CasinosOnline had the pleasure of chatting with Madelein Ozok, Aurum Head of Studio about her role, the company, and the studio’s future plan. After only three short years in the industry, Aurum Signature Studios has made a name for itself by specialising in developing bespoke titles with a personal touch for online casinos worldwide. Aurum became known to a wider audience after joining Microgaming's platform that now belongs to Games Global.
We already had the pleasure of chatting with Madelein in March when we introduced the studio to our readership. And with the end of 2022 fast approaching, we decided to get together again and discuss highlights that marked 2022 and had a look at the studio’s new holiday title 9 Gifts of Christmas. Keep reading to find out what we learned about this title.
- Hello, and welcome to CasinosOnline. Before we start, we would like to congratulate you on releasing your 50th release! How does it feel to hit such a tremendous milestone in just three years?
Thank you, it has been an incredible journey! Delivering 50 games in 3 years had its challenges, but was also extremely rewarding. We have built fantastic relationships with a wide variety of customers and my team has grown from strength to strength.
- The studio has been pretty busy this year. Besides releasing your 50th title, you also worked on revamping a classic for Gold Factory Jackpots Maple Moolah slot which became extremely popular with players. Are you satisfied with the success the studio has achieved so far?
Yes, absolutely! To see a classic such as Gold Factory coming alive again and boasting 4-level jackpots has been very satisfying, to us and the players.
- Aurum has just released a slot that will really put players into the festive spirit. Can you tell us something about the 9 Gifts of Christmas?
9 Gifts of Christmas is the fourth Christmas game from Aurum and each one of them has been a hit! The team absolutely love working on Christmas games, it gets everyone in a good spirit. It features all the elements that makes Christmas special, including a dancing Santa and the popular Epic Strike™ mechanic.
- Are there any other special features in the 9 Gifts of Christmas that you think will resonate with the players?
Over and above multiple win opportunities in the base game, players can look forward to the potential of winning one of 9 static jackpots, as well as a Free Spins wheel with different multipliers.
- The studio’s vast catalogue includes a variety of titles covering a multitude of themes. How exactly do you go around creating the next big Christmas slot?
We keep a close eye on best performing games in the market during the year to inform what features and mechanics players enjoy and then build a storyline suitable to those features and mechanics, incorporating the classic Christmas themes.
- Is the process of developing a game revolving around a specific holiday different from developing any other slot?
Apart from getting into the spirit and keeping strict timelines on game delivery, not really.
- Aurum’s portfolio features two other Christmas titles, A Tale of Elves and Book of Mrs Claus. Besides sharing the theme, is 9 Gifts of Christmas similar in any other way to these two titles?
We delivered our first Christmas game in 2019 named Festive Indulgence, over and above the two mentioned. All four games are very different in mechanics, features, and math. Also, even though the overarching theme is Christmas, they each have their own storyline. As example, our first game focused on the festive food that accompanies the celebrations, the second game focused on the elves and the toy factory, the third on Santa’s wife and the animals at their home. This year it’s all about the gifts.
- We expect many developers to release Christmas-related games at the end of the year. How will 9 Gifts of Christmas stand out from all others, in your opinion?
Yes, that is true, but also true for many other games during the year, i.e. Egyptian-themed, or Greek Gods, etc. At the end of the day, it’s offering the best mechanics and features that has proven to be successful in the market already that makes a game stand out.
- Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us! Is there something you would like to share with our readers?
Thank you for the opportunity to talk about our Christmas games. Aurum wishes everyone a blessed and prosperous festive season! If your readers would like to keep up to date on all that’s coming out of Aurum Signature Studios, just keep an eye on our socials.
