Rob Procter, Content Specialist Director at SG Digital, talks to Bigwinboard.com about the recently released mega hit Invaders Megaways. As well as talking about the creative process, we also wanted to know a bit about what’s to come. Let’s see what Rob had to say!
Bigwinboard: Hi Rob. Thank you for sitting down with us for a chat. We figured this would be a great opportunity to talk a bit about your recent release Invaders Megaways, and also have a few words about what’s to come. So let’s start with Invaders – it was inspired by the legendary video game Space Invaders, right?
Rob Procter: Actually no it wasn’t! Although it does have some aspects of the old classic in there, the inspiration actually came from one of our legacy games – Invaders From the Planet Moolah! That being said, I don’t think it’s possible to make an alien-themed game without paying homage to Space Invaders to some degree. Its success in the early 1980s pushed video games into the mainstream and its themes remain embedded in popular culture to this day.
Space Invaders was also very much a ”one more go” game that captured the attention of the player and with Invaders Megaways™, we wanted to produce a title that similarly held the attention on every spin. We believe we achieved that with a regular mini-feature where the UFO hovers and selects a random symbol to turn wild on every click. However, Invaders Megaways™ wasn’t always intended to be Invaders-branded. Our original intention was to simply make a sci-fi-themed Megaways™ game, but in the early stage of development, it became clear that an alien theme was a good fit. That led us to incorporate iconography from our legacy title that is still popular with players today, which in turn led to the finished product you see today.
BWB: Do you believe in aliens? Are we alone, or?
Rob Procter: Ha ha, well, never say never but I’m yet to be abducted – much to the dismay of my team sometimes!
BWB: The audiovisual presentation and attention to detail is outstanding. We review slots day in and day out and it takes something extra to catch our interest. You certainly succeeded in doing so. In terms of gameplay and mechanics, it’s not your standard Bonanza-style Megaways slot either. Could you tell us a bit more about the whole creative process?
Rob Procter: I’m glad you think so. While there is always room for different game styles, it’s definitely true that Invaders Megaways™ sits within our content portfolio at the high end of the spectrum in terms of overall polish, and sets the bar for us moving forward. I think you’re correct about it being a departure from the traditional Megaways™ gameplay model and this is something we worked hard to achieve.
With a mini-feature on every spin, the base game contains plenty of modifiers. It really gets interesting when free spins land and the top-paying symbols come to the fore, and players constantly get a taster for that in a game that has plenty of action on every turn. We wanted to push the boundaries of the Megaways™ mechanic with Invaders Megaways™ and believe we have succeeded in that goal.
BWB: The music is phenomenal too. Reminds me of the old Amiga/Atari/Commandore 64 days. Do you know how it was recorded?
Rob Procter: Both core layers were originally performed by our sound artist with a Native Instruments Flesh Synthesizer. The way it generates a weird, sliding melody through sampled rhythm was a perfect fit for a humoristic Martian theme. He then added additional melodic, SFX and rhythmic layers to bring out ideas that could not be realized with Flesh. It was also the first music produced completely in his small Montreal apartment during the early Covid era.
“When the Uni-Cow comes down from the skies in the base game, the screen goes dark and the appearance of the spaceship unleashes maximum Megaways as well as other super-features.”
I think you can feel the composer fighting the anxiety of the moment through music, attention to detail, experimentation and fun. He used these uncertain times to explore new tools in his music creation arsenal and you can feel the attention to detail, experimentation and fun. Flesh, which might seem very simple at first glance, actually had more options and its original approach to synthesis and sequencing was actually quite inspiring.
BWB: Invaders Megaways™ is a volatile slot which can generate up to a whopping 1,000,000 ways to win. From a player’s perspective, what is the dream scenario here? How do you achieve the really big wins?
Rob Procter: The free spins round provides plenty of potential for huge wins when the expanding wilds link up with big win multipliers. But the holy grail for players in Invaders Megaways™ is the Uni-Cow super-feature. This type of feature is something we are looking to incorporate into more of our games in the future, as it gives slot enthusiasts a real sense of pride should they manage to land it. When the Uni-Cow comes down from the skies in the base game, the screen goes dark and the appearance of the spaceship unleashes maximum Megaways as well as other super-features. I don’t really want to say too much else to spoil the surprise, but I can tell you it has the potential to land well over 5,000x.
BWB: Would you say this slot is for anyone or did you have a particular target audience in mind?
Rob Procter: It hits a sweet spot in being attractive in its themes and action-packed gameplay for the causal player, while also possessing that big win potential for the more ardent slot enthusiast. We set out first and foremost to make an attractive, entertaining slot that pushes the boundaries of the Megaways™ mechanic whilst ensuring player safety with the necessary responsible gambling tools within the game. At the same time as offering the potential for huge wins, we were always mindful that we didn’t want to alienate players by making the gameplay too harsh. It is a balancing act, but the positive reaction we have received across the board – operators, players, review sites such as yourselves – tells me that we pulled it off.
“We are also excited about a completely new mechanic we have developed called Dual Ways Pay™, which will go live later this year with our upcoming release Spirit of the River.”
BWB: I personally love Invaders Megaways and it makes me really hyped about what is to come. I see you have listed Reign of the Mountain King on your roadmap. I assume it’s a follow up to Rise of the Mountain King? That’s another killer slot of yours. What else do you have in store this year?
Rob Procter: Reign of the Mountain King is indeed a follow-up to Rise of the Mountain King, which proved really popular with players (and Bigwinboard!). We are not in a position quite yet to go into too much more detail on this one – suffice to say it’s a major release at the back end of 2021 and the King is now firmly on his throne!
What we can talk about is Jin Ji Bao Xi Megaways™, which is the latest instalment from a franchise which has been a global hit. The JJBX brand is instantly recognisable to players and it’s a title that consistently lands at the top of our chart of top performers, so adding on the Megaways™ mechanic to ramp up the gameplay is something of a no-brainer.
We are also excited about a completely new mechanic we have developed called Dual Ways Pay™, which will go live later this year with our upcoming release Spirit of the River. The idea here is that games utilising this mechanic pay from top to bottom as well as from left to right, adding a new element for players.
BWB: That was an awesome chat. Thank you so much for taking the time Rob. Any last words for our readers?
Rob Procter: It has been a strong first half of the year for SG Digital, with some well-received games released already that set the bar for the rest of the year. Our aim is to continue delivering unmissable experiences. Thanks for playing our games, as ever, stay safe and go and get that Uni-Cow!
