Tiki Magic exclusive interview with SG Digital
The team at Slot Gods gain an exclusive insight into SG Digital's Tiki Magic
SG Digital, known more widely as Scientific Games, is a legendary force in the iGaming world with a number of immensely popular products over the past few decades.
They have shaken up the iGaming industry with online slot hits such as Rainbow Riches Power Mix and Monopoly Lunar New Year with no intentions of stopping anytime soon with the upcoming slot Stargate Megaways.
We at Slot Gods are media partners with this incredible company and have been given an insight into the recently released Tiki Magic. We spoke to Rob Procter, Vice President of Game Development at SG Digital, about the tiki-tastic slot and how it stands out amongst the others.
Thanks for speaking to us Rob, can you tell us a little bit more about your role at SG Digital and what your main focus was when developing Tiki Magic?
Rob Procter: It’s great to take the time out and speak with Slot Gods. As VP of Game Development at SG Digital, I’m responsible for overseeing the production of games that we deliver to the market, as well as making sure we’re distributing the right content and pushing the boundaries with new concepts.
In particular, over the past 12 months, we’ve made some bold leaps forward in shaping a robust roadmap that has a variety of games that are appealing to all players, whether it’s new instalments from our hugely popular Rainbow Riches franchise, or experimenting with new features and mechanics with original concepts.
Tiki Magic was our very first game release of 2022, so we wanted to make a real statement and let players and operators alike know that this year was going to be a big one for us and that we mean business.
- Name:
- Tiki Magic
- Developer:
- SG Digital
- RTP:
- 96.89%
- Max payout:
- 25,000x stake
- Volatility:
- Medium
- Reels:
- 5
- Win lines:
- 243
- Theme:
- Tiki
- Release date:
- 20th Jan 2022
We made a conscious effort to fill this slot with some truly fantastic bonus features and mechanics such as Free Spins, expanding reels and the Quick Hit Ultra Pays format, which can see players win one of five lucrative fixed jackpots instantly should they land enough Tiki Magic symbols.
Tiki Magic has an incredibly calming and relaxing island aesthetic, what was the thinking behind the design of this slot?
Rob Procter: Upon the mention of Tiki-themed games, most players immediately think of three things, beautiful Polynesian beaches covered in golden sand and calm blue oceans, imposing volcanoes that are about ready to blow and of course, intricately carved tiki totems.
We’ve incorporated all three elements into this beautifully designed slot. The base gameplay is set on a pristine beach, where the only hindrance is an overly friendly crab that shuffles along the beach as the reels spin. The reels themselves are made of tiki totems that see extra heads added at random throughout the gameplay and the volcano comes into play whenever players trigger the Free Spins bonus.
The Polynesian way of life is cool, calm and collected and we wanted to reflect that in the choice of soundtrack and visuals. Of course, it’s not so calm when the bonus feature is triggered, but we like to turn up the heat when there’s big money to be won!
It’d be fair to say that Tiki-themed slots are pretty common within the world of online slots, what makes Tiki Magic stand out from the rest?
Rob Procter: Absolutely, Tiki-themed slots continue to be in high demand from players, and we believe we’ve created one of the most immersive experiences of this genre available in the marketplace! Tiki Magic has a lot of fun features that makes it stand out from the rest.
Tiki Magic utilises an interesting mechanic that many of our US players will already be quite familiar with, Quick Hit Ultra Pays. This mechanic sees six jackpot prizes displayed on the left-hand side of the game reels. All players need to do to instantly win a prize is match the number of Tiki Magic symbols required. It’s really that simple!
We already know that this mechanic is a firm winner with players in the States, so we’re watching Tiki Magic closely to see how it compares in markets such as the United Kingdom and Europe.
Another popular feature of Tiki Magic is its expanding reels. Not only does this massively increase the ways to win from 243, but it also leads to more opportunities to land the maximum of nine Tiki Magic symbols or triggering the Free Spins. Also, seeing the reels expand to crazy heights is particularly exciting, especially during the bonus feature.
How can players achieve Tiki Magic’s maximum win of 25,000x their stake?
Rob Procter: To trigger the maximum win of 25,000x their stake, players will need to land 3 Volcano scatter symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4. They will then be taken to a thrilling pick and click mini-game that determines how many free spins they receive, with the opportunity to claim a massive 20 Free Spins.
Once the reels are spinning, unlocking the maximum 7,776 ways to win will see the reels grow significantly, giving players the best chance of creating a high-value winning combination worth 25,000x their stake.
Winning the maximum prize on any slot is a rarity, but it’s well worth remembering that even if players don’t hit the maximum win they can still win an impressive 5,000x their stake any time during the base gameplay or bonus feature via the Quick Hit Ultra Pays mechanic.
It would seem that many studios are leaning towards high volatility gameplay at the moment, Tiki Magic offers medium volatility, what made SG Digital choose this?
Rob Procter: Whilst it’s true that high volatility games are the flavour of the month, we’re very mindful not to alienate any segment of our player base by forcing them into a corner, only offering them one specific type of game.
To be successful in the world of iGaming, a diverse portfolio of games that caters to every audience is essential, especially considering player habits are changing at a rate of knots right now.
There’s a large portion of players who thoroughly enjoy medium volatility slots, as they offer a truly unpredictable gameplay. We felt the gameplay within Tiki Magic complimented the volatility and players are loving it so far.
Looking at our OpenGaming roadmap for 2022, you’ll see we’re releasing a wide range of slots to suit a very diverse player base, there’s certainly no one-size-fits-all approach from us.
If you had to pick your favourite thing about Tiki Magic, what would it be?
Rob Procter: That’s a tough question, I like absolutely everything about Tiki Magic! The Quick Hit Ultra Pays mechanic is ultimately what makes it so different to other versions, generating even more excitement that could see players win one of five fixed Tiki Magic jackpots off any spin.
If the demand is there from players and operators, we’ll continue to roll out more titles that feature the Quick Hit Ultra Pays mechanic in European markets.
We all love Tiki Magic here at SG Digital, and we’re quite confident players in our target markets will too.
Be sure to check out SG Digital's Tiki Magic slot which is out now.