Norbert at Gioci di Slots: "We are far ahead of most of our competitors in terms of innovation"
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Norbert Mathies, Spinmatic’s Managing Director, has talked to Giochi di Slots in a Q&A to review the company’s achievements, highlight the most successful games and features and talk about new trends in the gambling industry.
Norbert, can you please tell us your story? Who you are and what is your mission?
Spinmatic is an energetic B2B developer and supplier of outstanding multi-platform software solutions for casinos, betting operators, gaming platforms and aggregators, offering innovative products for online and retail gambling locations.
Our premium casino games engage players around the globe with their exceptional graphics and animations, unique sound FXs, and carefully developed storylines. Created from the ground up with the latest HTML5 technology, our games are designed to reach customers anytime, anywhere, and on a variety of devices.
Our mission is to empower customers by creating the world’s best HTML5 gaming experience, paying special attention to the quality of our products, the peace of mind of our loyal operators and the preferences of their enthusiastic players.
What are Spinmatic’s main differences compared to other providers? What innovations by Spinmatic are you proud of most?
I’d start highlighting the Xtreme! line of games, a unique feature that no one else has. Using 99% and above RTP makes us stand out from the rest of the slot providers. We are far ahead of most of our competitors in terms of storyline creations and innovations, too. Especially when it refers to artwork, we are one-in-a-kind; we first pick a story and then develop the game, not the other way around.
What is the development process of a game, from idea to release?
It starts as any creative process: with a story. Our team has a deep understanding of data and techniques of telling stories, a good combo between arts and mathematics. Firstly, our creative department comes up with some raw concepts depending on the existing demands. After being approved we begin writing down a storyline that mathematicians will use to develop all its features around these different topics. Both departments, arts and mathematicians, work closely to create slot symbols that fit perfectly into the storyline. Meanwhile, mathematicians are also working on the so-called par sheets, which are one of the most crucial parts of our business. During the whole creation process revisions are held by our major stakeholders; agreeing or not, not only on the storyline but also on features, mathematical models, descriptions received, etc. After everything is combined, and we have a solid product to work on, we bring it together into a system called game tech, which is our internal desktop. From this point onwards we're starting with the first QA phases to check its functionality, etc.
What are the key elements of a successful game?
As a leader in the gaming industry, we always consider the following three elements to ensure success: artwork, mathematics and gamble. People get attracted by the look and feel at first glance; the artwork has to be catchy and attract them. Once they are in, the number one criteria of success are mathematics. A mathematical model chooses volatility, adapts the game to player expectations, and makes them feel the emotions of gambling. However, it doesn’t matter how strictly you follow all the rules, metrics and innovations, when striving for success in this industry, there's always a bit of gamble in it as well.
Which games would you recommend to someone new to Spinmatic slots?
It depends on the player type but, for someone new, I would recommend starting with Xtreme! games. Our Xtreme! line revolutionised the world of slots in the market; a twist from original games but with a RTP above 99%. That brings the opportunity to the player to explore the game's behaviour on a long-term basis: get used to it, discover its world, get the feeling of winning and minimise losses.
I’d also recommend new players to try Jackpot games such as Sizzling Blaze Jackpot, a simple yet fun game, with a classic touch theme inspired by fruits burning in a sizzling fire.
What are your most successful games so far and is there anything you can tell us about upcoming releases?
The most record-breaking game in our history is Ed Jones & The Book of Seth Xtreme! Released in November 2021, it has been the number one worldwide since then.
We will very soon release a new Scratchcard game called Gold Digger. With this game, we recreate the look and mathematical models of retail Scratchcard games.
As well, within the context of the World Cup, we will be releasing a very special and mobile-focused game, SoccerMania. It will turn the industry upside-down thanks to its inedit Attack Mode feature, creating more opportunities for players to get involved in it.
And, last but not least, we should mention our new upgrades. Some of the most popular games will have their deluxe versions, like Sizzling Blaze Jackpot.
Apart from online slots, is there any other product you are focusing on at the moment and for the future?
Yes, indeed we are. We are specially focusing on Crash games, with several titles in the pipeline already. Our next release will be Bank Run, a new type of Crash game with a Wild West theme and special features like a Jackpot and Turbo mode to speed up the process.
We’re also putting our efforts into innovation. That’s why we’re trying some non-traditional content and games with rising popularity in Asia and the crypto market, like Pachinko or Mines Game, but you will have to wait a bit for those releases. Not to mention that we are planning to launch around twenty new Scratchcard games soon.
We have seen some providers, including Spinmatic, releasing what are called "crash games". Can you tell us more about those games? Will we see more and more of those in the future?
Crash games are simple games based on an increasing multiplier. The aim for players is to use the Cashout function to obtain the winnings before the “crash” happens. Guaranteed wins, unpredictability and an entertaining format have given great success to this game category, especially among young players.
What’s particularly interesting about Crash games is that players can determine volatility on their own. The whole paradigm of gambling is changed, and the game can be adapted to the player's character; the braver, the higher volatility. In regular slot games, players have no choice, instead, Crash games are decision-based games. Determined volatility is the real success of these games, giving players a feeling of influence and greater opportunities to win. For sure, we will see more and more of these games in the future.
Do you want to keep reading and know more about Spinmatic's goals, the biggest win in Spinmatics history, virtual reality and regulated markets? Read the full interview in Italian on Giochi di slots webpage here or in Spanish on Tragaperras webpage here.
