Yesterday we were awarded the 5 Star iGaming Media Starlet Award for Mobile Supplier of the Year, which definitely brightened our day! This was our first time being nominated at these awards, and we were up against some pretty heavy competition, so to pick up a win first time out has made this even more meaningful for us here at Play’n GO. It’s always wonderful to be nominated for any award and a great honour to come out ahead of the field as it means, not only that we’re doing something right, but we’re also making people sit up and take notice which means we’re headed in the right direction. 2018 has been a good year for Play’n GO, as this marks our 5th industry award and, who knows, there may be a few more to come yet! Watch this space…

13th September, 2018 - Play’n GO have pulled another ace from up their sleeve with their newest slot release, Street Magic. The game is based around a mysterious trickster known only as “The Magician”. The Magician will use his array of magical performance features to help players conjure up a win, in this 5-reel, 20 payline slot adventure. Rather than your usual “top hat and cape”, pull a rabbit out of a hat magician, Street Magic’s magician’s look and feel shares more in common with David Blaine, Dynamo and the new wave of ‘urban’ magicians that are taking over social media and the internet. The in-game elements are all based around The Magician’s performance features and give Street Magic a fun feel. For example, ‘The Wild Shuffle’ will add extra wilds onto the reel, while ‘The Transporting Man’ will add extra Scatters to trigger free spins! It’s the fun element, and people’s fascination with magic that Play’n GO CEO Johan Törnqvist believes that players will be drawn to: “Everybody loves the mystery and excitement of magic, and street magicians have revived the art and brought it into a new era. There’s a certain delight in being amazed by a magic trick and not knowing how it is done, and we wanted to bring that delight, and that mystery, into a slot game for audiences to enjoy.”

We’re always trying to reach new heights at Play’n GO and it seems like one of our very own has taken it very literally! Anna Chuvashyna is based in our Växjö office and she certainly reached one of the highest heights possible when she successfully climbed Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe standing at a whopping 5,642m! Part of the Caucasus mountain range in Southern Russia, Elbrus is actually a dormant volcano and climbing it represents a huge physical challenge, one Anna was ready for. We talked to Anna to learn more about her and this momentous achievement! Hi Anna, how are you doing? I’m very well thank you, how are you doing? First of all, how long have you been at Play’n GO? This year I’m celebrating 3 years at Play’n GO…yay! Congratulations on your incredible feat, had you climbed any other smaller mountains before this? No, Elbrus was actually my first mountain! Wow… that’s quite a summit to tackle for your first try! How long did it take you to prepare for it? I ran the Gothenburg half marathon just three months before climbing Elbrus, back in May, so a lot of my training for that helped me prepare for the climb. Exercise and activity are a part of who I am and, actually, I like the fact that sport is an important part of Play’n GO culture. I like to make sure I am active most days and a couple of my favourite things to do are to go for lunchtime runs in the forest and play tennis with friends and colleagues. How long did the actual climb take you? The whole expedition takes 7 days. The majority of the time is used to acclimatise to conditions and prepare for the climb. We learned how to use climbing equipment; how to work in team and how to scale the mountain safely. Each day we rose higher and higher above sea level. The final day was dedicated to the hike to the top which took us around 6.5 hours. It sounds like a lot of work. What was the hardest part for you, personally? Learning how to deal with being active whilst dealing with low levels of oxygen, that was a real challenge! That does sound difficult! What inspired you to do this? I like adventures. I get my ideas for new adventures and challenges from talking with friends and colleagues, from the internet or simply just reading a book. The idea to climb Elbrus came from some reading I did on the internet. It seemed like an exciting quest, so I thought “why not?”! So, now that you have bested Mount Elbrus, what’s next for Anna Chuvashyna? If we’re talking mountains, then the next plan is to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro! The view from the top of there promises to be spectacular! Anna Chuvashyna is a mathematician based in our office in Växjö, Sweden. She loves to travel and meet new people and her favourite pastimes include cooking, reading, participating in volunteer problems, solving maths tasks and sleeping!

We’re feeling honoured here at Play’n GO after receiving not one, not two, but FOUR nominations from two of the industry’s biggest awards! Both EGR Italy and the Global Gaming Awards in Las Vegas have nominated us for two separate awards each for their upcoming ceremonies in October. The EGR Italy Awards are held each year to celebrate “excellence in the Italian market for the last 12 months” and the Global Gaming Awards are described as “the most trusted awards in the industry”. To be nominated for both awards is both a privilege and, we feel, a testament to our hard work and continued success in gaming. For EGR Italy we were nominated in both the Mobile Supplier and Casino Content Supplier categories, whilst our nominations for the Global Gaming Awards are for Slot of the Year , for Hugo Goal, and Product Innovation of the Year for our Server Based Gaming solution, OMNY Our CEO Johan was delighted with the nominations, and he believes they are just another sign of the quality of the work we do: “It is very gratifying being nominated for any award, let alone four of them at the same time! As a company we strive to deliver the very best quality into the industry and, while we don’t do it for the accolades, nominations such as these prove that we are achieving that goal.” The awards while be held on October 4th (EGR) and October 8th (GGA)… wish us luck!

Play’n GO have announced the release of their latest slot, Rise of Olympus; an adventure based on the mighty gods of Greek legend. Rise of Olympus allows players to harness the powers of Hades, Poseidon and, king of the gods, Zeus to aid them in their quest for power and riches. It’s a cascading grid slot, following the format of previous popular titles such as Sweet Alchemy and Reactoonz, an area of slot gaming where Play’n GO are leading the market. The concept is inspired by the one of the most popular mythologies in history, the game was carefully crafted to bring some of the more popular elements of these well-known characters into the world of slot gaming. The game also provides each character with their own unique symbol, and a bonus feature based around their unique power set, helping the players to bigger wins and giving them a chance to find their favourite character. CEO Johan Törnqvist feels the attention to detail will not only catch the eye of players but will also resonate with them: “Everyone is familiar with Greek mythology so, if you are going to base a game around it, you have to do it right. I believe that the attention paid to the style of these characters will pique a player’s interest; and that the uniqueness and the detail of their characteristics will enhance their gameplay experience” He also believes that the design of such well-known characters presents its own challenges: “The Gods themselves are very popular indeed, and this can make it hard to find a unique, and fitting, style for each, as they appear in so many forms already. The key is to make them familiar enough to be recognised but still put your own unique spin on their design; it’s not always easy to find the right balance with such well-known characters but I think our team did an excellent job with making the vision into a reality”

Play’n GO are proud to announce a new strategic transition within the company, strengthening the Sales and Account Management sections of the organisation under the experienced stewardship of Sales Director, Magnus Olsson. Magnus has brought a wealth of experience to Play’n GO, having worked for nearly twenty years at major multinationals such as Hewlett Packard and Juniper Networks. His sales knowledge and customer expertise will be a tremendous boost to the company, helping drive the organisation into the next stage of development. “I’m very happy to be entrusted with moving Play’n GO into this new era,” said Olsson. “Play’n GO is a rapidly growing company and I look forward to driving continued growth and success here” This is a new direction for the company and will focus on bringing the knowledge of both sectors under one umbrella. This restructure is the first step in a strategy to focus on getting the most out of the customer facing departments, and to create a globally streamlined sales organisation within the business. CEO Johan Törnqvist also believes Magnus is a great choice: “Magnus comes to us having gained a great deal of experience throughout his career and, in his short time with us, has already shown the qualities that we were looking for to move forward in this endeavour. This is a very exciting time for Play’n GO and I’m delighted to be moving the company ahead with Magnus here alongside us”

Speaking with our CEO Johan Törnqvist, the conversation touched on, among other things our latest innovation, House of Doom, a 5-reel slot created in collaboration with Swedish metal band Candlemass, which is pushing the innovation of music-based slots further than ever, an idea Johan wanted to fully explore: “We felt that we wanted to do something else…something with more artistic freedom and definitely more involvement of the actual band, and here we have an amazing collaboration.” They also spoke about the company’s perceptible rise in the iGaming market and what the future holds for Play’n GO, something Johan feels strongly about: “We are trying to break new ground and to create something that’s not there today…” Hannah also spoke with Liana Mifsud, HR Business Partner, about the people of Play’n GO. While we’re growing, Liana believes it is crucial to grow in the right way: “We’re growing fast, but at the right pace. We have vacancies all the time, but…we are not bringing in 20 people at one time. We add them little by little, train them in that team, and then we keep going”. Check out the video for more amazing insights into Play’n GO

Play’n GO have done it again! Another entertaining concept providing a unique twist on the slot formula in their latest offering Sizzling Spins. Released just in time for the height of summer, Sizzling Spins is a 5-reel slot giving players 243 different pay ways, plus some novel bonus features! Although inspired by the idea of the traditional ‘great British BBQ’, the slot will resonate with audiences globally; BBQ’s are a celebrated pastime the world over across many different cultures and countries. Capturing the feel of a BBQ was crucial to the concept of this game, something that the creative team took very seriously from the beginning of the project right through to the final product. Producer Daniel Wright spoke about how it was accomplished: “Everyone loves a barbecue, and not only for the burnt sausages! It’s about the good feelings that come with it – sunshine, loud music and friends. We tried to recreate that feeling in Sizzling Spins in many ways. Firstly, the gameplay is focused-on fire and heat, to evoke feelings of a hot summers day. We also knew we needed to create a ‘good time’ feel with the music. What we call ‘Dad Rock’ was the stand out music choice as, no matter what your music taste, everyone can enjoy a bit of 70’s/80’s classic rock while flipping a burger, even if it’s a bit tongue in cheek. To give it that extra party feeling, players will notice the background chatter that really makes it feel like you’re tending the barbie while your friends are hanging out in the sun nearby.” After last month’s release of Hugo Goal, whose release coincided with the start of this year’s World Cup, this is another release from Play’n GO taking that same tack, and it is no accident. Having their finger on the pulse is something Play’n GO are taking seriously when it comes to releasing their games. CEO Johan Törnqvist believes it can be an important part of creating entertaining games: “Players will feel more of a connection with a game that speaks to where they are at, at any moment in time; a game that reflects their interest and what they are doing. Sizzling Spins is a huge amount of fun and we know people are going to enjoy it, the concept and relevance just adds that little bit extra for the players, and that’s what it’s all about. While Hugo appeals massively to people in the throes of the World Cup, this game is going to speak to people who love the idea of revelling in the sunshine, lighting the barbecue and appreciating some quality time and good food… and who doesn’t like that?” With its fun concept and enjoyable gameplay, Sizzling Spins looks like it might just be this summer’s hottest game.

Play’n GO want you to have the purr-fect time playing classic slot Cats and Cash so it’s been upgraded for even more fun and entertainment. This game show themed 5-reel slot has been a staple of the Play’n GO library since it’s release in 2012 and now it’s getting a whole new breath of life in 2018. The converting of the game from Flash to the internet’s most current format for media, HTML5, means it will be compatible with a whole new generation of devices and browsers. Bringing both sharper graphics and richer sound to the game and an overall rejuvenated feel to the gameplay. For those unfamiliar with the game, Cats and Cash is a game show themed 5-reel slot boasting fifteen paylines and two, exciting bonus features; Wheel of Fortune and Pick-a-Gift. You can either spin the wheel or pick a box to top up your winnings meaning that you get plenty of chances to put some money in the kitty. After recently being crowned Slot Provider of the Year at the EGR B2B Awards, CEO Johan Törnqvist believes it’s important to maintain the company’s historical offerings as well as creating new titles for the industry to enjoy. “Slot Provider of the Year is a major recognition for us as a company and it shows us, and the industry, that we are a company heading in the right direction. I believe that part of the reason that we won this award is not only because of the new innovations that we are releasing, but also because we are making sure our partners, and their players, can continue to supply and enjoy all their favourite games, past and present. It’s important to look forward, but we don’t want to leave too much behind.”

26th July, 2018 - Award-winning games supplier Play’n GO have put another great offering into the market with their latest release European Roulette Pro. An update on the hugely popular European Roulette, European Roulette Pro has brand new features to update the game and bring it into the modern era. From a technical perspective the game has been updated from Flash to HTML5 the standard format for media on the web currently. In addition to that the graphics and sound have been updated to make the overall experience more contemporary, but it’s the new features that really grab the attention. Boasting the ability to load predefined or customised bets plus a whole wealth of statistical data; from Black/Red percentage to most drawn numbers, there’s plenty in the game to keep roulette fans happy. European Roulette Pro is also available to play on mobile, a popular feature of the 2012 original, meaning players can indulge anywhere, anytime. Play’n GO CEO Johan Törnqvist believes that it’s important not only to focus on the new aspects of gaming: “We are proud to deliver new and exciting games into the world, but it’s important not to forget the ‘classics’. Roulette is a very popular game and to modernise it for our audience to allow them to continue to play and to benefit from all of the fantastic new features, is something that we take seriously too.” A staple of any casino’s game offering; Play’n GO are bringing the classics back to life.

Are you Hungry? We are. Our appetite gives us an edge. That’s how we create innovative, world-class entertainment and deliver it fresh daily. New and dynamic games like Baker’s Treat , Viking Runecraft and our latest creation Sizzling Spins . That’s why we’ll be at iGB where we’ll be present as an exhibitor and as a sponsor. We want to meet people there who are as hungry as we are, people who stay hungry and succeed and thrive by managing what’s next in this ever-evolving business. So come join us at stand Q16 on the 18th and 19th of July at iGB Amsterdam where we’ll be debuting Sizzling Spins with fun games, some cool prizes and live feed. Live the storyline using #iGBLiveFeed Still Hungry? Contact us by clicking here to speak to our Sales Team about working with us.

Play’n GO was proud to have our Development Manager in Engineering Diana Lidén hold a Tech Talk in our Swedish office entitled “The Quest for the Holy Grail” on May 30th. The talk encapsulated the journey that Play’n GO Platform Services are making the reach the ‘holy grail’ of today’s software companies; continuous delivery. IT has been a very challenging journey and resulted in numerous changes concerning process, technology and also our own personal growth. Diana went into great detail about our quest to break the mould and change the way we think and how we do things. Diana was speaking as a representative of WiTech, an IT network for women based in Växjö. The network aims to create a network for women in IT whether in industry or education. Today the organisation has over 130 members from 30 different organisations. Not only are Play’n GO honoured to sponsor this endeavour, Diana is also a member of their board. Congratulations to Diana for such a successful Tech Talk and we look forward to seeing where WiTech go to next!