Behind the Slotlist: Pulling off the Innovative Features of Piggy Heist

During our conversation, Erik Hellstrom, Game Strategy Specialist at Play’n GO, makes a rather interesting culinary comparison when describing his feelings ahead of the release of Piggy Heist – the latest exclusive addition to PokerStars Casino’s The Slotlist this month.

Specifically, he’s trying to explain that it will be more a feeling of curiosity dominating his thoughts as players get a first look at Piggy Heist: “Imagine how a chef feels watching their food being eaten by guests,” he says. “That’s how we feel!”

Hellstrom continues: “It’s always exciting to push a game we’ve worked so hard on into the hands of the players. At this stage, we’re not particularly worried because we aren’t shooting in the dark. We’ve been doing this for so long, and we understand both the art and the science of online slots to such a deep level, the main emotion is actually one of curiosity.”

An early concept for the backdrop to Piggy Heist

Indeed, Play’n GO are experienced – they’re celebrating 20 years in the game creation business this year and have a vast portfolio of over 400 premium titles in their locker. Think Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead or Rise of Olympus; Play’n GO have produced some of the most-played games in the iGaming industry over the past two decades.

“Play’n GO has spent the last two decades building the very best online casino entertainment”, offers Hellstrom. “We’ve never been afraid to do things differently. We were the first to pivot to mobile gaming (way back in the mid-2000s), and we were the first to stress the importance of sustainable, regulated online casino gaming.”

Success

The key to their sustained success, according to the Game Strategy Specialist, lies very much in what they see as the fundamental point of why these games exist – to entertain.

A standalone of one of the scatter wipe coin symbols in Piggy Heist

“We’ve proven time and again we can build the most innovative and exciting titles in the world, and that’s because we are focused on delivering entertaining experiences, rather than ways for people simply to gamble. A Play’n GO game is, above everything else, fun. And Piggy Heist is just the latest in a long list of classics we’ve created.”

Speaking of Piggy Heist, can he take us back to how the idea came about? Who was involved? Where did it happen? Let’s unpick the creative process.

“We’re always on the lookout for interesting themes that are going to catch people’s attention”, begins Hellstrom. “In a saturated online slots market, it isn’t easy to come up with novel concepts, but we have a really strong track record of landing on unfamiliar themes that nonetheless resonate. Piggy Heist is a particularly interesting one, as we’ve taken two quite well-known and already popular themes and combined them in a very special way.”

As the production of the game progressed, the look and feel of the characters took shape

It’s clear that Play’n GO have the game creation process down to a fine art. 20 years of fine-tuning at its finest. It’s also clear that this process is fully integrated across the various stages and departments from the earliest point. And, Play’n GO think long term when it comes to where they see their games going. It’s not a ‘one and done’ approach.

Hellstrom explains: “We settled on a theme early on, but we were immediately thinking about visuals that we could build upon for future iterations. We don’t really separate visuals from other elements like narrative or gameplay when we are creating new games. For us, everything is linked. The stars of Piggy Heist, the group of pigs, open up lots of potential narrative arcs and storylines that can work in different settings.”

The Game Strategy Specialist offers a little bit of insight on the cross-team work: “As with all great things, it was a group effort. This has always been the Play’n GO way. We don’t believe in putting teams into silos. The best work comes when we all closely collaborate, from ideation through execution. Piggy Heist is a fantastic example of the sort of title this approach leads to.”

Standout

Let’s look at Piggy Heist in more detail. What makes this title standout from others on the market right now?

“We’ve packed Piggy Heist with some really innovative features”, enthuses Hellstrom. “There’s plenty for players to get stuck into. Those who locate the stethoscope will unlock new Wild-features, including Multiplier Wilds, Expanding Multiplier Wilds, Sticky Wilds with Re-Spins, Expanding Walking Wilds and Mega Wilds.

“In total, 30 stethoscopes are hidden throughout the game, and you’ll need them all to unlock all stages.

“On top of that, there’s the chance to trigger the Hold & Spin each time a coin appears on the reels where the player can choose to play. The coin can also be collected by the Money Bag, which appears on reels one or six.”

He adds: “In short, there’s a huge amount going on in Piggy Heist which we feel gives the game real longevity.”

Another early image of the Piggy Heist backdrop

That longevity is part of the game’s USP, Hellstrom feels: “Players are joining the pigs for a heist, unlocking Wilds along the way that can either multiply, provide re-spins or form a mega-shape.

“What’s really cool is that players can take part in a journey where more possibilities present themselves as the game progresses. It also features a Hold & Spin mechanic.”

After all the work and effort, there’s no doubt that Hellstrom, and Play’n GO, feel Piggy Heist will strike the right chord with players and prove to be the hit they expect.

“We always have high hopes, because we know what’s gone into the games”, he says. “With Piggy Heist, we’re confident the results will be impressive.”

The Slotlist

What could also add to this confident outlook is the opportunity for Piggy Heist to be included in PokerStars Casino’s The Slotlist this month. The Slotlist offers game producers the placement of their prized title exclusively on the curated platform. The Slotlist is the stage for games combining distinctive mechanics with unique ideas. How does Hellstrom and Play’n GO feel about this?

“It is an absolute honour. We love it when people take an interest in our games, our processes and our team. And we’re thrilled to give fans a sneak peek behind-the-scenes at Play’n GO!