10 YEARS OF YGGDRASIL GAMING – 10 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND PLAYER-FOCUSED SLOTS
As Yggdrasil Gaming celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, it is impossible to help looking back at how far the company has come since its inception. Over the past decade, innovation has been at the forefront of all the company’s launches and projects, and this article will be a deep dive into what has made Yggdrasil trusted and loved by players and operators across the globe.
The first game that Yggdrasil launched was named Jokerizer. With a Carnival theme that players all over the world would recognise and love, Jokerizer strongly resembled traditional fruit slots that one would find in a physical casino. The added thrill of mystery wins and the special jokerizer mode set this slot apart from more traditional ones.
Following this, there have been a lot of games in the portfolio that have become household names over the years, such as Holmes & the Stolen Stones, Golden Fish Tank, Vikings Go Berzerk, Valley of the Gods, Easter Island as well as Raptor DoubleMax. Most of these games have also gone so far as to get their own sequel.
Over the years, Yggdrasil has been innovating and conjuring up a wide array of themes in order to suit individual players’ likings – be it those who like more traditional themes, or fans of spooky, magical, or mystery themes. Seeing some sushi-loving penguins battle it out, talking mo’ai, or farm animals battling aliens in outer space is undeniably super entertaining! Traditional themes like treasure hunting or superheroes are also part of the array. Yggdrasil’s portfolio truly has it all.
Innovating gameplay – Game Engagement Mechanics (GEMs)
Game Engagement Mechanics, otherwise referred to as GEMs, are special mechanics which enhance gameplay and make slots more engaging for the players. Initially, the first GEMs – Splitz, GigaBlox and MultiMax – were rolled out in 2020 and are being utilised in new launches to this day.
There are now a total of eight GEMs in the portfolio. Besides the ones mentioned above, there are also DoubleMax, GigaRise, Wild Fight, DuoMax as well as the most recent addition, FastPot5. All these GEMs add something different to the games – whether it be multipliers, pooled jackpots or somehow changing up the reels themselves. Yggdrasil’s Masters partners have also seen the GEMs’ potential and seized this opportunity to make use of the provider’s signature GEMs in some of their launches, and some sequels to existing games have also at times incorporated GEMs to level up the gameplay from the first edition.
As time goes by, Yggdrasil always looks forward to adding new mechanics to its GEM portfolio, and new ideas are always being worked on and developed as to keep expanding offerings to operators and players alike.
New promo tools to elevate players’ experiences
Over the last ten years, it is not only slots that have been innovated, but also promotional tools that have improved players’ experiences on top of traditional gameplay. These ‘Boost’ tools are used during Network Campaigns and other promotions that are hosted by operators multiple times throughout the year. There is a total of four Boost tools – Prize Drops, Missions, Tournaments, and Free Spins. These different boost tools, which either drop cash prizes during gameplay, place players on a leaderboard or award free spins straight away, keep players constantly entertained.
YG Masters and GATI
In the past decade, Yggdrasil has collaborated with several partners, or YG Masters, to create even more new thrilling games to expand the portfolio as well as the existing audience. Around three and a half years ago, this curated aggregation strategy was implemented, and it has proven to be a significant advancement for the company. Furthermore, Yggdrasil has played a key role in the advancement of these up-and-coming Masters studios.
Powering the YG Masters program is GATI, or Game Adaptation Tool & Interface. It is Yggdrasil’s proprietary enabling technology for game development and distribution. All Masters partners may access this preconfigured, regulation-ready development toolkit, making all new launches bulletproof in terms of compliance and regulation.
Yggdrasil’s operations over the past ten years
Yggdrasil’s strategy of following Tier 1 operators into regulated markets has always been adapted to fit the current rules and regulations, which have certainly been made stricter over the past ten years. This means that all top suppliers must be adaptable to keep operating in certain countries. To remain compliant and meet the needs of all customers, Yggdrasil has introduced innovations such as game UI and back-office configuration tools. Currently, Yggdrasil operates in over twenty regulated markets, and has recently been granted a supplier licence in Sweden.
Yggdrasil – a culture of innovation
Björn Krantz, Chief Executive Officer at Yggdrasil, said: “I am incredibly proud to have such talented and passionate colleagues around me every single day. We have innovation top of our strategic agenda, and it is clear that we make a positive difference together as a team and in tight collaboration with our Partners. I am very excited about Yggdrasil’s future!
Andrew Pegler, Chief Commercial Operations Officer at Yggdrasil, said: “Our vast array of industry firsts has helped us achieve the successes that we have over the past years, and we are all very excited to retain the player-focused approach that we have always taken.”
Stuart McCarthy, Head of Product & Programs at Yggdrasil, said: “We are very excited to expand the number of our big hits with players in the years to come, as we have been doing over the past years. We are also very thankful for our collaborations with different partners, and we always look forward to keep working and bringing something new an