Games design studio AvatarUX recently released its latest slot title last week with the debut title in the PopWins series, PopRocks.
Becoming the second release in its partnership with Yggdrasil, PopRocks unleashes mystical gems with arcane powers that pop and multiply which expands the win potential to 72,188x the original stake.
The title has been launched across 300 plus brands and has been picked up by numerous operators which are expected to “all be live soon.”
PopRocks is the first game to use the innovative new PopWins mechanics, where symbols ‘pop’ and are replaced with two new symbols and expanding reels, giving players the chance to achieve major wins.
SlotBeats has spoken to AvatarUX’s managing director, Marcus Honney on the thinking behind PopRocks, what players can expect and the future of slots.
SlotBeats: What inspired the thinking behind PopRocks?
Marcus Honney: With PopRocks we wanted to express the core essence of the mechanical framework for the player to experience. From the dynamically expanding reels, the in-round collections of Pops, the growing of multipliers and the unlock triggering max reel expansion of a powerful Wild. Players of PopWins games will see more of that along with combinations of other features coming together in exciting ways: players will always instinctively recognise a PopWins game.
We wanted to go simple and slick, but also be thematically true to the essence of the game, so gemstones were an early decision. PopRocks was a popping candy from the eighties and was a fun name to go with given the release of Starburst and Opal Fruits.
SB:What can players expect when they play PopRocks?
MH: PopRocks is the first game on the IP protected mechanical framework called PopWins. It is a unique yet versatile framework, which we will be releasing several versions of over the course of this year. In this first game the player will experience a win-all-ways game with up to 33,614 ways to win and a max win potential of x72,188
SB: What makes PopRocks stand out amongst the sea of other slot titles?
MH: With PopRocks and in fact as with all our games we are consistently looking to balance the artwork with immersive gameplay. Today, it’s all about recognition and brand awareness
As a design studio, we look forward to a challenge, but we only take informed risks and we put a lot of time in studying and research. Reacting quickly to customer feedback while utilising the wealth of our partners experience has placed us firmly in a position to grow in 2020.
We have an all-encompassing approach to game design, placing an equal focus on both the math models and the artwork, animations, UX and gameplay. Players may be captivated by the eye-catching visuals, but it’s the mechanics, gameplay and math models that will keep their attention.
It’s paramount to put lots of resources into the pre-production process, and we really do our research at AvatarUX.
SB: How does the company constantly come up with fresh new ideas and where do you see slots heading in the future?
MH: At AvatarUX we have some of the brightest brains in the industry. We fervently look for opportunities we believe may have been missed, then we tailor the games to them. We also watch streamer channels and online reviews and have had some good ones ourselves from the streamer community. I think that in the future, many designers will see the benefit of utilising the abundance of new sources and garnering useful information and research from the ever-evolving places from which it can be taken.
As a smaller company, we are agile enough to take advantage of new trends when we notice them. We are also fully aware of what we can produce with the resources we have and how to make them a success – and that’s how we plan to continue. Because as previously mentioned we have made sure that players always instinctively recognise a PopWins game!
PopRocks and PopWins are registered trademarks
