Beetle Bailey exclusive interview with Lady Luck Games
Slot Gods sat down with Lady Luck Games to gain an insight into the newly released Beetle Bailey
After taking the iGaming world by storm last December with the partnership announcement between Lady Luck Games and King Features, the iGaming industry has been waiting with bated breath to see what this collaboration produces.
Fast-forward to a couple of months later and the industry has been treated to the spectacular Beetle Bailey slot based on the popular comic of the same name. Not only is this game a faithful branded slot but the innovative gameplay is sure to be a hit with slot enthusiasts across the world.
Just in time for the release of the slot, the team at Slot Gods had the privilege of speaking with Julian Borg-Barthet, the Chief Commercial Officer at Lady Luck Games, to gain an exclusive insight into the creation of the slot and what players can expect from Beetle Bailey as well as a sneak peek into what to expect next from this amazing collaboration.
Congratulations on the upcoming launch of Beetle Bailey, can you start by telling us what inspired the partnership with King Features?
Julian Borg-Barthet: Branded content was something that we've always considered, they can help new studios build a solid reputation and long-lasting relationship with the casino operators. It also increases the visibility of the Lady Luck Games and brand awareness. Such content can also attract newcomers, who never took the opportunity to visit an online casino before, but now, seeing their favourite characters on the reels, they are more likely to try it out.
When the opportunity arrived to collaborate with King Features, we had no doubt in our mind that this was the right move for our company. Their comic strips are known worldwide. Placing those well-recognized characters on the reels will give us a lot of benefits, and we are excited to see the outcome of this exclusive partnership.
We expect Beetle Bailey will be the first of many incredible slots with the King Features partnership, can you tell our audience a little bit about what makes Beetle Bailey so special?
Julian Borg-Barthet: Beetle Bailey is an extraordinary slot, as it’s got a lot of history and stories behind it. All the game characters have fantastic back stories and personalities, and we strived to exploit those quirks for some really fantastic gameplay.
- Name:
- Beetle Bailey
- Developer:
- Lady Luck Games
- RTP:
- 96.20%
- Max payout:
- 500x stake
- Volatility:
- Medium
- Reels:
- 4
- Win lines:
- 81
- Theme:
- TV/Movie
- Release date:
- 24th Aug 2022
Play Beetle Bailey here:
For example, the main character, private Bailey, is well-known for his laziness and being a feckless, shirking, perpetual goof-off. Therefore, most of the time, he just naps below the reels. Due to his insubordinate attitude, he often makes his superior, Sarge, upset. We used this ongoing conflict between those two in one of our bonus features.
As Beetle Bailey is beloved by many, how important was it to get the design and comedic tone of the slot right?
Julian Borg-Barthet: That was a crucial aspect for us. Our design and development teams worked very closely with the King Features team to ensure we delivered a product as close to the original comic strip as possible.
The idea behind it was to bring the characters back to life on the reels. We believe that fans of Mort Walker, the cartoonist and creator of Beetle Bailey, will highly appreciate the level of detail that we've put into the game and how true to the story we wanted to be.
The game is set to be a medium volatility slot, how did Lady Luck Games decide on this?
Julian Borg-Barthet: Our latest titles, such as Valholl: Wild Hammers, and The Treasures of Tizoc, have high volatility. Players have different preferences, and we need to ensure that our portfolio is diverse and that everybody can find a product they like and enjoy.
Therefore, we've decided that Beetle Bailey will have a medium volatility for a gratifying level of play. Players can enjoy highly entertaining big win celebrations, without getting annoyed by seeing minor wins all the time, or waiting for a decent win after 30 spins, like in the case of low and high volatility
Beetle Bailey is released on the 24th of August, what features do players have to look forward to?
Julian Borg-Barthet: Beetle Bailey is a 4-reel, 81 ways to win slot. It has eight regular and four special symbols that can trigger different features or help create winning combinations, such as a Wild that come in the form of a Daily Pass. Aligning Bailey and Sarge symbols anywhere on reels two and three will trigger a Wild Wake Up Feature, during which their signature fight will ensue.
When the scuffle is over, and the dust settles, additional Wild symbols will appear on the reels which has the potential to deliver some big wins. The game also has a bonus round triggered by landing bonus symbols anywhere on reels one and four. The player is taken to the golf course, where he can enjoy a fun jeep ride while collecting cash prizes.
During this round, explosive grenades might be thrown by the General randomly landing on squares where the jeep may land causing a player life to be lost. Another feature is a Buy Bonus, where players can choose from two exciting bonuses and get there immediately.
As Beetle Bailey is a branded slot, how did the development process change in comparison to original slots from Lady Luck Games?
Julian Borg-Barthet: We work closely with our partners on a regular basis, to ensure that we release really great games that players want to play, this was no different.
We aligned ourselves closely with King Features to ensure that we were releasing a game that was not only true to the brand but something we can all be proud of.
What’s the ultimate long-term goal for the King Features partnership? What can players expect from the future?
Julian Borg-Barthet: This exclusive, 3-year co-development agreement with King Features was signed in December of last year. We aim to use this fantastic opportunity to provide players and casino operators with more titles like Beetle Bailey that include the passion and storytelling that makes Lady Luck Games really unique in the market.
We've already been hard at work on our Popeye collaboration, which should be released in the next couple of months.