Alice Timson: “We exceed player expectations with quality releases”

Ahead of Realistic Games’ highly anticipated release Catch 22, we spoke to its Head of Account Management, Alice Timson about what players can expect from the game, its mechanical and artistic inspiration and what else the provider has planned for 2023.

Q: Catch 22 is Realistic’s upcoming fishing-themed title, can you tell us more about the game and what features separate this title from other fishing-themed slots?

We have reeled in a huge hit with the release of Catch 22 that we are sure players will adore. The title is played across 6x4 reels and is home to numerous fish, tackle, floats and more nautical-themed symbols which must form a matching combination across the slot’s 4,096 paylines. With so many paylines, any combination of symbols across the first three reels or more will award a win, helping the base game to stand out from the crowd. The thrilling bonus is unlocked for landing at least three scatter boat symbols awarding 10 free spins. However, players can unlock a huge 50 free spins for landing more scatters meaning there are lots of opportunities for players to net a win.

In the bonus, scatters are replaced by fishermen that reel in any fish landed on the reels and award their instant cash prize with bigger fish having higher values attached to them. The bonus round is where we think Catch 22 starts to set itself apart from the competition. If a fisherman symbol lands with no fish present, the reel it landed on is locked in place with unlimited respins awarded, until either additional fishermen or fish land. Augmenting this further, if a player is lucky enough to land two fishermen in one spin, the Catch 22 bonus is activated transforming all other symbols into golden fish, which are then caught by both fishermen further boosting winning potential. Catch 22 offers a huge max win of 12,000x for players to reel in!

Q: Can you tell us more about the artistic style of Catch 22?

We wanted the fishing aesthetic to impact every part of the design to offer immersion to players and present a fully realistic world for them to engage with. The music enhances the theme even further, by encapsulating beachy vibes with ocean sounds and a relaxing guitar melody in the background. The symbols are presented in a scaly art style with the higher-paying symbols depicting fishing reels, tackle boxes and lures in keeping with the overall theme.

This is further built upon by the gameboard, which is set in front of a background depicting the seafloor. Individual reels on the matrix are presented by rising bubbles to help players distinguish between the reels whilst also keeping with the thematic elements. Overall, our design team worked hard to create a slot that packs a punch with its style whilst our mathematicians created all the big win potential.

Q: What prompted Realistic to create a fishing-themed slot?

Realistic has been creating titles for over a decade and in that time, we have seen the industry go through multiple changes and developments. The rise in popularity of fishing games was one of these changes we have seen in recent times and is also a theme we have yet to explore, so it was a natural progression to develop one.

At Realistic we always aim to exceed our players’ needs and offer a vast array of high-quality content. This led to our decision to not just create another fishing slot, but use this opportunity to change some of the mechanics that have made the genre so popular. We leveraged our expertise to deliver to players something fresh and different from other titles on the market, as evidenced by our Catch 22 features, which include fishermen respins, the vast amount of paylines present and of course, our huge max win.

Q: Catch 22 is your most recent release of the year, what other standout titles have you created this year and what else should players be expecting from you in 2023?

This year started with fiery heat for Realistic in stark contrast to the water-based theme in Catch 22 with the release of Chilli Master, a Mexican-themed slot with wilds that increased an ever-climbing multiplier in the free spins round. Shortly after Catch 22, we will be transporting players to an Asian-inspired slot with the release of Shinobi Moon and will follow that with a medieval fantasy adventure that we’re excited to tell you more about closer to the time of release.

Additionally, we are expanding where players can enjoy our games with new markets such as our recent launch in Romania with Superbet, and new casinos offering our high-quality titles such as recent additions like Napoleon in Belgium. With more new markets and casino partnerships on the horizon, more players than ever will be able to enjoy our titles!

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