Iconic21 is a multi-faceted game producer whose mantra is to work with the operator’s wants and needs in mind. Boasting an efficient development process and a strategic outlook, Iconic21 has developed a level of brand identity that is worth exploring through their games.
The company’s Chief Product Officer is Edvardas Sadovskis, a highly experienced figure in our industry. Check out his insightful breakdown of what Iconic21 promises through its game development strategies!
For readers meeting ICONIC21 for the first time: what’s the brand's elevator pitch in 30 seconds?
In just a short time, ICONIC21 scaled from a single live casino vertical to a full 360° content portfolio, live, slots, RNG, promo tools, all built and delivered at a pace the industry isn’t used to. We design around the operator, not the other way around: fast turnarounds, exacting quality, and a team that treats client vision like its own. Every project gets the same focus, from the first moodboard to the final handover, because we know the real win is making partners feel they couldn’t have launched it with anyone else.
You were known for live casino games as BETER Live, then spun out ICONIC21 as a fully fledged igaming content provider. What creative itch did you still want to scratch that required you to launch slots and RNG?
We’ve always built around what operators need, and a full content portfolio was the next obvious move. Slots and RNG games tick a lot of boxes for us. They’re perfect for custom, branded experiences and let us push creativity in ways live games can’t. The moment we launched them, they hit. Now we’re in full stride, dropping two new slots every month and several new RNG games, each with its own theme, its own twist, its own reason to stand out. Those are verticals we’re having a lot of fun with and we’re just getting started.
For readers who haven’t seen it: how would you pitch Knock Knock — the door-opening risk game — in thirty words or fewer?
A minimalist game of maximum pressure. Knock Knock puts players in control: open the door for more, or walk away.
Opening another door can boost a win or wipe it out. During playtests, what was the #1 emotional moment that convinced you this mechanic would click with both cautious and bold players?
During play-tests, the moment that stuck with us was the pause right before someone opened their next door. You have a solid multiplier, you visibly hesitate, you need to decide if to knock again or not. A monster appears, you’re wiped out. What we noticed is that instead of frustration, there was a grin, a laugh, and a replay. That moment captured exactly what we wanted: tension that pulls both cautious and more aggressive players into the same emotional space. It’s also a game of control. That curve where risk escalates because of your own choices is what made us certain the mechanic would land.
ICONIC21’s first slot Juicy Coins: Hold & Win arrived December 2024. What design trick from your live-casino days helped you give a classic slot a fresh, modern pulse?
We treated it the same way we treat a live table: build the moment, not just the mechanic. In live casino, you learn how pacing, camera framing, and subtle visual cues can make a simple bet feel electric. For Juicy Coins, we carried that thinking over: the reel stops have a deliberate rhythm, the win animations “breathe” instead of blast, and the Hold & Win feature gets its own stage moment with richer lighting and sound layers.
Your games feel bright, punchy, almost “arcade.” How do you keep that energy while still loading fast on 3-year-old phones and patchy mobile data?
Every visual, sound, and animation has to earn its place. That means no bloated assets, no overcomplicated effects that drag on load time. Our live-casino background taught us how to optimise streams without killing atmosphere, so we apply the same discipline to slots and virtual games: compressed-but-crisp graphics, smart layering so the eye still gets pop without heavy files, and code that prioritises instant play.
In Knock Knock players can choose Easy, Medium, or Hard. Do you see “difficulty selection” becoming a staple in slots as well, and what simple graphic makes the three levels instantly clear?
I think difficulty selection could become more common in slots, not as a gimmick but as a way to let players set their own balance of risk and reward. In Knock Knock it’s a clean setting, but even that can be made instantly clear with a small, intuitive graphic three simple buttons side-by-side, made clear to players. The point is to make the choice feel effortless, so players know what they’re picking before they even read a word.
Your roulette and blackjack tables drop surprise multipliers. What small sound or animation cue made testers lean in the most when a boost hit?
When a boost hits, we’ve found it’s the little cues that make players lean in. Take Gravity Roulette as an example: when a multiplier lands, the LED walls behind the wheel explode in a gravity-themed animation built in Unreal Engine, timed perfectly and fully aligned with UI visual effects which transform it into a full experience. It’s fast, sharp, and hard to ignore.
We use the same principle in other features too, like Bonus Numbers with golden buttons that guide the eye straight to the action and easy chip-placement. It’s all about making the moment feel immediate and rewarding without slowing the game down.
What new promotional tools did you launch lately and how do you feel they impact the gameplay?
We’ve just launched Lucky Card, it’s a high-impact feature for dedicated Blackjack setups. A hidden card in the shoe can appear anytime, instantly rewarding all active players. No interruptions, just a natural surprise built into the session. It works because it adds unpredictability, keeping players alert and engaged without slowing the game. In testing, it’s already boosted mid-session retention. When your tables offer something others don’t, you win attention and that’s where loyalty starts.
You’ve said today’s casino lobby should feel like Netflix. Give operators one layout tweak that can help players discover new games in under five seconds.
Group games by “mood” instead of just type.
Instead of a flat row for “slots” or “blackjack,” give players curated carousels like High Risk, High Reward or Quick Wins Under 2 Minutes. It’s the same logic Netflix uses with “Because You Watched…”. Players instantly know what kind of experience they’re clicking into, and discovery becomes instinctive instead of a scroll marathon. For us, thumbnails are snapshots from the game’s video streams, so players know exactly what they’ll get when they click.
Without breaking NDAs, tease one upcoming ICONIC21 release or feature that you think will make both streamers and casual players say “Wow—that’s new.”
Without giving too much away, our next big release takes the Gravity theme and spins it into a wheel format. It’s bold, fast, and built to grab attention from the first round. We can’t share more just yet, but we’re confident it’s going to be a powerful hit for both streamers and casual players.
