Enhancing the win potential with Pragmatic Play
In an exclusive interview with the Gaming Intelligence Studio Showcase, Pragmatic Play chief operating officer Irina Cornides discusses recent release Wisdom of Athena 1000 and what to expect for the rest of 2024.
How has Pragmatic Play’s Wisdom of Athena slot been received by players since release?
Wisdom of Athena was one of the top slot releases of the summer in 2023. I think what makes it so appealing to players is the excitement that can build with each win. Expanding Pragmatic Play’s popular Greek Gods series, which includes award-winning titles such as Gates of Olympus 1000 and Zeus vs Hades – Gods of War, the game starts on a 6×5 grid and includes an additional locked row at the top of the screen.
These reel positions can be unlocked in turn after a certain number of consecutive tumble wins. As more positions unlock, the chance of winning increases too, as a win is awarded whenever eight or more symbols appear anywhere on the reels.
Wisdom of Athena brought different mechanics, a fresh look and feel, and a powerful female protagonist to our Greek Gods series, and it’s retained a strong following among players.
How did the Pragmatic Play team decide that this slot should be next in the 1000 series of games?
The idea behind the 1000 series of slots is to give players more of what they already love by enhancing the win potential in some of Pragmatic Play’s most popular games.
Following in the footsteps of other fan favourites in the 1000 series, which started with Starlight Princess 1000 back in October 2023, Wisdom of Athena was very much deserving of a supercharged special edition.
How does the 1000 element enhance the original game?
Wisdom of Athena 1000 includes the same great gameplay as the original. It benefits from several cosmetic updates, including new golden armour for Athena, but the headline feature is the 1,000x max multiplier.
Not only can this hit at any time in the base game or bonus game, but it is also twice as big as the max multiplier from the first game. With more than one multiplier able to hit during a spin, there is always a chance for players to land an epic win of up to 10,000x, which is double what’s on offer in the original.
What else in Wisdom of Athena 1000 should excite players?
It’s mainly the increased win potential that should excite players in Wisdom of Athena 1000. In both versions of the game, there’s extra incentive for players to enter the bonus game, where progress towards unlocking the top reel positions does not reset between spins and all multipliers that land are added to a total win multiplier.
The feature can be retriggered too, increasing players’ chances of unlocking the entire 6×6 grid and hitting a big win.
The 1000 series of slot games seems to have taken the vertical by storm this year. What do you think makes these games so special?
It’s because the original games were special. Pragmatic Play’s 1000 series enhances proven player favourites, with Starlight Princess 1000, Gates of Olympus 1000, Sugar Rush 1000, Sweet Bonanza 1000, and now Wisdom of Athena 1000 lining up in its exclusive range.
These aren’t merely top Pragmatic Play titles – they are some of the most popular and celebrated games in the industry. And while the original titles are still very much at the top of the order in terms of attracting and retaining players, their supercharged 1000 versions are performing extraordinarily well.
We introduced the 1000 series to build on what was already great, and to give more back to players. Take the multi-award-winning Sugar Rush, for example. This has been a hugely popular slot since launching in June 2022 and remains so to this day. In Sugar Rush 1000, the introduction of a 1,000x max multiplier took the original max win from 5,000x to an incredible 25,000x.
Fans seem to love the Ancient Greek theme; how do you create a game that stands out in a crowded theme?
Players interested in a particular theme will naturally take notice when a new game in that genre drops. In this case, it helps that the Ancient Greek theme is timeless in ways that more seasonal themes often aren’t, so the timing of a new release can help rather than hinder the visibility of a game such as Wisdom of Athena 1000.
In truth, Pragmatic Play focuses entirely on the quality and playability of a game. We stand out for delivering uniquely engaging and rewarding content. Our Greek Gods range is full of choice, too, with all kinds of different features and mechanics on offer.
Zeus vs Hades – Gods of War, for example, is essentially two games in one, while Bow of Artemis, which we released at the end of July, introduces a multi-level bonus game featuring six special spin features. The theme brings these and other great titles together, but the games stand out on individual merit.
As we near the end of 2024, what has been your biggest success story of the year so far?
Pragmatic Play has many amazing achievements to shout about in 2024. In terms of slots, expansion of the 1000 series has been a huge success, while we have also increased the number of global and localised games being released each month. This has resulted in more than 75 top titles hitting online casinos in regulated markets worldwide, including two of the most popular in Sugar Rush 1000 and Sweet Bonanza 1000.
Other products have also gone from strength to strength. We celebrated the launch of our third crash game, High Flyer, which offers two bet spots and a multiplier of up to 1,000,000x. In live casino, we released exciting new titles such as Privé Lounge Baccarat and Blackjack X, and our Smart Studio solution has been providing faster, more cost-effective ways for operators to brand and customise elements of the live products.
We also introduced new tournament mechanics and prize structures to Drops & Wins, which offers an industry-leading prize pool of €30,000,000 across leading slots, live casino, and crash games. And our sportsbook offering progressed in leaps and bounds, most notably with the addition of horse racing and going live in the highly competitive UK market.
What else can we expect to see from Pragmatic Play for the rest of 2024?
More great games and products. We are always looking to elevate the player experience in new and original ways. Premium slots set for launch this year include the likes of Vampy Party, Might of Freya Megaways, and Gates of Olympus Xmas 1000 – the next headline game in our 1000 series.
Bet Behind Pro Blackjack is one to watch in live casino, and we have some fantastic network promotions coming up, including Pragmatic Hallowins, Blackjack Holiday Tournaments, and Holiday Rush with its festive theme and €2,500,000 prize pool.
