CEO and Co-founder of Print Studios sits down with Bigwinboard to chat about all the cool stuff to come, his past accomplishments with Push Gaming, and the politics of iGaming. You don’t want to miss this…
Bigwinboard: Hi Carl, hope you had a great summer and thanks for doing this interview with us. We’re really excited about Print Studios and are eager to hear more. But first, for those who don’t know you, can you tell us a bit more about yourself and your background in the industry?
Carl Wiggman: First of all, I am super excited to be able to do this interview, speaking to you guys and most importantly having you guys review our games is a bit of a dream come true. I’ve always been completely fascinated with games of all kinds, breaking down any game I played with my friends and discussing how we would make it better. Another thing I’ve always loved is gambling, be it slots, poker, betting, tables, just something about the thrill of having both risk and reward in play. Because of this it’s been an almost gravitational pull towards game creation in my career, starting at Unibet group (now Kindred) and then Push Gaming as a product owner before this. My games at Push were The Shadow Order, Joker Troupe and then I left just before my third, Land of Zenith, came out.
Bigwinboard: Oh wow, that is really impressive. Those are some big games you’ve worked on! Maybe we should also point out, you are the man behind user account VismundCygnus, a well-known and highly popular commenter on Bigwinboard. You always give balanced and constructive feedback, which we all love to read.
Carl: I’ve always liked commentating, analyzing and discussing slots, but I think it took the kind of diligence you have for it to feel worthwhile. It was just so fun to read the in-depth thoughts of you guys, with a similarly frank mindset. It’s been awesome seeing the community appreciate my little rants, and even better seeing more and more people joining in on the discussions.
Bigwinboard: What made you decide to start a new studio? Some would say it’s crazy given the fierce competition. It’s safe to say the market is kind of saturated. Having said that, we do see smaller studios such as Hacksaw Gaming, Nolimit City, and Peter & Sons doing some super interesting games and basically running circles around some of the big providers, creating hype around their games the big guys seem incapable of doing. What did the journey look like to get to this very point, and what was the thought process going through your mind?
Carl: This is probably the most difficult time ever to create a new successful studio, we are well aware of that. The main reason me and my two co-founders Tomas and Filip, whom I used to live with in London, still decided to do it, is simply because we saw the opportunity to do things even better. We don’t believe the best games are made by being pumped out once a week by behemoth companies comprising thousands of people, of which very few (especially at the top) are actually getting down and dirty with the slot creation. We think it’s more like a band, where the best results come when a small group cooperate and challenge each other to push the limits.
“We believe we’ve found some incredible talent and we’re only just scratching the surface of what they can achieve”
Bigwinboard: Can you tell us a bit more about your team? How many are you currently? Do they also have backgrounds in other studios?
Carl: Currently we’re 10 people including two advisors. Everyone in the team have extensive and star-studded backgrounds, with quite a few from Quickspin. Basically, a bunch of hungry veterans. Of course, getting a team together has been our most important task here in the start and also the accomplishment we’re most proud of. We believe we’ve found some incredible talent and we’re only just scratching the surface of what they can achieve.
Bigwinboard: So, your upcoming game is called Crystal Golem, to be released on October 12 with the help of Relax Gaming’s Silver Bullet platform. What can you tell us about that? On your website, it’s mentioned that the game will utilise a brand new mechanic called SuperSpinners. You have to tell us more about that.
Carl: Yes, I can’t wait for you guys to see this, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous about the review. I want to save the details of how it works for that, but to paint the picture it’s a game that has a dynamic base game thanks to the interaction with the SuperSpinners mechanic and cascades. SuperSpinners are multipliers that sit between the reels, and if a winline goes through them the multiplier will apply to the win. If the winline goes through two spinners, they will each multiply the win independently, so it can hit very hard if stars align. The best possible single line win is 20,000x. The Spinners will always “respin” with a multiplier on a cascade, so you get a bit of Gonzo vibes in trying to build them up. In the free spins we’re doing a take on the impossible dream of having sticky wilds (on every reel) in a cascading slot. There’s a lot of crazy things to be explored, but you won’t notice until you start getting to know it.
“For us, it is more important that a game is fun for 10,000 spins than the first 100 spins, which is a slightly different mindset compared to most providers”
Bigwinboard: Sounds pretty cool. Can’t wait to try it out, Carl! What is your vision for Print Studios? Where do you see yourselves in, say, 5 years? What can players expect of you? Do you guys have any set principles you’re set on sticking to?
Carl: 5 years is a long time so who knows, but one thing that will always be our top priority is bringing honest and reliable gambling experiences. Just an example, but the wheel in our first slot, Book of Destiny, looks like it has 50/50 chance of win or lose, and that’s exactly the case. If the chance was different, it would also look different. Wherever possible, we’ll do the same with other mechanics. The goal is to create machines that you can get to know and understand. For us, it is more important that a game is fun for 10,000 spins than the first 100 spins, which is a slightly different mindset compared to most providers, who are very focused on FTUE (first time user experience). That is important for us too, but number one for us are the picky enthusiasts like ourselves.
Another hot potato that goes into this is RTP and configurable RTP. I personally think slots should have a bit higher RTP in general than they do now, and more importantly, I don’t think players should have to check the rules every time they start up a game to understand what RTP it has today. You can change prices at the supermarket on a daily basis, but only because the price tag is right there in front of you. So, we want to avoid configurable RTP and the like at all costs, but then sometimes you get a situation like Germany where the very regulation itself dictates RTP has to be low. For this reason, Crystal Golem won’t come out in Germany for now, but in the future, we might make a separate model that will only be active for German players. At the end of the day, all countries want the same thing: tax from betting duties, and control over operators to reduce gambling harm. Still, not a single regulation agrees what steps are needed in order to achieve that, perhaps due to a lack of understanding of the player’s perspective.
Often, regulators will step into game design and create rules that apply to all games but have completely different effect on slots of different genres. For example, minimum spin time affects grid slots more negatively than reel-based slots, because a cascading grid slot needs to have fast deadspins to make up for the long spins when you start winning. In a way, a grid slots’ spin “starts” when you get the first win. There’s a bit of a wasted opportunity here, because one thing a lot of companies are good at in this industry is solving problems. For example, self-exclusion tools that work across all sites in a country are actually effective against gambling harm without hurting regular players. Imagine if the same tools were available for buying cigarettes or alcohol!
Bigwinboard: Really like your thoughts on this and agree with you. Moving on a bit, what I find apparent from your commentary on Bigwinboard, is that you’re very passionate about slots. I get the impression you are ”one of us”. Your comments have always been in the best interest of the players, no matter the subject. That is also what has made you such a well-liked member. When talking about slots, do you see any new trends on the horizon? What do you think the future looks like?
“For the future, I think we’re in for some really awesome gaming experiences if things go the way I hope”
Carl: Thank you, it really warms to hear all the kind words from you and the community members. For the future, I think we’re in for some really awesome gaming experiences if things go the way I hope. I believe it will come step by step, and I think there will be a lot of fun choices involved. It requires an appetite for slightly more complexity, and better categorization in the casinos as new players won’t be ready for it, but for us hardcore players I think it will be really fun. Of course, most predictions about the future are wrong, so don’t hold me to it.
Bigwinboard: How did you find Bigwinboard by the way, and what made you start commenting? What role does Bigwinboard play in the industry do you think?
Carl: I honestly can’t remember exactly how I found BWB, but I remember why I stuck around. The quality of the reviews and their integrity was like finding a cold tap in Sahara. I don’t always agree with the verdicts, but that’s not what matters. Its reviews from knowledgeable people that, for once, aren’t influenced by deals or copying someone else. Bigwinboard has a lot of other benefits to the industry but being a role model in this regard is most important to me, showing that good quality and integrity prevails.
Bigwinboard: Happy to hear that Carl, thank you for the kind words. So, to round this interview off, which are your favorite slots and providers?
Carl: There’s so many good slots and providers I really struggle to name a single one. Last few days it’s been a lot of this Raptor Doublemax game from Yggdrasil, very simple but fun. Hammerfall has also seen quite a lot of play as I landed a neat 1000x on that recently. I’ve been playing quite a lot of ELK lately; I think they’re making some interesting stuff. The x-iter thing is an interesting feature as well, although I am personally very stingy with my stakes so usually stay away from feature buys and the like. The new NLC‘s are fun to whip out as well, although it does feel a bit like you have to buy super bonuses and the like to really unlock them. If we go down history lane, my most ever played slots is probably still 1429: Uncharted Seas or Mega Joker (I used to bonus abuse, now I’m a casual degen😊), but calling either of them favorites is not entirely accurate. I also need to mention BTG and my old friends at Push for being awesome providers over the years.
Bigwinboard: Thank you Carl for speaking to us. It’s been a real pleasure. Can’t wait to try all your new games, and I’m sure the whole community is equally hyped now when they know the true identity of VismundCygnus!
