Red Tiger – An Interview With Bite

Slot providers don’t get much fiercer in the iGaming world than Red Tiger, who pride themselves on creating games with a bit more bite.

Founded in 2014, their reach has spread around both Europe and Asia. The company consists of iGaming veterans, and includes psychologists, mathematicians, graphic designers, software developers, audio engineers and gaming experts who live and breathe casino slots. However, it’s the secret magicians who work tirelessly, 24/7, that really give them the edge.

It’s about time we had a chat with Account Director, Carl Ejlertsson, to find out a bit more about the magic that goes on behind the doors of Red Tiger Gaming.

Q: Why did you decide to call your studio Red Tiger Gaming?

A: It was easy; the owner of our company is, in fact, a red tiger.

Q: How many people work at your studio?

A: Today we are about 150 globally, but we are growing fast. Two years ago it was just the red tiger himself.

Q: At Red Tiger you have people from various backgrounds in the team. How do you channel all these different ideas into one product?

A: Our offices are really fun, but also very focused. We have awesome graffiti on the walls, and a games room on every floor, but the teams work hard because they really care about delivering the best every time. We are a young company with almost everyone in their twenties, which probably contributes to our highly communicative social media culture.

Everyone in the company is an expert in their part of the process and we all respect each other very much. It sounds clichéd, but this really is an amazing company to work for.

Q: On your website you mention having secret magicians in your team. What do they do and where can I get one?

A: You can’t get one! They either want to join you or they don’t. The magicians are responsible for that something extra that our games offer. They sprinkle the reels with their spells to deliver a level of engagement deeper than mere mortals can conjure up.

Q: What do you think gives your studio the edge over other developers?

A: It’s the sum of a few small things – like having secret magicians, a red tiger and a games room.

We are also lucky that the industry hasn’t got too competitive yet. There are some great companies out there developing games, but it isn’t like trying to write statistical arbitrage algorithms for trading exotic financial derivatives. Fundamentally, we are all just having fun and making games. The primary prerequisite for success is to be the player at all times to see how the games feel. We’ve all spent so many nights in the casino getting merry and playing slots, that we make great games.

Q: How do you put yourselves in the mind-set of a slot player? Are you slot players yourselves?

A: Absolutely! If you haven’t spent your life being the player, you simply can’t make good slots – it’s impossible. When we hear people who make a product saying that they don’t play, we just want to cry. Being a slot player is a rollercoaster of pain and pleasure. The highs of hitting big wins and the irritation of an account balance falling below that required for one spin are what we live for. If you haven’t stared intently at your screen whilst shouting “Come on! Come on…. YEAH!” Then you’ve no place in this business.

The analogy I like to use is horse racing. That’s a great and pure form of gambling. It is full of anticipation, excitement, surprises and near misses. When you are watching a race, you can’t help but jump out of your chair and yell at the screen. A good slot makes you do exactly that every few minutes.

Q: Where do you draw inspiration for your game designs from?

A: So many different places. Sometimes you might see something in a cartoon like Tom and Jerry, and think that you wouldn’t mind having a bet on Jerry getting caught. That could lead to a cops and robbers style game (it did…) where one character is chasing another. Non slot games are also often a great source of inspiration, as are the land based casino classics themselves. Anything from movies to a day at the races can stimulate great ideas.

Q: Why do you think so many games are focused on Chinese folklore and symbolism?

A: The culture is so rich in history, symbolism and multi-faceted meaning, that it is ever tempting to create new game environments around the legends. Around one in three of our games so far have had Asian themes. They provide an opportunity to do something quite different from the traditional European themed slots, within a context of being easy to keep close to the key concepts of treasure and wealth.

Q: How do you celebrate a game launch?

A: By making the next one even better!

Q: Is there something you feel current online slot games are missing? If so, what is it and how do you plan to implement it?

A: There are so many games out there now that it’s hard to say that something specific is missing. It’s so much fun to create new mechanics and combine existing features in a more engaging way for our players, that every game is really exciting to launch. We don’t really focus on searching for one missing ingredient, rather we just try to deliver the most fun we can in every game.

Q: How many slots do you plan to release in 2017 and will we get to play a new Red Tiger game soon?

A: Around 36. You can play new games all the time, and feedback is always very welcome because we really love our players!

So now we know – the key ingredients to their fierce online slots are games rooms, secret magicians and of course, a big red tiger. Can someone point the way to the nearest zoo please?!