Interview: Managing Director and Game Producer, Yurii Fil, speaks with affiliate Mr Gamble on how we develop our slots
Recently, the casino affiliate Mr-Gamble interviewed Yurii Fil, Managing Director and Game Producer at Push Gaming. In the interview, George spoke about Push Gaming’s rise to fame, what goes into developing popular slots and a bit about his favourite Push Gaming slots, as well as what they have coming up next.
What do you think makes Push Gaming stand out from other providers?
At Push, we are truly passionate about games and try to create ones that we would want to play ourselves. We take our time to create games as we strongly believe that every single game we release needs to offer something different for players to enjoy. Games need to be innovative and exciting right from the very first spin, and work in a way that engages players all throughout their gameplay sessions.
This is exactly why we do not release multiple games a month. We are not afraid to take risks and will work hard to create something truly unique and memorable that will stand the test of time. The slots market, and entertainment in general, is so highly saturated, with so much already competing for our attention, that it is imperative we only release content that we know will appeal to players.
What goes into developing a successful slot?
Firstly, of course, a passion for slots is a must. Apart from being creators of games, we are also players ourselves and so this helps immensely when coming up with new concepts and ideas.
It’s also very important to have a good understanding and knowledge of current trends - both in the igaming space, and in entertainment in general. Inspiration can come from anywhere so keeping a close eye on what is going on around us is crucial.
As already mentioned, at Push, we are not afraid to take risks, and because of this, we enjoy trying to predict what future game and player trends could be. We follow plenty of game releases and other entertainment developments, but we are also very focused on affiliate and streamer forums which helps us to understand what it is that players want.
Predicting future trends is no easy task and comes with a high degree of uncertainty and risk, particularly when so much time and effort goes into creating a game. We are pleased to say that most of the time, this has paid off well. For example, back in 2018 we released Jammin’ Jars, and this quickly became one of our most popular games, and still is to this day.
We believe that as a developer, one must always try to bring something new to the market and is key if one wants to be an industry leader.
Why do you think slots like Jammin’ Jars 2 and Razor Shark are so popular?
Jammin’ Jars 2 and Razor Shark are undoubtedly two of our biggest hits and we’re so humbled by the incredible feedback we’ve received from players, streamers and friends within the industry.
There was definitely an incredible amount of hype surrounding the launch of Jammin' Jars 2, following the huge success of the original game. This was both really exciting for us, but also nerve wracking as expectations were set extremely high!
Jammin’ Jars 2 is so popular as it’s a truly eventful game - something exciting is always about to happen! It’s a brilliant production with a vibrant, colourful and inviting theme, appealing graphics and animation, and of course, the much-loved Jar characters. What definitely makes this game stand out is the fact that reaching the max level is achievable. We didn’t want this game to be a grind, and so, made it possible that the chance of max win of 50,000x can be won at any level of the game.
It also offers high levels of engagement throughout, and not just in the Giga Jar feature. It’s also good to note that once players trigger the Giga Jar Feature, they never go back to level one. It’s either level two, three or four, which helps players feel their progress hasn't been lost. When it appears, it will also land on the reels as a 2x2, or a paying 3x3 or 4x4 Instant Prize block, where 8 Free Spins are then awarded.
Once we are talking about Jammin’ Jars, actually it’s also good to mention that we’ve recently launched a Bonus Buy feature on the original Jammin’ Jars game! This will be available on some of our other games in the coming months.
Razor Shark too, is another well-crafted game that really engages and brings about fun and anticipation right from the very start.
It offers exciting win potential right from the base game with its wildly progressive free spins and continues to entertain further with the unique features we’ve included, such as the nudging and reveal symbol and razor reveal instant win prizes.
The game is also designed in a way to offer a high level of entertainment by including an element of surprise! The razor reveal mechanic makes it tough to predict what will happen, and really keeps players engaged when the seaweed reveals the mystery and coin symbols. It’s a game that makes you want to pay attention to what is happening as you wouldn't want to miss any of the excitement.
What are your favourite Push Gaming slots and why?
I’ve got many favourites that I could talk about! However, if I were to focus on our more recent games, I’d say that Fat Drac is definitely one of them.
The most recent game in our popular ‘Fat’ series, Fat Drac takes everything that’s fun and engaging from Fat Rabbit and Fat Santa, but also includes many more new features to try out and is also more volatile which increases anticipation and excitement levels!
One of the ways in which players can experience this is through the Instant Prizes. These are visible at all times during the game, and nudge by one position with every spin. With the chance to reach 50,000x in the base game, it’s no wonder this game has already become a firm favourite. We’ve already had this happen just a few days after launch.
The coffin pick feature is also one to look out for. This raises the level of engagement and anticipation as players get to see what it is that they’ve selected. This could be more bats, a goblet symbol or additional Free Spins. There are many other random surprises that can happen that are set to keep players engaged throughout.
I’m also really excited about two of our upcoming releases, Fire Hopper (out on 7th December) and Bison Battle (out on 20th January).
Fire Hopper takes players in a peaceful country setting, where a Wild Fire Frog takes charge of a pond. It’s full of hidden surprises and quickly becomes extremely eventful as it’s full of increasing wilds and multipliers. A Bonus Buy feature will also be available.
Bison Battle is a game we’re extremely excited about. We love the North American theme and it’s packed with features that really make it a super fun and fast paced game. It’s got a very strong and eventful base game with two bonuses and the option to purchase a bonus buy feature too.
