Pragmatic Play: Creating exceptional experiences for players

Pragmatic Play has secured the Player's Choice award at the recently concluded Casino Guru Awards. Today, to discuss this achievement with Casino Guru News is Anastasios Ioannidis, Head of Affiliate Marketing at ARRISE, who dug deeper into what has driven this result for the company, how players respond to products, and what sets Pragmatic Play apart.

Q: Pragmatic Play won the Player’s Choice category at the Casino Guru Awards. Why do you think the company managed to stand out?

It’s always an honour for Pragmatic Play to be recognised and celebrated by players. What makes them stand out? I would say it comes down to their relentless focus on delivering a diverse mix of high-quality games week in, week out. Each title adds something new for players, and there have been some standout releases over the past year – not least Gates of Olympus Super Scatter, Sweet Rush Bonanza, and Fortune of Olympus. With Fury of Anubis out next, it feels like there’s always a player favourite round the corner with Pragmatic Play.

Q: Even more impressively, Pragmatic Play received the highest number of public votes and secured the Players’ Choice Award for the fourth consecutive year. Do you think this comes down to stronger brand visibility, or something else?

I think it comes down to creating exceptional experiences for players. Brand presence is important, but it’s also been earned – prominent visibility in casino lobbies, affiliate websites, and streamer sessions exists because Pragmatic Play has released some of the biggest and best games the industry has ever seen.

Q: Judging by player responses, what have been the most successful aspects of Pragmatic Play’s iGaming portfolio: a specific vertical, franchise, or perhaps a particular game mechanic?

It’s not one thing. Pragmatic Play is synonymous with online slots, but it has expanded its remit over the years to include live casino and now boasts some of the top table games and game shows out there. Popular titles include Gates of Olympus Roulette, Money Time, and Sweet Bonanza CandyLand – and that’s before we even mention arcade and crash games!

Pragmatic Play also excels at building game franchises, taking popular titles such as Gates of Olympus, Big Bass Bonanza, and The Dog House and expanding them into compelling series with new themes and features.

Q: How does Pragmatic Play balance innovation with maintaining the familiar elements that players already strongly associate with its brand?

The aim is to inject fresh ingredients into every new experience to engage and retain players, while sticking to the same award-winning recipe that has made Pragmatic Play titles so popular. That’s particularly important with franchises such as Gates of Olympus, where elements of the original game are infused into each unique title in the series.

Original titles naturally offer more flexibility in this respect. The recently released Jelly Express, for example, blends the ever-popular candy theme with whimsical steam train animations, wild multipliers, a multiple-choice bonus game, and a selection of special bets. Then there’s the upcoming Fury of Anubis, which is a unique take on ancient Egyptian mythology. It's a darker theme compared to many other game worlds in the Pragmatic Play universe, but its progressive tumble win multiplier, bonus game gamble feature, and high win potential carry all the hallmarks of the Pragmatic Play brand.

Q: Finally, what’s next for Pragmatic Play, and do you expect them to return to the Casino Guru Awards next year?

More of the same, and yes, hopefully! Keep an eye out for Fury of Anubis, which launches 25 June, and many other hit releases, including The Dog House Megaways™ 1000, Big Bass Blast, and Death Dominion.

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