Blueprint Gaming has announced the launch of a brand new game development studio as part of plans to extend its international growth.
The leading game developer announced the news last week, promising in an official statement that its new development studio Lucksome will “bring exciting and innovative new content to the global gaming industry”.
According to Blueprint, Lucksome is a team with a collective experience of more than 29 years in online casino game design across the brick-and-mortar, social, and online casino industries. It’s the latest studio to launch under Blueprint Gaming, following in the footsteps of Games Warehouse, Livewire, Project, Reel Time Gaming (RTG), and Merkur Gaming too.
Blueprint Gaming states that Lucksome has “strong ambitions” to deliver localised casino games built with the player in mind and games that are “packed with innovative concepts”.
Addition details revealed by Blueprint confirm that the studio is based in Malta and is headed by Bryan Upton, a content strategy specialist and industry veteran who previously worked at NetEnt, IGT, OpenBet, and Inspired Gaming.
In addition, the new development studio has recruited former NetEnt and Yggdrasil employees Josefin Uppeke as Head of Creative and Games Designer, and Johan John as Senior Product Manager.
According to Blueprint Gaming, Lucksome will benefit from Blueprint’s distribution agreements and from the reliability of the game developer’s RGS platform. The team at the new studio will work closely with Simon Thompson, the Director of Design at Blueprint Gaming and founder of Lucksome.
Lucksome will reportedly focus on developing video slots and well as “explore other styles of games” and will unveil a new and innovative multi-game concept within the first quarter of 2021. The studio’s first games will be distributed via Blueprint Gaming’s RGS platform in the second quarter of 2021.
Simon Thompson, the Director of Design at Blueprint Gaming, said in a statement: “The Lucksome team have a strong background within the casino sector and we’re delighted to welcome them to the Blueprint family.
“With another games studio joining our portfolio, our design capabilities have elevated to a new level which will provide a strong base for us to bring fresh and engaging content to the market.”
Bryan Upton, the Director at Lucksome, said: “We’re very excited to unveil Lucksome to the industry and to be part of the Blueprint family. Our studio’s team is highly experienced in designing great games that resonate with players in multiple regions.
“Coupled with the group’s prolific games development technology, I’m confident we’ll bring even more exciting, and innovative content to Blueprint’s already rich portfolio.”
He added: “Building a presence in Malta is an important move for the group and shows the strong intent we have to work more closely with operators and broaden our reach.”
Blueprint Gaming’s announcement of its new game development studio comes just as Malta-based game developer Booming Games has acquired a license from the UK Gambling Commission.
After meeting the UK Gambling Commission’s various testing requirements, the studio is now allowed to provide its gigantic catalogue of casino games to players based in the United Kingdom. Some of the games to be offered in the UK include Freezing Classics, Lucky Scarabs, Tiki Wins, Howling Wolves, Show Master, Danger Zone, and so many more.
According to Casino Beats, the games will be made available in the UK shortly through various partnerships with current online casinos, including the likes of SkillOnNet, owner of PlayOJO Casino and numerous other popular websites.
Speaking about the license approval, Frederik Niehusen, the COO at Booming Games, said: “We are extremely proud to kick off 2021 with the approval of our UK license. After receiving the MGA license more than two years ago we have made the next big step in our regulatory road map.
“The UKGC sets one of the highest regulatory standards in our industry, and we have met these standards within a short time period thanks to a strong team performance.”
He added: “We are looking forward to expanding the market reach of our games to the UK with our existing as well as future partners. The UK remains a key market for many operators.”
The above news comes as NetEnt and Pragmatic Play have launched new online slots; Fruit Shop MegaWays and Congo Cash.
NetEnt’s Fruit Shop MegaWays is a remake of the developer’s 2011 Fruit Shop slot but built on the MegaWays game engine under license from Big Time Gaming. Fruit Shop MegaWays has launched exclusively with Betsson and will go live with all NetEnt-partnered casino operators on February 1st.
The slot uses a 6×7 layout with 117,649 paylines, and it has an RTP of 96.06%. It includes all the same fruit-themed symbols from the original game, but benefits from new special features like a free spins mode, multipliers, wild symbols, and more.
NetEnt Games Director Carl Ejlertsson said of the new game: “We’re excited to partner with Betsson for the exclusive early launch of Fruit Shop MegaWays. The original Fruit Shop has proven to be a timeless classic – still popular ten years on from its release – and adding the wildly successful MegaWays mechanic takes the game to another level. Players are going to love the combination.
“Fruit Shop MegaWays stays true to its energetic and colourful predecessor and this time contains a random reel modifier, which varies the symbol height on each reel with every spin, creating 117,649 potential ways to win!”
Meanwhile, Pragmatic Play’s new slot Congo Cash is African-themed, and it uses a 4x3x3x3x4 layout with 432 paylines and an RTP of 96.51%. Developed by Wild Streak Gaming for Pragmatic Play, the slot comes with various special features including a free spins mode, stacked wilds, scatter symbols, wild symbols, and jackpot mechanics too.
Yossi Barzely, the Chief Business Development Officer at Pragmatic Play, told European Gaming: While it may be difficult to travel at present, this won’t stop slot lovers from getting a real taste of the tropical in our enticing new title, Congo Cash.
“Filled to the brim with jackpots and free spins, players have every chance of leaving the jungle with their pockets filled with untold riches.”
