Evoplay has unveiled its flagship title for 2021, Star Guardians, aiming to shake up the traditional slot game formula. Known for its tried-and-true elements of lines, reels, and spins, the slot gaming landscape sees numerous similar titles released annually. However, Evoplay aims to break this mold with what it calls the "biggest budget game in Evoplay's history."
Vladimir Malakchi, Evoplay's CCO, expressed the ambition behind Star Guardians: "We were inspired by the objective to make a revolution inside the industry using this game. We treated it in a special way from the very beginning.” He emphasized the desire to transcend conventional gambling gameplay, stating, "Clicking on the space bar is boring.” Star Guardians infuses the look and feel of a video game into the slot experience, combining third-person shooter mechanics with a richly developed fantasy world populated by characters with intricate backstories while retaining core slot elements, including a five-second spin time.
Malakchi explained, “Five seconds, from what we’re seeing from different regulations, is normal. The old myth goes that if people can press the stop button at the right time, they will increase their chances to win.” He noted that players often seek to influence outcomes even in random number generator (RNG) games, suggesting that allowing some control could enhance the experience.
Developing Star Guardians proved to be a time-consuming process, requiring nearly three times the effort typically needed for standard slots. "We spent more time on it and more things needed to be created from scratch, and there were a lot of things we didn’t know how to create at the start,” Malakchi remarked. He estimated the total development time at around a year and a half, compared to the usual three to six months for other slots. Malakchi acknowledged the ongoing nature of development, as the team looks to continuously update and improve the game.
“The main challenge for us was not even to make the game,” he added. “But to make it very light as people are playing from mobiles which may not have the best internet. Our main goal was to make this game as light as we can and we’ve done it.”
Inspiration for Star Guardians came from various gaming genres, with features designed to foster a tournament-style play, similar to trends emerging in esports. Malakchi questioned, “Why tournaments?” noting the increasing popularity of tournament formats in gaming. He observed that players’ competitive nature drives a desire to win not just money, but also to outperform others.
While acknowledging that integrating such features into slots will take time, he is confident that multiplayer elements could shape future developments in the industry.
The marketing campaign surrounding Star Guardians is as innovative as the game itself, with Malakchi calling it “the biggest marketing campaign in the igaming world.” The development team’s passion as avid gamers influenced the campaign’s direction. By creating content that resonated with the gaming community, they aimed to position Star Guardians not just as a typical slot game, but as part of the broader video gaming universe.
To bolster the game's narrative, the marketing team crafted a comprehensive art book containing sketches and screenshots and even developed a comic book featuring various heroes from the Star Guardians universe. Malakchi noted, “The first steps of creating Star Guardians was creating the story of the whole world,” highlighting the importance of storytelling in gaming marketing.
The pre-campaign has already reached an audience of 30 million, with plans for a completely free Star Guardians tournament to attract players new to the gambling scene. Malakchi explained the goal: “We want to give this game to casinos who are ready to receive new audiences.” He expressed hopes of engaging those outside traditional gambling spaces to provide a fresh experience.
Recognizing the need to draw in a younger demographic, Evoplay targets potential players aged 30 and under, believing that appropriate content can help bridge the gap. Malakchi pointed out that, in gaming and esports, there are roughly four billion players with an average age of 34, presenting a significant opportunity. He stressed, “We’re trying to reach more than three billion people with this game. Even if we reach just 4% of that audience it will be a great success for us and the whole niche.”
The ambition behind Star Guardians could not only redefine how slot games are perceived but also push the entire gaming and gambling industry forward.
