Bling Kong – Q&A with Dan Lamond, Chief Product Officer at Rogue

The fantastic Blockchain™ mechanic is back in Bling Kong! Take a look at how such an exciting, intricate creation comes to life.

If you’ve ever played Rogue slots before, you’ll know that there’s something special about them. Having delivered us Turbo Reels, Fusion Reels and Tsunami reels, they’ve now unleashed Blockchain™ and it looks set to change the way you look at reels forever.

With the upcoming release of Bling Kong around the corner, making use of this fresh new mechanic, we took the opportunity to find out more about the concept and to see what’s on the horizon for Rogue. Today, Slot Gods meets Dan Lamond, Rogue’s Chief Product Officer.

Before we get stuck into the fantastic Bling Kong release, could you explain a little bit about the process that leads you towards the next Rogue theme? What takes you from the Orient to Pirates to huge apes!? Is it principally a response to player demands and industry popularity or simply what feels right for the Rogue team at that moment?

We always approach a game’s mechanic first and build out ideas, maths and prototypes before even considering the theme. Once we have a game that is fun to play as a grey block demo then we start to look at the themes that would fit with how the game plays but also with an eye on the markets and players that we think the game will appeal to. We like to approach game design by keeping things familiar enough that players feel comfortable to immediately pick it up and start playing but by also adding a Rogue twist to all of the elements and theme comes under this too.

We first saw the Blockchain™ mechanic in StacKing Kong a few weeks ago and Bling Kong is hot on its heels. Is it right to assume that we haven’t seen the last of Kong’s escape attempts? Or will other characters take over the responsibility in the future?

The incredible success of the UK launch of StacKing Kong has opened the doors for a series of follow up games. We always saw StacKing Kong and Bling Kong as the starting points to launch a whole series of games using the Blockchain™ mechanic and so we are delighted to be adding exclusive versions such as MGM King featuring the famous Leo the lion and the MGM Grand. There are also lots of other exclusive versions in the works with some really exciting themes and brands and a number of prototypes in progress taking the mechanic in new directions.

Blockchain follows the increasingly popular crash gaming method, putting players in control of how far they want to push each spin/sequence. Do you see Blockchain™ as an out-and-out crash concept or is it slightly more nuanced?

Blockchain™ has been compared to crash games because of the simplicity in the concept of the higher you go, the more you win but I see this as a totally different game type. There is the tangible variance generated by the block shapes but fundamentally the difference is that this removes the feeling that the player has missed out on a bigger possible win while also putting them in complete control of how far they want to go in the game.

Is the mathematical model behind a game like Bling Kong easier to work with or does it raise many new and more difficult challenges compared to a standard reel setup?

Creating whole new game types is always going to be more testing than more established games like slots but this is the most fun part of our jobs and why we have put together the creative and tech team that we have. Our tech guys are incredible and this feeds into everything we do, allowing us to be wildly creative and take on the maddest of mathematical challenges.

Is there one department with the Rogue team responsible for creating new mechanics or are ‘eureka’ moments everybody’s responsibility!?

Technically it would come under my responsibility but Rogue is a small, bootstrapped studio and having everyone involved in all aspects of game design is a real positive that has helped create brilliant games. Blockchain™ is a fantastic example of this with the original idea that became StacKing Kong coming from a junior developer within the team.

With a similar theme and idea surrounding both Kong games, are you targeting different players with each or are both games simply intended to complement each other?

Bling Kong has a higher top prize and slightly more volatile maths config so we wanted to differentiate the art and style of the games too. Ultimately I think they complement each other and give players some choice and control of their volatility in how they play. 

Would it be possible to add features and bonus games to slots like Bling Kong or does that change the whole idea too drastically and make it impossible to implement?

Absolutely and we have a bonus game version in the works already which has people excited. It is such a simple mechanic but it has massive depth and variance and the features and brands that could be added are almost endless. The potential for new mechanics is huge and there will be some fun collaborations too.

Rogue is obviously keen to do things in a slightly different way and ‘Change the Game’ as you say. Where does this ethos come from?

As an industry, we can be so quick to proclaim specific rules or elements that games need to adhere to but there have been plenty of game types that have broken all of these formulas in recent years. Having a balance between experience and open-mindedness while fundamentally understanding what makes gambling games fun means we can create whole new experiences for players. 

Players are more than ready and operators are seeing the potential of innovating rather than just talking about it. This is an incredibly competitive market but with so many larger studios resting on their laurels with the comfort of established distribution we think that it’s about time someone shook things up a little.

Other than the two Kong games mentioned today, if there was one Rogue slot that you’d urge fans to try, which one would it be?

We have a game called 1.21 Gigawatts launching exclusively with SkyVegas next month that uses our Turbo Reels™ mechanic. There is a tangible variance to the win potential and win frequency on every spin and a real depth to the bonus game. We’ve refined and improved this mechanic and maths config and are really excited to see it live.

What’s next for Rogue? Are there any projects in the pipeline that you’re particularly excited about?

We have a series of games roadmapped with the great guys at Playzido that have been incredibly well received by operators. These will be a mix of slots using completely new mechanics and some original game types.

We are also working with a major UK operator to create a series of completely new game types that we are particularly enjoying prototyping at the moment. It is incredible to be working with someone who is putting their money where their mouth is and building something entertaining and compelling that players won’t have seen before.

What trends do you think will evolve over the next 2-3 years?

Operators have been wading through a sea of re-skins and rip-offs for the last few years and are actively looking for ways to differentiate themselves and move the player experience on. We believe that small, agile studios that are brave, creative and technically strong enough to build the mechanics to fulfil these needs will thrive.

The UKGC has just (30 August) introduced financial vulnerability checks for players and maximum stake limits.

Player protection needs to be the priority and we want to be in a safe, sustainable and fun industry. From a studio perspective, I have never seen regulations as a restriction and more of a creative challenge to work within. Delivering entertaining games in a safe way is the balance we all need to be aiming for.

Name:

Bling Kong

Developer:

Light & Wonder

RTP:

94.37%

Max payout:

10,000x stake

Volatility:

Medium

Theme:

Animal, TV/Movie

Release date:

27th Sep 2024