Inspired is more than just a slots provider - it's a growing company that offers a variety of products for the iGaming industry. As such, we were delighted to have the opportunity to speak with them again and learn more about the new stuff they have in store.
Since the last time we spoke, Inspired has some exciting news to share. Richard Terry is here to give us a closer look at the BIG mechanics and how they have transformed the slot scene. We'll also find out how Inspired stands out from other gaming studios and much more. Without further ado, let's dive in!
Welcome, Richard! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Would like to start off by introducing yourself and Inspired Entertainment to our readers?
"Richard Terry, UK Market Product Director. I’m responsible for the whole of the UK Retail Sector, where we have over 50,000 live terminals across the Pub sector, Adult Gaming Centres, Licensed Betting Offices (LBO), Bingo Clubs and Motorway Service Areas.
As such, we have a wide variety of products that operate over 200 slot titles, and we are continually developing a wealth of new, engaging and exciting titles every year for deployment to our estates."
How are the creative and development processes organised at Inspired Entertainment?
"The creative departments are structured around a studio approach based on our three great studio brands of Inspired, Bell-Fruit Games and Astra. Each studio brings a wealth of experience to the table with Production, Design, Art and Math expertise across interactive, UK retail and our international markets.
By keeping the core skills of these studios separate but working collaboratively together, we can tailor roadmaps for Interactive and Retail to meet players’ requirements and innovate with new slot ideas, themes and mechanics. It’s competitive but collaborative."
The “BIG” mechanics has seen great success among players. What made Inspired adopt the feature, and how popular are these slots among the players?
"We created the BIG feature after challenging the internal studios to think about how to take an accepted player mechanic like free spins and move it on.
The rigidity of offering 8, 10, 12 or 15 free spins has long been popular with players, but when you start thinking outside the box, why should there be a limit? The design teams came back with some really good internal pitches; then, it was honed into a design and roadmap strategy for multiple market releases."
We’re really enjoying the Goldcash Freespins slot. For those who have not played it yet, could you let us know what players can expect from this game?
"In short, quality. The Gold Cash brand has been phenomenally successful for us in Interactive and has translated brilliantly into our retail sectors. It utilizes an excellent theme, coupled with quality math and a gamble to free spins mechanic to give players a choice of how they want to play the title."
Inspired has released another great slot titled Big Fishing Fortune. Could you tell us a bit more about this game and its features?
"Our Big Fishing Fortune title is certainly a culmination of the work we have done on the BIG mechanic. We’ve taken everything we learned from successful predecessors such as Big Piggy Bonus, Big Bonus and Big Spin Bonus and honed that into a fishing-themed game so that the planets all line up together:
Math + Mechanic + Theme + Production + some TLC = Success"
Could you give our readers a short introduction to the Stacked Fire 7’s Big Spins slot and why they should play it?
"Stacked symbol games have long been hugely popular with players and offer great entertainment whilst appealing to players with an appetite for games that can deliver big win opportunities. Coupling this brand with the Big Spins mechanic and introducing an option to gamble for Big Spins expands players’ enjoyment and experience of the title."
One of the iconic slots in your portfolio is Centurion. In your opinion, what makes Centurion such a huge slot hit?
"Much like Ancient Rome, Centurion is a legendary milestone in Inspired slot development history. It was one of those “remember where you were” moments when development teams and designers reflected on what we were really doing with our games and how to take them to the next level in terms of player experience.
I was fortunate enough to be at the original concept meetings for the game and saw how much thought was going into every aspect of the title in terms of the game narrative, playability and math.
I think it’s fair to say that when players look at Centurion, they can see how much care and, let’s be honest, investment went into it. It’s not a small game. And with the support of our customers, they made sure it was front and centre for their players to enjoy. It’s still one of Inspired’s key brands and has a loyal player following around the slot world."
What do you believe is the main advantage of Inspired compared to other gaming studios?
"We’ve discussed the competitive/collaborative aspect of the three studios, but I think Inspired’s other main advantage over other gaming studios is how multi-product and territory we are.
We know and continue to learn what players like by trying new things all the time in our land-based and interactive sectors since we can put games out in North America, Greece, Italy and multiple UK sectors. Then we have our Virtuals and iLottery divisions offering us access to new ideas, resources and players all the time."
What else are we going to see from Inspired in the upcoming months?
"We will continue to deploy exciting and immersive for the players out there to enjoy, with some exciting brand extensions in the pipeline and some breathtaking new ideas that you’ll just have to be patient with us and wait for."
Thank you for your time! Is there anything you would like to say to all people visiting Slotswise?
"If your visitors haven’t played an Inspired slot in a while, come back in and have a play on the latest games. You’ll be pleasantly surprised and certainly entertained!"