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Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the reasons why you founded Spinplay Games?
Hi. I am Serena Petersen, co-founder and COO for SpinPlay Games. I grew up in Las Vegas and actually began my professional career as a data scientist. After graduate school, I transitioned to a games mathematician in land-based slots and took a leap over to a social casino start-up based in San Francisco. It was this varied experience, along with certain environmental changes, that eventually led me to founding SpinPlay Games, where my focus remains the same: making a great game and play experience for players.
What would you say are the best three slots released by SpinPlay?
My favorite games that have been released so far are Amazing Link™ Zeus, Amazing Link™ Apollo, and Diamond King Jackpots.
Amazing Link™ Zeus is the first game in our Amazing Link™ series. We have taken the popular Hold & Spin feature and added some great enhancements that players will love. Amazing symbols give an additional chance to win featured jackpots, and Amazing reel free spins provide more opportunity to trigger the Amazing Link™ feature.
Amazing Link™ Apollo was the second game in our Amazing Link™ series. With similar features to Amazing Link™ Zeus, we added Amazing reels in free spins where only wilds and Amazing symbols appear.
Diamond King Jackpots introduced the Power Range™. When a wild lands in the Power Range™, it awards a wild multiplier. Players can also collect diamonds in the base game to trigger the Diamond Jackpot feature where they pick their way to matching Mega icons. Plus, the lion in the game is probably my favorite game character, he’s so beautiful!
Which slot takes the 2021 title of the best SpinPlay Games release?
Our best release in 2021 was definitely Amazing Link™ Zeus. We leaned into a classic Greek mythology theme with a strong connection to Zeus, where his constant glowing eyes and orb really relay his strength and power. The electricity and power of Zeus match well with the player experience, and the feature set is fantastic.
Looking to the future, what is the next big release SpinPlay Games is planning?
I’m really looking forward to our Wild Link series that we’re debuting in May, featuring the ever-beautiful Cleopatra. The game is a lot of fun, with expanding reels, extra reels, cash prizes, jackpots, and multipliers.
In a market with hundreds of game studios, what would you say is SpinPlay’s biggest differentiator?
As a studio founded by mathematicians, I think our biggest differentiator and main strength is our math. We create complex, intricate math models in-house and test them on a proprietary simulator before involving design or software. This allows us to continually manipulate a math model until we agree we’ve hit all the constraints and goals of the game rules. This also allows us to be agile in math creation as the market changes, and to be reactive in our design.
We’d love to hear more about the game creation process. Can you let us know which is the most exciting part of the entire process when creating a new title?
The most exciting part for me is the game kick off and math creation. We start by balancing complicated math models, adjusting a variety of game mechanics to create the best game play experience. From there, it’s incredible to watch the artists and developers bring their ideas to life.
Do you have any insider stories you can share with us?
There’s a lot of history here that allows us to work really well together. I started my land-based gaming career with Anton (Kuhlmann) and went to grad school with Andrea (Schultz). Anton and I then moved over to social gaming together. Our artists have previously worked together as well as a few of our engineers. It’s like one degree of separation here at SpinPlay Games. This history has allowed us to ramp up quickly and create fun, cohesive games.
How can you tell if an online game is going to be a hit or not?
I don’t know about predicting if a game is going to be a hit or not. We focus much more on player experience with the game play and art design and basically invest a piece of our souls into each game. It’s hard to say which one will do better than the other. They’re all a part of me, of us.
Did you play slots before entering the iGaming industry? Can you share with us your biggest win/favourite game?
Again, I grew up in Las Vegas so of course I play slots. One of my favorite wins was with a group of friends where we pooled money together and played some high roller slot. At $25 a spin we triggered a wheel feature and won just over $1,000. It’s exciting to win big and win big with friends!
What are your hobbies?
I love learning new things, reading, a family fun night of card games, volleyball, and anything to do with cardio.
What has been your biggest challenge and your most significant success in the gambling industry?
I think that both my biggest challenge and biggest success has been the founding and growth of SpinPlay Games. It’s incredibly difficult to start a business, and I couldn’t be more excited or proud of where we are today.
If you weren’t in the gambling industry, what other industry would you want to work in?
If I were no longer in the gambling industry, I would love to continue my growth of knowledge on data analytics. So many advancements have been made in the statistics industry, with computers becoming more powerful every day, and the future of data analytics will be interesting to watch.