Bryan Upton: “We see player fatigue and increased need for simple games”

Casino Guru News has the pleasure of sitting down with Bryan Upton to discuss the launch of the studio’s game, Big Hits Blazinator. Upton offers insight into the designing process and also goes further to outline what the different features do and how "Unlimited Spins" works. Upton speaks of the resurgence of fruit-themed slots, and much more. Find out more in our interview with Lucksome’s Founder & Director below.

Q: Big Hits Blazinator is Lucksome's latest release - can you tell us how this game is actually adding to what players can get out of their gaming sessions?

A very good question actually. There is a lot of content out there that I think can’t answer that question very well. I think Big Hits can (although I’m probably biased!). There’s a huge group of players out there that don’t want a lot of complexity to the games they play. Big Hits Blazinator is just that - a simple base game with a Scatter trigger and some beautifully designed symbols and a thrilling bonus. The Bonus is simple but exhilarating, as many spins as it takes until you get a Big Hit. A Big Hit is set to whatever the bonus started at so you never know how many spins it will take, so you can rack up lots of wins on the way.

Q: You mention Unlimited Spins - is this more of a marketing buzzword or a genuine intent to set yourself apart from other slot companies and introduce something new?

The feature doesn’t end like a normal bonus where you get a set number of spins. The Bonus in Blazinator ends when a single win is the same or higher than the Big Hit level. The spins go on until that happens – so it could be any number of spins - unlimited! To add to the excitement, we’ve added in special Blue Fireballs that allow players to have more than one Big Hit. It’s a pretty great feeling when you get a Big Hit and you think the bonus is over and then BAM! a Blue Fireball is revealed which keeps the bonus going by giving you an extra Big Hit. Red Fireballs will raise the Big Hit level on the side meter – increasing the chance to have an even longer bonus round with great potential. It’s a full-on action-packed bonus.

Q: You have chosen a rather classic look for your slot - is your target group players who are nostalgic of old-day slots, or is it geared towards newer generations of players who enjoy "fruit slots" all the same?

There is a definite resurgence of slots like this because of the increase of very complex slots hitting the market. We see some player fatigue, and an increased need for a simple game that they can enjoy and understand easily. Some of the newer generations of players coming into the industry often start with games like these to start understanding slots as a genre of gaming. Fruits in general are just nice to look at, bright vibrant colours and organic shapes, there’s a reason that have been around for a long time and will continue to be I would imagine.

Q: What do you think is the "Lucksome factor" that players will see in Big Hits Blazinator and know it's Lucksome who did the product?

Lucksome is still on its journey to prove to the world that we make world class slots. The more games we make the more we are making our presence felt in the industry as serious games designers who are making games for players and not making games for ourselves. The more of

our games are being played the more our name and reputation is getting out there as a studio who makes games to look for on operator lobbies all over the world.

Q: The game comes with a high bonus hit frequency - how do you think this would impact player satisfaction?

Blazinator is all about the Big Bonus feature and we felt it was a great player experience if players could experience it often in a gaming session. The Bonus can play out very differently each time, with the different starting Big Hit Levels, number of different fireballs that can land and how many wilds stick at different times in the feature. It’s a very exciting Bonus!

Q: What would determine whether Big Hits Blazinator is a hit or miss?

The players would be the best judge, although I realise that sounds obvious! If they like it, then we will see a lot of activity on the game and some good feedback on social media and forums.

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