with exciting pre-bonus games, re-triggers, and also jackpots”.

But while innovation is a big focus for AvatarUX, is there such a thing as too much? And if so, how do you balance innovation with the creation of a stand-out gameplay experience? For Honney, there are no limits to innovation. 

“I don’t think there is such a thing as ‘too much innovation’,” he told CasinoBeats, “but I strongly believe that new things have to be presented well to players. If we skip the “educational” process, so to say, players might not understand well all the new things that are being introduced. We do not want to overcomplicate things. 

“The gameplay experience has to always be smooth and entertaining for the player. That’s why we chose to build on our PopWins  mechanics for instance. It is an already known concept, appreciated by many, so any new variation will only add extra thrill rather than disrupting the gameplay experience.”

He went on to explain that in order to elevate the overall gameplay experience, gamification can be a useful tool for any developer – and for AvatarUX, this is a key weapon in its arsenal.

He said: “Like innovation, gamification is also something at the core of our business. We have already taken this concept very seriously when designing various features in our games, but we are upping the game by focusing on developing some ground-breaking promotional features and mechanics with the aim to offer even more excitement in our games. 

“Our idea is to provide options that allow players to feel that they are not playing alone, but indeed playing in a community, where competition and participation can be a major driver in gameplay. So, we plan to approach this by keeping, as always, the player at heart.

“Apart from this, we also want to keep the player experience as our number one priority during our development cycle. We want to engage players to have their say on the games we make, so we can focus on developing what they really want to see and experience. 

“When we come up with ideas, we always discuss and carefully select to go ahead with what we really believe in. Our goal is not to follow and launch what is already on the market, but come up with new, interesting things by, as said, keeping players’ interests in mind. And this is exactly how we think we can make a difference and stand out of the crowd. We want to create products and experiences that the players want and look for.”

The post Marcus Honney: ‘there is no such thing as too much innovation’ appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The podcast begins with a shared discussion between three representatives from Yggdrasil: CEO Fredrik Elmqvist, chief of global marketing operations Bjorn Krantz and head of product and programmes, Stuart McCarthy.

Alongside the podcast host Stewart Darkin, they were joined by AvatarUX managing director Marcus Honney and Mitri Wiberg, executive producer at Peter & Sons LLC. 

McCarthy kicked off the discussion by addressing the evolution of the YG Masters programme, and how it all stemmed from a plan to drive “greater relevance” for Yggdrasil.

He began: “The kick off point, which is more or less three years to the day, was when I joined the organisation. Fred reached out to me with this vision that he wanted to achieve. I had previously been working for another company in aggregation and had an understanding of the mechanics, how aggregation was working and how we thought we could do better. 

“Fred reached out and explained that he had this idea about driving greater relevance for Yggdrasil, expanding our portfolio, looking at how we can bring on new flavours of game content onto the platform. That was the inception of the programme really.

“We had this idea that we would be building game content, creating game engines on our side and then working with a small number of studios, delivering everyone to market with our boost tools.”

Reflecting on the influences behind creating the YG Masters programme, Elmqvist placed a focus upon innovation and creativity. He explained that, similar to the creation of Yggdrasil – a topic covered in the first episode of What’s Up Ygg – the company wanted to “do things differently” from anything else available in the market.

“We saw that there was a lot of creativity coming from all different angles, and we knew that there was an appetite for a lot of content,” he added. “We knew it would be difficult to increase the production and scale in a way that would be able to meet the growing demands from the market. 

“We said to ourselves ‘we have nimble technology, we can build something here that’s more scalable and more competitive’. 

“In the previous episode, I spoke about how we started Yggdrasil – and I thought we should take a similar approach to aggregation. I wanted to do things differently from what’s already out there. So we identified what can bring a lot of value for the entire chain, what would be of value to studios and our customers. That was the go-to-market starting point. 

“But to take the programme to the next level, we needed to do some further innovation with regards to technology in order to reshape YG Masters – something which would bring more value and more intellectual property.”

One of the key benefits of the YG Masters programme, according to Krantz, was the opportunity to benefit from a business of scale. 

Taking into account the changes in market dynamics, Krantz highlighted that many operators are now looking for differentiation within their games offering – something which he believes is possible through the YG Masters programme.

He said: “When we are talking to the customers across various different global markets, we know that market dynamics have changed a lot in the past few years. Now operators are looking for more relevance in the content that they have; they want to have more differentiation in their portfolios. 

“I think that the scale of operations here is also important because if you look at the regulatory side of the business and the cost of operating, a business’ scale is everything. The YG Masters programme enables us to offer that scale to partners which is very efficient.”

Talk soon turned towards some of the partners of the YG Masters programme, and their experiences of working with Yggdrasil. And for Honney, working with the supplier has helped drive a level of exposure which has meant people are now recognising AvatarUX as an individual studio. 

Discussing the reasons behind their partnership, he said: “From our point of view, I think we were the second one to join the party if you like. We joined for a lot of the reasons that both Fred and Stuart have already mentioned. But on top of that, it does also help that we knew the individuals involved, there was a relationship there already – we’ve seen each other through different situations. 

“But from a studio point of view, I’ve got to be able to take the emotion out of these relationships and be honest to the investors that we have in our company. We want to make sure that we go to the right partners because we’ve got a good portfolio of games.

“So having a programme like YG Masters with the mechanics and structure that was already in place meant that we didn’t need to worry about licensing or distribution – both of which are a huge cost to us, especially as a newer studio.

“If you look at the kind of revenues that we’re generating now compared to last year, it’s chalk and cheese. All of a sudden, people are noticing us and it’s given us an opportunity. Ygggdrasil has given us a level of exposure and people are starting to recognise us as an individual studio.”

Watch the full podcast here.

The post What’s Up YGG: How YG Masters is reinventing igaming aggregation appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Released globally on September 6,  PapayaPop is a 5×3 slot with up to 118,098 paylines featuring unlimited free spins, a multiplier, a gamble wheel, a Popwins feature and buy a bonus. 

Commenting on the launch of the title, Marcus Honney, managing director at AvatarUX, explained: “Our PopWins collection has been an incredible success for us and we’re delighted at how it has been received by players all over the globe.

“PapayaPop takes an Art Deco theme and adds even more excitement for players through the gamble wheel, where even bigger wins await for those who dare to risk it and through the introduction of the newly introduced unlimited free spins feature.”

Inspired by the age of art deco, the game is the latest addition to the supplier’s PopWins series, seeing winning symbols “pop” allowing for two more to take their place. 

The reel is able to expand to up to six symbols in the base game, and up to nine in the free spins mode. 

All reels must reach their maximum height of six symbols high in order to trigger the unlimited free spins mode, granting players with three spins – the count is reset for every winning spin. During the bonus round, the multiplier increases x1 with each new spin, from a base level of x2.

Players have the option before the free spins mode to gambe the unlimited free spins and are awarded with a higher starting multiplier and starting reels if they win, however, losing will negate the free spins. 

“AvatarUX continues to produce exciting, engaging content for the YG Masters program and we’re delighted to facilitate the launch of the latest PopWins title,” noted Stuart McCarthy, head of product and programmes at Yggdrasil.

“PapayaPop combines an immersive theme with a fantastic mechanic and we can’t wait to see how player’s from across the network enjoy it.”

Implementing a high volatility and an RTP of 96 per cent, readers can click here to be directed to AvatarUX’s official website to try a demo version of PapayaPop.

The post SlotBeats embraces the 1920s to award PapayaPop SOTW appeared first on CasinoBeats.

The company’s PopWin mechanic currently resides in all but one of its titles, including its latest release PapayaPop, and other games such as BountyPop, CherryPop, TikiPop and HippoPop. 

Speaking to CasinoBeats, Honney delved into the original concept behind PopWins, the impact it had on the players’ experience and how it propelled the company’s growth. 

CasinoBeats: We’ve seen AvatarUX release various titles within the PopWin series. Can you just explain what the PopWins mechanic is?

Marcus Honney: PopWins is our proprietary game mechanic. Ultimately, it is a game feature that enhances win potential by creating additional win possibilities. Simply, every time a player spins a winning combination, extra symbols “pop” to create new wins.

CB: What was the original concept for PopWins and why did AvatarUX decide to create this mechanic?

MH: As a newly emerging studio, we obviously wanted to stand out of the crowd and build our identity on something totally new. Something that can define us and at the same time disrupt the industry by offering players a unique game experience. 

This is how the idea of PopWins was born – bonus mechanics offering enhanced spin sequence and reel potential. 

CB: How does the mechanic impact the player’s experience? Moreover, how does it affect player acquisition and retention?

MH: It is an innovative feature that is enhancing game play hence offering a more thrilling experience to players. And we know that every player enjoys that extra win potential, so whether we are talking about attracting new players or offering extra entertainment to the seasoned ones, PopWins has a lot to offer, making it an exciting feature for any type of player. 

This is obviously confirmed by the great performance of our games in different slot rankings. 

CB: What has been the industry reaction to PopWins?

MH: The feedback was really great and this is the reason why we built (and continue doing so) our games portfolio with this concept. PopWins is extremely versatile and it can be seamlessly integrated with any game theme, which makes it a real groundbreaking feature. 

We have also won an important Game innovation award for our games TikiPop, CherryPop  and HippoPop driven by this mechanic after only 17 months from when the PopWins was first introduced. 

CB: How has the introduction of the PopWins mechanic propelled AvatarUX’s growth in the industry?

MH: PopWins is part of our brand identity, our competitive advantage and what, ultimately, defines AvatarUX. We wouldn’t be where we are now without the PopWins mechanic. With exception to Lilith’s Inferno all our games are built with it. 

Of course, the concept has evolved in the different games and we have added to it; but this is in the core of our games and we will continue building on and evolving it to continue offering thrilling experiences to players. 

CB: Looking into the near future, how will AvatarUX look to evolve the PopWins mechanic?

MH: We are working on plenty of permutations of PopWins. You will see features like PopCoins, ClusterPops, StickyPops, JackPops and PopXReels. 

Some feature rich games with exciting pre-bonus games, re-triggers, and also jackpots. Basically we are stepping up our game being more elaborate but always with PopWins close at heart.

The post AvatarUX: PopWins defines us and is part of our brand identity appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Becoming the second release in its partnership with Yggdrasil, PopRocks unleashes mystical gems with arcane powers that pop and multiply to expand win potential to 72,188x the original stake.

The title has been launched across over 300 brands and has been picked up by a number of operators which are expected to “all be live soon.”

PopRocks is also the first game to use the new PopWins mechanics, where symbols ‘pop’ and are replaced with two new entities and expanding reels, giving players the chance to achieve bumper wins.

SlotBeats has spoken to AvatarUX’s managing director Marcus Honney regarding the thinking behind PopRocks, what players can expect and the inspiration behind the new title: “With PopRocks we wanted to express the core essence of the mechanical framework for the player to experience. From the dynamically expanding reels, the in-round collections of Pops, the growing of multipliers and the unlock triggering max reel expansion of a powerful Wild.

“Players of PopWins games will see more of that along with combinations of other features coming together in exciting ways: players will always instinctively recognise a PopWins game.

“We wanted to go simple and slick, but also be thematically true to the essence of the game, so gemstones were an early decision. PopRocks was a popping candy from the eighties and was a fun name to go with given the release of Starburst and Opal Fruits.”

For the full interview click here.

PopRocks and PopWins are registered trademarks

The post SlotBeats gets the lowdown on AvatarUX’s PopRocks appeared first on CasinoBeats.

Comprising a “significant online presence” of a network of betting shops in Ladbrokes and Coral, as well as its Gala enterprise in the region’s bingo market, Yggdrasil is to provide each with its suite of slots gaming content.

Liron Snir, chief product officer at GVC Holdings, said of the new deal: “We’re delighted to enhance our offer for Ladbrokes and Coral customers with Yggdrasil’s dynamic slots content.

“The high production values and innovative features they bring have already proven to be hugely popular with customers across our broader brand portfolio in regulated markets.”

Customers of each of GVC’s three brands are to enjoy access to Yggdrasil’s entire portfolio of casino slots, including latest releases Trolls Bridge, Baron Samedi and Hanzo’s Dojo.

Furthermore, each is also set to be able to utilise the company’s ‘Boost,’ a proprietary range of in-game promotional tools allowing them to instantly run promotions from within the game client.

Fredrik Elmqvist, chief executive officer of Yggdrasil, explained: “This is a significant agreement with some of the industry’s largest brands, and I’m thrilled to be able to announce it today ahead of Europe’s largest gaming event, ICE London, in a few weeks’ time.”

Most recently Yggdrasil released its latest table game Lucky Blackjack, alongside an updated version of Sonja Blackjack.

Marcus Honney, head of table games at Yggdrasil, commented regarding the two developments: “The release of Lucky Blackjack and the new Sonya Blackjack features is really exciting for us, as it marks the evolution of our interactive table game offering.

“With multiplayer options, and an added layer of player engagement in the form of side bets, [these] are some of the most engaging, immersive table titles on the market today.”

The post GVC Holdings boosts online content alongside Yggdrasil appeared first on CasinoBeats.