Immortal Romance isn’t just another slot series. Fifteen years after the original introduced Sarah, Michael, Amber and Troy, it remains one of the most recognisable franchises in online slots – and Stormcraft Studios clearly has no intention of letting it stand still.
Immortal Romance ASSEMBL’EM™ represents perhaps the biggest shake-up yet. The familiar cast returns, but the traditional formula has been torn apart and rebuilt around persistent card progression, Power Combos and ULTRA Link&Win™, while the story moves into considerably darker territory with Sarah’s transformation, Troy’s thirst for revenge and the arrival of an ancient vampire assassin named Varik.
Bigwinboard caught up once again with Terence Igesund, Founder and Executive Producer of Stormcraft Studios, to talk about taking risks with one of iGaming’s most established franchises, why a conventional Immortal Romance 3 was never really the plan, and where the story goes from here.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): We’ve followed Immortal Romance™ closely, from the story behind the original to the enormous pressure of creating Immortal Romance ASSEMBL’EM™ which takes the franchise in a far more radical direction. What convinced the team that this was the right next chapter rather than a more conventional Immortal Romance™ 3?
Terence Igesund: It’s great to be talking with you about Immortal Romance™ again Daniel. I really enjoy our conversations as your questions are always well considered and often challenging, which I welcome.
So sure, a conventional Immortal Romance™ 3 would have been a safe option, but I have never been one to play it safe or follow convention. We may be quite similar in that regard Daniel. I still remember standing in that London bookstore, all those years ago, deciding there and then that Stormcraft was going to be sinking its teeth into the paranormal romance genre. Fifteen years later, the Immortal Romance™ brand continues to be something none of us could have predicted, having achieved a kind of cult status that a lot of games aspire to. That status comes with pressure, but the pressure I feel isn’t “don’t change the formula.” It’s “don’t let the interest and intrigue fade”.
The ASSEMBL’EM™ mechanic infrastructure of collecting and upgrading cards provided the perfect platform to support the evolutionary nature of the character narratives. From Sarah’s transformation and Michael’s unravelling to Amber’s regret and Troy’s burning resentment. More importantly it helped set the stage for the introduction of a new character to the Immortal universe, who will be adding a new dynamic to the already unpredictable situation they all find themselves in.
The historical framework couldn’t fully support where we wanted to take the franchise. We needed a system that could carry higher stakes and a faster-moving plot, and that meant revolutionising the mechanical core rather than politely iterating on it. It was a harder, riskier decision but we believe it was the right one.
“The moment we let the story sit still and become wallpaper behind the reels, we’ve broken the promise that got fans invested in the first place.”
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Immortal Romance™ II left Sarah transformed by an ancient fire elemental, and this game finds Amber trying to save her, Michael descending towards madness and Troy plotting revenge, while a mysterious Ancient One enters the story. What can you reveal about how these threads come together, and how important was it for the narrative to keep moving rather than simply provide a familiar backdrop?
Terence Igesund: What I can tell you is that ASSEMBL’EM™ picks up about a month after Sarah’s merger with the Fire Elemental, and by now it’s stopped looking like a gift. Sarah has cast aside the heart-pendant necklace that’s followed her since the very first game. That alone should tell longtime fans something fundamental has shifted and the power in her veins is seeming less and less like a partnership. The Elemental has its own ancient function, a three thousand-year old cycle of culling vampires, and that purpose is reasserting itself through Sarah.
Amber knew that invoking a fire elemental to strengthen her spell of protection was risky, but she never dreamed that Sarah could somehow become bound to the entity in the process. She had been overconfident in believing she could control the energies and now her best friend is bearing the cost for her arrogance. Driven by guilt and regret, Amber races to find a way to unbind the spell she cast before Sarah is lost forever.
Michael’s unravelling is a direct consequence of him revealing his vampire nature to Sarah in an attempt to demonstrate his undying love for her. Giving her a vial of his blood as proof, broke the principal law of the Shadow Council who, he is certain, will have dispatched agents to clean up the aftermath of Sarah’s transformation. Michael is currently consumed with deciphering the ancient codex of the Night Tribes, searching for a solution capable of reversing the sequence of events he has unleashed, before judgement comes knocking.
Troy barely survived a direct blast of Elemental fire. Were it not for the pressurized plasma chamber in Michael’s laboratory, he would have perished. Weeks spent floating in stasis could not restore him completely though, leaving him badly scarred and disfigured. The monster he has always kept hidden deep within is now on the surface for all to see and it wants revenge.
And the mysterious new character I have introduced to the Immortal universe is…Varik. An ancient vampire assassin who is only called on by the Shadow Council when a situation needs to be handled quickly and efficiently, with all evidence erased.
To the second part of your question Daniel, it mattered enormously. Immortal Romance™ has always had more narrative ambition than the slot genre typically asks for, and the moment we let the story sit still and become wallpaper behind the reels, we’ve broken the promise that got fans invested in the first place. Players who’ve followed Sarah, Amber, Michael and Troy for fifteen years aren’t looking for a familiar backdrop, they’re looking for the next exciting chapter in the saga, as well as the potential to win big while being entertained by all the drama.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Progression has played an important role throughout the series, however, ASSEMBL’EM™ goes much further, with card upgrades earned through gameplay milestones and 24-hour countdowns that continue between sessions. What did you learn from those earlier systems, and how did you ensure the first session still feels complete before a player has built a fully upgraded hand?
Terence Igesund A lot of strategy goes back to the Bloodline, the progression system we built for Immortal Romance™ II to mark the player journey and unlock cosmetics along the way. It was a successful player engagement tool, but it lived mostly in the background, something you’d glance at between spins rather than something that changed how the game actually played.
The lesson we took from that was that progression earns its keep when it is a reward rather than just accumulation. When it actually reaches into the gameplay rather than sitting beside it. That’s the thinking behind the card upgrades and the 24-hour countdowns. We wanted progression that keeps evolving between sessions and genuinely changes your hand, so the game feels alive even when you’re not playing it, not just decorated differently.
The challenge was how to make session one satisfying when the best of the game is, by definition, still ahead of you? The answer was to make sure the base game and the entry-level Power Combo™ formations are strong enough to stand entirely on their own. Nobody should need a fully upgraded hand to have a good time or land a meaningful win. The upgrades are there to deepen an experience that already works.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): The Unlocker, Collector, Jackpots, Multiplier and Adder each alter the ULTRA Link&Win™ feature in a different way, with the cards becoming stronger as they progress through the Ruby, Gold and Diamond tiers. How did you define the identity of each card? What does the Power Combo™ hand that best represents the game at full strength look like?
Terence Igesund: We assigned each of the card modifiers to the different characters based on their personality and current role in the narrative. Sarah was always going to be Jackpots as she is literally pure fire power and is the card that makes the feature roar. With Michael attempting to decipher the ancient vampire codex, the Unlocker was perfectly suited to him as it is card that opens doors others can’t. Amber as the Adder represents the best friend archetype, supporting and steadily building value underneath everything else that’s happening on the board. The Multiplier is tension and personified as Troy, who can turn a good outcome into an outrageous one. Finally, the Collector is patience rewarded and that is something the ancient vampire Varik has been cultivating for centuries. Rather than everything resolving in a single moment, the feature builds up gradually as it goes.
The Ruby-Gold-Diamond tiering gave us a way to intensify the modifiers rather than just inflate the values. The Diamond-tier Collector for example isn’t just “the same card with a bigger number,” its behaviour demands that attention of the player during the feature. As for the Power Combo™ hand that best represents ASSEMBL’EM™ at full strength… for me the sweet spot would be having a Diamond Jackpots card sitting alongside a Diamond Multiplier, with an Unlocker still active in the mix to keep the board expanding. That combination is the game doing exactly what it was built it to do: maximum spectacle, with the potential to continue growing win opportunity.
“What matters most is whether the math matches the experience you’re building.”
Bigwinboard (Daniel): For many fans, Immortal Romance™ means 243 ways, character-led Free Spins, Wild Desire™ and a soundtrack that becomes inseparable from the gameplay. Making ULTRA Link&Win™ the centrepiece of a 20-payline game is a bold decision. Which parts of the franchise’s identity did you consider untouchable when rebuilding the gameplay so substantially?
Terence Igesund: Do I sense the subtle undertone of judgement in that question, Daniel? 😊 Honestly, the brand of Immortal Romance™ was never meant to be limited by a functional set of mechanics. 243 Ways with Rolling Reels™ and random Wild Desire™ feature served the original game brilliantly, but it was one chapter in the franchise and we are now on chapter five. What’s actually untouchable is everything the mechanics were built to serve: the opportunity to be transported into an immersive universe filled with intriguing characters, haunting music and the sense that you’re playing inside of a living story that balances and blends drama and danger into an unforgettable gaming experience.
So, when we chose to explore the functional foundation of ULTRA Link&Win™, the brief to ourselves was that a longtime fan should be able to see, hear and feel the care and consideration that went into this new creation. The Immortal Romance™ experience should transcend whatever is happening on the reels in the same way the narrative continues to surprise, evolve and challenge expectations.
Something else to note related to the brand value proposition is the expectation for us to continue to compose original hit soundtracks for our games. At a recent emerging market operator event, our musical reputation had preceded us which was very encouraging to hear. I am particularly proud of the new song we composed and wrote for the ASSEMBL’EM™ bonus feature, named Shadows. I wrote the lyrics in a narrative format, again as a way to introduce Varik and the Shadow Council. We shifted genre into a more contemporary club mix to best suit the high tech sub terranean lair that is the background location for the highly energetic bonus feature. Once again, evolving the experience to stay relative and interesting to the modern player.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): In our Immortal Romance™ II interview, you explained that Stormcraft Studios avoids designing towards sensational maximum-win figures in favour of balanced games with longevity. Immortal Romance ASSEMBL’EM™ has a maximum win potential of 5,000x, alongside UPSIZER™ and a Buy Feature, where available. What does that combination tell us about the game’s mathematics and the type of experience you wanted to create?
Terence Igesund: What matters most is whether the math matches the experience you’re building.
For ASSEMBL’EM™, the Power Combo™ system is built so that dramatic outcomes can be achieved well before the ultimate card setup is in play. The maths personality really aligns with the melodrama of the brand and supporting narrative.
The Buy Bonus and UPSIZER™, where available, work at different points. The Buy Bonus lets the player enter the ULTRA Link&Win™ directly from the base game; UPSIZER™ comes afterwards, once the feature has triggered, and offers the option to add further ULTRA Link&Win™ features. In both cases what’s on offer depends on the cards the player has unlocked and active, so the choice sits inside the hand they’ve built rather than outside it.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): If Immortal Romance ASSEMBL’EM™ has one moment that you hope will stay with people the way the previous iterations have, what would it be and why?
Terence Igesund: This question makes me think of you, Daniel, with your hands covering your face, watching the Wild Desire™ feature through your fingers as more and more wild reels landed. What a moment to capture live right! 😊
For ASSEMBL’EM™, I think that moment is the board filling with coin values while the modifiers keep coming. There’s a point where what’s on screen stops being something you’re following and becomes something you’re holding your breath through, and that’s the feeling we were designing towards.
The card upgrades feed into it. Bringing the cards up to Diamond status changes what the board can do, so when it all comes together the moment belongs to the story you’ve been following rather than arriving from nowhere. That connection between the narrative and what happens on the reels is what we hoped people would remember.
About Terence Igesund
Terence Igesund is the Founder and Executive Producer of Stormcraft Studios, a Games Global exclusive game development studio specialising in premium, highly entertaining slot games. With three decades of experience in the iGaming industry, Terence has been designing games from the start of online gaming and is responsible for many industry firsts.
Known for his passion for storytelling, craftsmanship, and cinematic presentation, he is responsible for iconic titles such as Thunderstruck™ and Immortal Romance™, and multiple award winning licensed brand games. Terence is widely respected for blending emotional narrative, innovative mechanics with high production value, and continues to focus on creating immersive gaming experiences that leave a lasting impression on players.
About Stormcraft Studios
Stormcraft Studios is an online game development studio, creating premium slot games exclusively for Games Global. Founded by industry veteran Terence Igesund, the studio is built on more than 30 years of iGaming experience and a commitment to quality over quantity. Stormcraft is known for its character-driven storytelling, high-fidelity visuals, original musical scores, and carefully crafted player experiences.
Operating with a multi-disciplinary team, Stormcraft focuses on delivering a limited number of blockbuster titles each year, including legendary game franchises such as Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck. With a strong emphasis on innovation, craftsmanship, and emotional engagement, Stormcraft Studios continues to establish itself as a distinctive and respected creative force within the global iGaming industry.
