Chipy.com had the pleasure of interviewing Robert Lee, Realistic Games’ Commercial Director, a software provider company with decades of experience in the iGaming industry. Explore our carefully crafted interview and learn more about Realistic Games and their excellent iGaming products.
Q: Where do you get inspiration when it comes to your slot games?
It’s a team effort where everyone brings ideas to the table and many of our best concepts have emerged from brainstorming sessions and casual chats around the office with colleagues.
Our development teams are responsible for the creative process and I think it is fair to say that they find inspiration from within the industry but also looking to others, such as video games and films.
Realistic Games is known for its signature style, which is also a source of inspiration when it comes to developing new mechanics, bonus rounds, or themes that perfectly fit within our portfolio.
Q: What do you think are the key factors that make your games appreciated by players?
The Realistic brand is unique and very identifiable, especially across our cabinet collection. A few years ago, we began displaying online slot games within the iconic land-based cabinet machines, giving players the option to toggle between a different view of the reels.
This made the games more immersive, particularly for players who enjoyed a more traditional look and feel. I think we’re also appreciated for delivering quality with every title, from the maths-model right through to the graphics and themes.
We’ve been in the industry for a long time and know what our players want and like. It’s about offering the best experience available, with feature sets, mechanics, and aesthetics that are familiar yet bring an edge of originality with each new release.
Q: Let’s dive into your latest releases and talk a little bit about your newest game, Bar-X™ 7even. What were the stages of the development process?
Bar-X™ 7even is an interesting one to pick out. It was created in collaboration with Electrocoin who brought the original game to market in the land-based arcade and bingo sector and will in fact be the tenth title we’ve made with them when it is released in January.
The collection is based on Electrocoin’s all-time classics, including the original Bar-X™, making the development process a little different from your standard slot. We’ve looked into every detail, from the replication of the exact original glass, the sounds, and all of the features that land-based players enjoy, right down to the attract mode that plays when the game isn’t active for a period of time.
We even purchased some reel bands from the original machines on eBay. Their games defined an era, so it was important to ensure our online recreations were exactly right. Bar-X™ 7even introduces a higher volatility title that turns up the intensity for impressive win potential.
Q: As the end of the year approaches, can you tell us what game/s from your large portfolio is the most successful slot/s game/s of 2020?
In 2020 we majored in our Game Changer and Electrocoin series, both of which continue to perform very well. Out of the top ten of our entire game portfolio, 50% of the entries are titles from both of these series.
However, the most successful of all is actually a hybrid of the two, Bar-X Game Changer. The enduring popularity of the Bar-X brand combined with our exciting new Game Changer mechanic has been a marriage made in heaven.
Q: What are your personal favorite games in the Realistic Games collection? What makes them stand out from the rest?
Super Graphics Upside Down takes the top spot for me and is one of our most played games to date. This year we gave fans of the game a special treat, releasing a version of the title that featured our popular Game Changer bonus round.
This added a whole other layer of entertainment to the slot, delivering impressive prizes and high winning potential. I also still love to play Hot Cross Bunnies Loadsabunny. It’s an all-time classic with gameplay that never gets old even years after its first release. Whether it’s an intense, high volatility slot or an easy-to-play instant win, Realistic’s portfolio has something for everyone.
Q: What do you think will be the direction for Realistic Games in this new decade?
Our key to success will be to continue to do what we’ve always done – compete with the bigger suppliers in the areas that we excel at, which are our customer focus and relationships.
Our differentiation compared to other suppliers is one of our great strengths and we will continue to deliver classic style games with a signature style that stands our brand apart.
In line with this continued drive for excellence, will be an expansion into new territories; essentially wherever our operators want to lead us, but there are two regions that we have earmarked specifically, Italy and Spain.
Q: When you develop a new game, do you take into account what type of users will be more inclined to play that game (beginner, intermediate, advanced), or do you design games that can be played by all types of players?
Yes and no. Our instant win collection is naturally geared to more casual, low stakes players and tends to perform well on bingo sites, while our slots offer a broader range of experiences to suit a more varied audience.
Getting the maths-model right is the priority with any slot, but it isn’t necessarily developed with a certain player in mind. While it used to be that the more complex, higher volatility slots attracted only the hardcore slot crowd, this is shifting lately with better player education.
Q: What can you tell Realistic Games fans about your upcoming slot titles? Can you share with us some “behind the scenes” details?
Next year will be similar in terms of 3 and 5-reel games, which continue to be popular with players. We have one coming in February, Red Hot Gambler, which is a 3-reel game with a fourth bonus reel.
We’ll also be expanding the Game Changer series with both original titles and remakes of some of the biggest hits in our back catalog. We’re going to be adding a buy-in feature where permitted which allows players to buy-in to the Game Changer bonus round.
We hope this will be music to the ears of those who like to jump straight into the action. There’s a lot to look forward to!
Final Thoughts
If you are a fan of iGaming, then trying out some awesome Realistic Games titles is a must! You can easily do this by checking out our Free Realistic Games Games page. Enjoy!