Hi Jo! Thanks for taking the time to speak with SlotCatalog, can you provide us with a brief description about who Blueprint Gaming are?
My pleasure! We absolutely love playing slots here at Blueprint Gaming and strive to develop games that are fun and packed with engaging features.
Since our first steps into the online gaming market back in 2009, we have developed an extensive and diverse slots portfolio featuring a wide range of themes, always with the intention to entertain and reward players with captivating game play and innovative ingredients. We pride ourselves on our flexibility to adapt to the current gaming trends. Not always sticking to tried and tested formats but reshaping our games to suit the current player habits.
Many players now recognise the level of depth in our games which cannot be matched. This in itself has brought us a loyal following and a responsibility to keep moving forwards and delivering the standards which players have become accustomed too from Blueprint. Due to our success, Blueprint games are now available across the world’s leading operators.
Blueprint has released numerous games featuring the Megaways™ mechanic, what made the business adopt the system and how popular are these slots with players?
Blueprint became the first supplier to licence Megaways™ from Big Time Gaming and the mechanic has since been used across many of our recent releases. The fact is, Megaways™ has really struck a chord with players thanks to its complex maths model and the revolutionary gameplay.
We soon realised that this concept was not just a one hit wonder, so taking the mechanic before anyone else highlights the company’s innovative approach and awareness of the latest trends in the market. We’re constantly looking to develop new styles and formats to make our games appeal to a wider audience.
We’ve taken full advantage of the mechanic and incorporated it into new developments, while also implementing it into popular classics to add a new twist to the gameplay. Our most recent release, Wish Upon a Leprechaun Megaways™, is a classic example of this approach. Fans of the original release now get to enjoy the beloved Irish character’s antics with Megaways™ for the first time.
The Pub Fruit Series is another exciting range of games that you offer. How does the gameplay differ from your other games?
Blueprint is built on a strong heritage from the UK land-based market. In fact, many of our founding team cut their teeth in the analogue machine scene and moved to online gaming as a natural progression.
The Pub Fruit Series sees us lean on our land-based expertise and bring the fruit machine style-game to the online environment, of which many from players from outside of the UK will not have experienced before. Familiar AWP features such as bonus trails, cash ladders and hi/lo gamble features all form part of the gameplay, emphasising our ethos of creating engaging, feature lead games which players become immersed in. The depth of these games means players can experience much more than the basic gameplay a classic slot offers. A perfect example is our recent release in the series, Genie Jackpots: Cave of Wonders which includes 16 different features, a significant difference on the original slot release.
The games themselves have been simplified from the traditional mechanical versions so they are easier to understand. We have carefully selected themes which we know have resonated with players on both side of the land-based and online gaming sector, so softening the transition into what is a new gaming concept for many players. The reception has been overwhelmingly positive. Releases such as Deal or No Deal™ – The Perfect Play and Ted™: Pub Fruit Series have captured the imagination of those who experienced similar titles in the pub environment, as well as online players who are enjoying the format for the first time.
Any slot game that features a famous film or TV show easily attracts the attention of players and Blueprint regularly releases branded titles. What’s the process involved in making such a game?
Developing branded games can be quite challenging as we must stick to the licence holder’s sometimes strict style guidelines, which isn’t something we face when creating an in-house title. The key is to work closely with the brand owner across all phases of the development process, ensuring the end product stays true to the brand for the existing fan base.
Our portfolio of branded games have become a real hit. The Goonies™, inspired by the classic 1980’s film, became one of our most played games ever and received industry acclaim for its high-quality gameplay and graphics. It’s a cult film and has an amazing nostalgic following, so we definitely felt the pressure to produce an uplifting game which did the brand justice, I think we can safely say One-Eyed Willy would be happy with the results.
Branded slots from TV, film and celebrity personalities are going to be a continued theme for us. We have some mega announcements coming over the next few months from new licences already signed and a few which we are currently discussing… so, watch this space as they say!
Everyone dreams of winning a life-changing sum of money and Blueprint’s Jackpot King gives players a chance to achieve exactly that. Tell us more about the jackpots you offer.
Jackpot King is an innovative creation that we’re highly proud of, particularly as it’s made numerous millionaires since launching. The concept is simple – players can win the jackpot prize, displayed at the top of the reels, from any spin regardless of the stake.
We recently launched the next generation of the highly successful system with Jackpot King Deluxe. Once more showing our commitment to innovation and player desires, in the latest incarnation of the multi-game system, the Royal and Regal pots have been revamped to award their prizes before reaching £3,500 and £35,000 respectively.
Jackpot King has paid out a phenomenal £63.7 million to date, with £20.9 million won by players in 2019 alone. With figures like that you can tell why it’s so popular, and many casinos are now devoting dedicated areas on their sites to showcase the games that feature Jackpot King.
Many of your games are packed with modifiers and bonus rounds. What other features are you planning to introduce in the coming months to further improve the gaming experience?
2019 has been all about marketing and promotional tools. Along with the tools which we have already successfully launched into the market, we’re working on some exciting new in-game mechanics that will complement our existing features, allowing players to enjoy an enhanced gaming experience. For instance, our Super Mode in-game mechanic will see free spins randomly awarded during a set promotional period defined by the casino, giving even more chances for players to benefit whilst playing our games.
We’ll also be introducing a Big Win Board to our games, bringing a tournament element where players can showcase their big wins via the board and through social media. We’re also going to make it easier for players to access other Blueprint games or our games in a specific category with an In-Game Lobby which requires just one click to change the game. Expect to see these new features go live with some of the biggest operators before the end of the year.
Finally, what can you tell us about your upcoming releases?
We’ve got a few games in the pipeline that we’re looking forward to bringing to market before the end of the year.
The mischievous talking teddy bear ted™ is set to make a comeback to the reels, this time with the addition of Jackpot King. The original release of the slot game inspired by the Hollywood film franchise was a thundering success and the added incentive of scooping the Jackpot King is sure to create an even greater experience for players.
We’ll also be taking a mystical journey into Ancient Egypt with Eye of Horus Megaways™ adding up to 15,625 ways to win through the Megaways™ mechanic to this already hugely popular online and offline title. Plus, our list of exciting branded games will be hitting devices throughout the remainder of 2019 and well into 2020.