Ahead of the highly anticipated launch of the Peaky Blinders™ slot, we spoke to Armen Tatarevic, Business Development Director at White Hat Studios, about what the title has in store for us, its bonus mechanics, and what the provider will be focusing on throughout 2023.
Peaky Blinders™ is a hit period crime drama TV series that airs on BBC One and Netflix. Its sixth and final season aired in 2022, followed by an upcoming Peaky Blinders™ movie. The new Peaky Blinders™ slot from White Hat Studios marks another entertainment outlet from this media franchise.
Peaky Blinders™ is your next upcoming title. Can you tell us more about this game and what players should be expecting?
The Shelbys invite you to join them across a 5×3 reel array, home to familiar characters such as Arthur, Polly, and Tommy, who represent the highest-paying symbols in the slot. These iconic figures from the TV show can form a matching combination across 20 paylines to award a win. Helping players in unlocking these wins are wilds, which substitute all base game symbols, making it easier for players to create a winning line.
Peaky Blinders™ includes four bonuses, each distinct and highly engaging in its own right by offering different gameplay features and mechanics. The bonuses and base game are presented with a highly stylized aesthetic in keeping with the Peaky Blinders™ IP that is instantly recognizable by a wide audience.
Can you elaborate on these four different bonuses and what separates them from each other?
By order of the Peaky Blinders, we have packed an array of bonuses and mechanics into the title for players to discover, win, and enjoy. Thunder Spins are unlocked when landing six or more money symbols anywhere on the game board, which awards three re-spins that are re-triggered for every additional money symbol landed. Lucky players that manage to fill the reels entirely will be awarded the grand jackpot prize, amounting to 5,000x!
The three other free spin rounds available are inspired by the characters of the show. Arthur Free Spins remove the lowest-paying symbols from the game board to boost winning potential. In Polly Free Spins, three or more replicating reels are present on every spin. This can extend across all five reels and award matching symbols across the highlighted reels.
During Tommy’s Free Spins round, three adjacent reels become colossal and will land as a matching symbol. A scatter can land as the colossal symbol and award five extra spins. Across each of these free spin rounds, the Thunder Spins can be triggered, awarding players with a bonus within a bonus round.
Outside of the symbols, how have you utilized the popular Peaky Blinders IP across the game, and will you be making more titles inspired by other pop culture brands?
The background of the Peaky Blinders™ slot is heavily influenced by the show with many familiar settings present throughout play, along with the sound design having a big impact on the gameplay. Fans of the franchise will recognize quotes from the show appearing as graphics while character voices can be regularly heard. This generates an immersive experience that we believe will truly resonate with fans of the hit show.
We have a vast array of titles within our portfolio that have been developed in conjunction with popular IPs from the world of entertainment, including The Goonies™ and Deal or No Deal™, and creating more titles that utilize popular brands is an area we are keen to continue to explore. On the horizon, we have titles such as Rick and Morty Megaways™, The Goonies Return™, and several others, which will appeal to a broad player base.
How have you made sure this title appeals to fans who aren’t familiar with the Peaky Blinders TV show?
We often find that branded games resonate with all types of slot players, and not just fans of the franchise connected to the gameplay. Ultimately with Peaky Blinders™, the overall theme is already popular with slot players, and there’s no need to have any existing knowledge of the show to enjoy the experience we offer.
Like all of our titles, we have created the slot with an entertainment-first approach. With multiple different bonuses, features, and mechanics in play, there truly is something for everybody within this slot.
Players who aren’t familiar with the show will approach the title in the same way they engage with our slots that aren’t inspired by a particular brand or IP. Almighty Buffalo Megaways™, for example, is consistently the top slot across the US while not having a pre-established brand attached to it. Players are instead drawn to the game by its innovative mechanics, high-intensity action and big win potential.
What else should we expect from White Hat Studios throughout 2023?
Our roadmap throughout the rest of 2023 is as action-packed as our titles. We have numerous Jackpot Royale™ versions of already popular games releasing, which offer three progressive jackpot prizes for players to win.
We have some new hits such as Spirit of Nature™ launching shortly along with a roulette version of Deal or No Deal™ to appeal to live casino fans. Additionally, we will be expanding where we can be found with new operator partners allowing us to reach more players than ever before with our award-winning titles.
About the Author
