PearFiction Studios is one of those gaming studios that strives to offer players awesome online slots with unique features and high-end graphics. The company started as a developer of mobile games for Android and iOS, after which it jumped into the iGaming industry. Once that happened, PearFiction proved themselves as one of the most talented studios capable of creating incredible video slots.
Thierry Semoff, founder and CEO at PearFiction Studios, agreed to participate in the SlotsWise's interview series and give our readers an insight into the studio's history, work, as well as their upcoming releases. If you want to discover the titles of the games that PearFiction plans to release in the upcoming months, continue reading our interview!
Welcome, Thierry! We're so glad to have you and PearFiction in our interview series. First things first, could you please introduce yourself and PearFiction Studios to our readers?
"I'm Thierry Semoff, founder and CEO of PearFiction Studios. It's no secret that I wear many hats as CEO, but my primary responsibilities are to lead game design and the studio's development pipeline. Firstly, let me thank you for providing PearFiction with the opportunity to introduce our young studio to your readers at Slotswise.
Prior to establishing PearFiction Studios, I conducted numerous business endeavours. I started my career as an aerospace technician and turned multimedia entrepreneur in the mid-’90s to shepherd the development of a few multimedia companies, then helmed the production and design of a small army of educational programs, applications, and mobile games.
PearFiction Studios was founded in 2014 with a focus on developing casual mobile games for iOS and Android devices. We originally published around a dozen small to mid-sized casual games such as Blitz Racer, Blocks Quiz, Tiny Necromancer, Alien Road Rage, and later PowerUp Slots™.
Mobile casual games were fun to develop but ROI was hard to achieve. Some of our most successful games were casino games; their popularity led us to make the switch to online casino games in mid-2016. We showed up at G2E that fall with a paper flip-book of slot designs and landed a game deal with Leander to host our first licensed games, Gustavo El Luchador and OuterSpace Invaders.
At ICE the following year, we signed The Smashing Biscuit as a licensed game with Microgaming and Goblins Go Wild as a bespoke deal with Casumo. These games and exposure led to additional bespoke game contracts from late 2018 to mid-2019. Then in November 2019, we signed an exclusive game development agreement with Microgaming. Which has propelled us into the iGaming world, and it’s been full speed ahead ever since."
PearFiction Studios was established in 2014. How your games have grown in terms of gameplay and graphics since your first release?
"PearFiction Studios was founded with the purpose of developing casual games for Android and iOS platforms before moving into the iGaming world in 2019. From the beginning, we have strived to create each game with a unique character, a story it can tell, and a mark that reflects the PearFiction style.
Our games combine humour, amazing artwork, a variety of features, a high level of survivability, and opportunities for high bonuses. Most importantly, our games are an enjoyable gameplay experience.
The emphasis of our games is placed on players and the journey they may take to reach the bonus round. Our aim is to provide players with an experience that is diverse and as thrilling as possible. It is important to remember that bonuses are only one aspect of the game, the player must be entertained and engaged as they spin and wait for that big potential bonus."
Your games are filled with innovative features like the Epic Jackpots we’ve seen in the Blazing Mammoth slot. Do you plan on including other features in some upcoming releases?
"Of course, that is the fun part. We are constantly watching industry trends, playing new games, and analysing the potential of new mechanics. There are just so many things to love and experiment with!! It's one of the reasons our industry is so remarkable, it's what makes us tick.
In the short term, you will see PearFiction pushing the edge of instant jackpots/prizes and EpicStrike™ mechanics with 15 Tridents™ SwiftHits® which launches globally this month, March 2022. Poseidon, the Greek God of the sea, and specifically his mythical Trident, became the inspiration for this game.
As its name suggests, 15 Tridents™ offers fifteen SwiftHits® instant jackpots that can be triggered in both the base game and the free spins game by landing SwiftHits® Tridents symbols. SwiftHits® jackpots range from 1.25x to 10,000x total stake, depending on the number of SwiftHits® symbols that trigger them. Landing 15 SwiftHits® Trident symbols would trigger the grand jackpot and 10,000x times your bet.
We will also dive deeper and enhance our LockNWin™ mechanics with the launch of Blazing Piranhas™ by the summer. It is crucial to develop games that are unique and have high retention, high entertainment, and high production values with so many games being released each month. This is a demand from the market and from operators, and we're meeting that demand."
You’ve released the Squealin’ Riches slot back in October 2021 and it has quickly become one of the top-performing games at SlotsWise. Could you share some details about the inspiration and development of this game?
Indeed, Squealin' Riches has been very well received. There is competitive gameplay, interactive elements, as well as a number of bonus features. We are thrilled by the success of this game and the popularity of our shining star, Mr Piggy.
As previously said, PearFiction has a reputation for creating games with personality, that is, games that tell a story. Our initial idea was to sprinkle the base game with some nice random modifiers. The goal was to develop a game featuring a central character who would serve as the host and star of the game. The piggy bank idea was born.
Piggy is quite the charm! Our intent was to develop a game that appealed to different types of players, from casual players to veteran players, and that would appeal to players of all ages and genders. The theme of Squealin' Riches is one that embodies these principles as it combines an amazing amount of humour, amazing artwork, depth of features, and high potential bonuses, but most importantly, an enjoyable gameplay experience.
One of the main features of Squealin’ Riches is the LockNWin™ game, our mechanic that puts a twist on the classic Links and Hold & Respin features. In Squealin’ Riches, you need at least 6 Gold Piggy Coins from one spin to trigger the feature as 3 respins are awarded. All Gold Piggy Coins become sticky, along with the Mini, Minor, Major, Grand, and Epic Jackpots. Filling the reels with 20 Gold Piggy Coins triggers the Epic Jackpot worth up to 10,000 times your stake!
We have designed a few unique features in our LockNWin™ mechanic that make it far more than a simple Hold & Respin game. Coin Multipliers and Jackpot Upgrades can land in the feature to make it even more exciting. Multiplier symbols, as their names indicate, multiply the value of any Gold Piggy Coin symbol present on the reels by up to 10x times their value."
What makes you proud about your games? How are they standing out from the crowd?
"Whether it sounds cliché or not, it is truly rewarding to work with people who share your passion and are dedicated to achieving excellence on both a creative and technical level. Our games, players, and fans, are always guaranteed the best quality from us. In my opinion, all of us at PearFiction embody Pearfictionism in one way or another. It is immensely rewarding to work with such a talented and passionate team of “PearFictionists”.
It is clearly gratifying when our games are well received by operators and players alike, but considering there are so many games released every month, it is necessary to develop unique games with a high level of production value and quality.
Every time we develop a new game story, we look for a way to include particular game mechanics and features. That is, in my view, the most creative and exciting portion of the process. Initially, there is an idea, and then all the pieces of the story and the gameplay features start to come together.
We aim to offer players a unique gameplay experience by combining stories, humour, high levels of survivability, depth of features, with amazing characters and artwork. Our games are influenced by classic land-based casino titles that have been proven to be successful.
By creating content from a portrait-first perspective and implementing fun mechanics to offer players a vast range of choices and an excellent playing experience, we are able to stand out as a young studio in a very competitive industry where you’re only as good as your last exclusive."
How important would you say the collaboration with Microgaming has been for the success of your games?
"We began in the industry as an independent studio. Our primary focus was developing our own IP and licensed titles while developing bespoke games was done as a means of covering the costs. As developers, we have learned that creating great games is only half the battle. The second component is getting top-notch distribution that is capable of generating decent revenues.
As a result of our exclusive partnership with Microgaming, our games are now available through Microgaming's global distribution network to hundreds of licensed operators worldwide.
I will answer your question by saying that Microgaming and its affiliates have played an important role in our achievement. We have no doubt that we made the best decision for our studio. It has exceeded our expectations. In partnering with Microgaming, we are able to focus on developing high-quality games while utilising the company's extensive distribution network."
Are there any games from other developers that inspire you to create your slots?
"It's a great question and yet one that is extremely difficult to answer. We play online games, mobile games, land-based games, as well as console games. Every day, we play, observe trends, discover new games, and explore the potential of new mechanics The possibilities are endless!
It is our passion, it is what makes us tick. It is one of the many reasons why our industry is so amazing, and picking only one game would be extremely difficult for me. So many exciting games are now coming out, pushing the envelope and forcing our propellers to think and innovate. We are constantly redefining benchmarks!"
What upcoming releases and innovations can we expect from PearFiction in 2022?
"2021 has been a very exciting year for us, and we have an amazing roadmap ahead of us. Our main objective is to release about eight titles between now and the end of 2022. It might be less, but in the end, it is quality that matters more to us.
In the short term, you will see PearFiction pushing the edge of instant jackpots/prizes and our SwiftHits® mechanics with 15 Tridents™ coming out in March of this year. We are adding to our roadmap this Summer, Treasure of Kilauea™, not only is it packed with outstanding graphics and music, and it brings an exciting and fun WILD mechanic into the mix. This game will benefit from a progressive version as well as a regular slot(fix jackpot).
We will also dive deeper and enhance our LockNWin™ mechanics with the launch of Blazing Piranhas™ by the end of Q3 of this year. When a Piranha Wild is right adjacent to a character symbol, the Piranha Wild attack the unwitting swimmer and turns it wild. The LockNWin™ triggers when 6 coins land on the reels. Collect the LockNWin™ coins and fill the meter to trigger a traffic tri-level Bonus Wheel!
Watch out for PearFiction! We have a lot of exciting games coming out exclusively on the Microgaming platform in the coming months. We are truly looking forward to seeing players enjoying our games throughout 2022 and beyond!"
Wow, this was incredible. Thank you, Thierry, for giving us such comprehensive answers and insights! We're looking forward to playing, testing, and reviewing your new online slots!
In the meantime, make sure to check PearFiction Studios and try their already launched games to see the unique gameplay first-hand.