Central Europe
Slot Development roundtable
Ahead of this year’s Prague Gaming Summit (29-30th March), European Gaming sat down with some of Central Europe’s most exciting gaming studio CEOs to talk all things 2023. From development trends, to mathematics, post-COVID playing styles and the recurring themes of the classics – this one’s a real treasure trove of gameplay gold. Read on to find out more!
Jan Urbanec (JU) – CEO of Endorphina
Robert Lenzhofer (RL) – CEO of Hölle Games
Alexis Wicen (AW) – CEO of Unibo Games
Given we’ve got some of the brightest slots minds in Central Europe together – let’s start with your take on games development in 2023, what do you see as key formula for slot success right now?
JU: Every element counts, and you need a healthy mix of each to make them fit. Core to that are the basics, in particular – design and mathematics. Studios can’t let that approach get lazy, as you need to keep it fresh to make sure you stand out.
Having said that, you also can’t go overboard as a studio. We’ve seen providers targeting Sweden or certain Asian markets, and plenty can go really crazy with their design. I don’t blame them, as you need to make sure it’s mixed up. In my view however, you should save that for one in every few releases, rather than stepping out of the comfort zone every time with a radical version.
At the end of the day, a major part of the formula should always be mathematics, that solid foundation is needed make any game work. Without that, you’re stranded.
RL: I agree a lot with that. I think we can also answer this question differently when it comes to large vs. small studios. Smaller studios are less distracted by corporate topics – so it can be all about the game. Without those limits, that also means you can be far more agile and focus on creativity.
Also, to build a studio today is vastly different to what it was 10 years ago. Tech today is a completely different world – and that’s reflected in the releases we’re seeing. Take the recent stats that show new studios added on SlotCatalog. There used to be 5-10 studios added per year, now there’s more than 50 added every year!
The driver behind that is the tech, HTML5 for example used to be the difficult thing, but it’s now far easier to create much more sophisticated slots. As a result, I expect to see a big clash of big vs. small when it comes to creativity. After all, smaller studios can be much more high-impact, and faster in bringing games to market. On the other hand, big studios will likely feel the pressure, given that smaller, agile studios can enjoy the radical changes in cost, and consequently, better delivery and quality.
AW: For me, I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all formula for slots, or for that matter any games. Ask a player why they like their favourite slots, and you will get a myriad of different answers. This can be anything from the free spins round, to sticky wilds, or having a big win in the past and hoping it will happen again. That’s before we even get onto the choice of graphics (such as kittens, dogs or teddy bears), or even the narrative; Vikings, El Dorado, ancient civilisations such as Aztec and Egypt, as well as mythology and old religion, and of course, the simplicity of the gameplay – making it easy to understand and enjoy.
We can also see that with certain markets, where access to high-speed internet and data is limited, success for studios will come to those who can create light slots with great features. Especially when it comes to top-notch mathematics, easy gameplay and a compelling narrative. For more mature markets, I also believe that having great graphics and pitch-perfect sounds will be essential to making your slots stand from the crowd and create a real differentiator over the 100+ other studios creating similar products.
With a new generation of player now emerging onto the scene – how influential do you see traditional slot themes such as Irish, Egyptian or Fruit slots from the 2010s being in the future?
JU: I believe there’s always going to be space for the classics. We inherited that trend from the land-based generation in the 2000s, and its likely not going anywhere.
If we look at the traditional symbols used in slots, these are basically the ‘ancient’ symbols of lore from our industry’s history. Their recurring popularity has a lot a do with trust and making players feel at home. For a new game to win a player’s heart, there needs to be that element of trust for them to take their own money and put it on a spin.
However, with that, there should also be there at element of added value that makes you identifiable as your brand. For example, being an Egyptian game with your own twist. Connecting with what Robin said for first question, I really think smaller, agile studios are going to clean up in the coming years.
Also looking at the new generation of players and how that’s going to influence development, today’s demographics come from the world of video games, so they will always look for games that resonate with the mechanics they already know. Next-gen players will look for products that have that transferrable resonation. Definitely in my eyes new players are very tech savvy, understand the mathematics and understand how RTP works. If a studio is open to catering to that demand, you’ll be rewarded with player loyalty.
AW: This is exactly what I think too – I believe traditional themes playing (pardon the pun) on Mythology or History will always have a place in slots, and with good reason. Classic symbols such as Sevens, Jokers, Bells, Cherries and the classic Royals (A->9) will likely stay around for years to come, as it is what players know and love. I know of some providers have completely sworn off never using Royals, but I think they too will have their place in the future of slots – after all, they’re the classics. Definitely some element familiarity for the players always helps them get into a new game, should studios should bear that in mind. Using Royals and other classic symbols are an easy way to piggyback on the player’s personal experience.
RL: I definitely agree with this. New players are coming into an iGaming world that already has its core elements – new players aren’t coming into an empty world. New players will become accustomed to the existing environment and see it as part of the furniture. A good term relating to this is “end customers don’t like change – that is why innovation is hard”. I believe these themes will stay forever as it’s part of how slots first came about. You’ll see this if you check Wikipedia; the original fruit machines gave fruit-style candy as wins. It seems so random, but what started nearly a century ago has created the fruit slots we see today.
So, if you deviate too much from that you lose the appeal – just as Jan has said, it’s a staple favourite that will never change. At the same time, given decreasing production costs, creativity with the classics can become far more enhanced. I expect we’ll see far more localised versions of that. Take fruits for example, you can tailor them to regional markets with regional fruits, as well as adding a variety of visual effects, etc. Let’s say “Book of” themes – why not make highly localised variants of that theme, now that production costs are way lower than say 5-10 years ago!!
When it comes to profiling player preferences in the 2020s, how different are playing styles and habits compared to pre-COVID? What’s proving to be the most engaging?
AW: For me, in terms of profiling player preferences, COVID has certainly had an impact on the way people play and engage with online slots. With more people staying at home and having more free time, there’s undoubtably been an increase in the number of players and the amount of time they spend playing.
I expect additional gamification features in or around the games such as Missions, Achievements, Tournaments, Prize drops and the like are also going to be more important in 2023, as they can help game providers and online Casinos stand out from the rest and garner a following of players. As a result, I have no doubt that retention will be one of the key things to focus on for iGaming operators next year.
JU: To add to this, it’s also hard to say as the full data picture is in the hands of the operator. I’d turn this question around and say that we’d be answering this while being blind in one eye! To have the full picture, we’d need the player journey: How did they deposit? How was that decision made to play the game?
For sure we can say that during COVID, volumes went up, that part is obvious. Definitely I would say that since COVID, we’ve learned that we’re recession proof. For example, I can say with us at Endorphina right now we have five different projects ongoing in casino, with player preferences very much being tied to the age of the player.
In my view, players incorporate the same key themes we’ve already seen. Every decade, player demographics are identical: disposable income, late 20s-30s, the only thing that has changed are the devices being played on. So, in effect we have change in the player lifecycle, but habits stay the same.
RL: For me, I’ve seen a smaller effect than I thought there would be. We’ve done plenty of research in the German market on this. The key finding being that there were only a small percentage of players transitioning from land-based to online during lockdowns. However, this still resulted in a substantial number of new players giving slots a try for the first time and we have seen an unusual degree of sticky-ness of these land-based players – so, that is encouraging!
I have no doubt that people are slowly starting to switch from land-based to online. And just like e-commerce, there is an acceleration of the trend to online. In summary, this means less customers migrating than we thought, but for those who did, there was plenty of stickiness, with a very low churn rate. We’d see 3-4 games trialled, and loyalty established from then onwards.
Last but not least – let’s talk game development technology – in order of importance, which do you see as being most key to a slot being a winner with players? Graphics, mathematics or easy playability?
AW: To kick things off, maths and gamification are areas that I strongly believe in. If you have great features with good maths, it will get you a long way as a studio. That said, if a slot has poor graphics, or when it is hard to understand how to win, then it doesn’t matter how great your maths or features are.
I also believe that 2023 will be the year where more providers will focus more on adding more immersive elements to their slots – especially with great sounds and music. I don’t just mean bringing aboard some great band and making a slot out of it (Although BTG’s Rasputin Megaways is a great example of this done right!), but also “home-made” high quality sounds that can experienced in games, which are effectively proprietary. Blue Guru and Elk Studios are doing some really great work in this space.
JU: When it comes to the maths – we’ve run a few experiments on this; if we release a game, and it is successful, we then release it again with the same core mathematics and with a new skin to see if it was the maths that made it so popular.
The beauty of that is that if you release a game with the right maths, it should work across any skin. After all, if the maths is playful, then the game theme should be successful too. Take a historical game for example (Egyptian or mythological), it is imperative that you get the core elements right. A good case of this is being a studio bringing a far too high-tech game to an emerging market. It will be inherently distrusted as it’s far too new and offers something far too different to what players are accustomed too.
RL: I agree with Jan, although let’s also add a bit of contrast! If the maths is so important, why would you need to release 3 or more games a month? Surely one would be fine if the maths is so great? Game balancing of all the elements – not just maths – is a key ingredient here. Take Candy Crush, for example, they have top level designers who focus on how the music kicks at a certain time, which animation triggers which emotion and the like, so no doubt the key to a successful game is focusing on execution that finds patterns that can resonate.
Just like the perfect dish, I would say it’s hard to identify the exact formula that makes a game great, while there’s no doubt it’s easier to identify what it is that makes a game fail! The essential thing to ask is, does it come down to good maths or bad maths, or is there something else that really makes it work? This is where the tech kicks in and game balancing – you need game orchestration from your PO to make sure all of those components flow together; this is what’s key. The right thing, the right moments and the right cues. All of these need to work together in harmonising those elements.
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Central Europe
Scientific Games and Polish National Lottery Continue 20-Year Scratchcard Tradition as Sales Grow

Scientific Games will continue to bring exciting instant scratchcard games to Polish National Lottery players through a new agreement with Totalizator Sportowy. Celebrating the instant lottery’s 25th anniversary last year, Totalizator Sportowy is among the top five performing instant game lotteries in Europe (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac). The world’s largest lottery games company has provided scratchcards to Totalizator Sportowy for more than 20 years, with scratchcard game sales in Poland growing by 20% over the past three years (2022 to 2025).
“Our goal is to give our players entertaining scratchcard experiences while responsibly generating maximum proceeds for Polish sport and culture. We are delighted to continue working with Scientific Games to offer fun, modern scratch experiences,” said Katarzyna Woznica-Borkowska, Manager of Instant Products for Totalizator Sportowy.
Most recently, Scientific Games collaborated with Totalizator Sportowy to offer Polish players the PLN30 GIGA 7 game produced with the company’s advanced Dimension technology, which enhances the play experience with three-dimensional, reflection-at-different-angle refractions above and below the game graphics.
Currently, the company provides instant games to 110 government-regulated lotteries worldwide, including more than 50 European lotteries.
“Scientific Games is honored to continue our longtime relationship with Totalizator Sportowy that we have built across two decades,” said Paul Dures, Lottery Sales Director EMEA for Scientific Games. “We look forward to continuing our work to drive meaningful growth for the scratchcard games in Poland creating more innovative and attractive games for players.”
With products that generate more than 70% of global instant game retail sales, Scientific Games is the world’s largest instant games creator, producer and services provider, and the primary provider to nine of the Top 10 performing instant game lotteries in the world (La Fleur’s 2025 World Lottery Almanac).
The post Scientific Games and Polish National Lottery Continue 20-Year Scratchcard Tradition as Sales Grow appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years

After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.
Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.
‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’
The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.
About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.
The post Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Pro Selection – next generation casino multigame from Promatic Group

Promatic Group, a Polish manufacturer of slot machines and system solutions for the gaming industry, is launching a new collection of slots dedicated to casino customers – the Pro Selection multigame. The first devices have already been certified in Poland and stood in casinos in Warsaw and Krakow.
One platform, up to 55 games
Pro Selection is software with a collection of as many as 55 different titles, covering the full functional and stylistic range of games from the Polish company’s portfolio. Players will find both classic “fruits” games – traditional and simple in form – and modern adventure games, based on an elaborate narrative and unique logics. Branded productions that stand out for their original creations and high graphic quality are also worthy of special attention.
“In Pro Selection, we wanted to include our best titles and those that have proven themselves in both the land-based and online slot segments. That’s why players will find classics such as Miss Joker, one of the most popular games at Poland’s only legal online casino, or 81 Show, a popular hat game. There are also online hits of recent months such as Pixel Fruits and Ale Cool Bober. On top of that, we have added titles that have so far only been available in land-based slot machines and have been great in them, namely Golden Train, Aladdin or Magic Ladybird Mega,” says Piotr Fedak, CEO of Promatic. – “As for branded productions, games with Mariusz Pudzianowski remain a hit, and not only in Poland”, he adds.
Variability and mathematics for every player
One of the important features of Multigame Pro Selection is the mathematical diversity of the games available in it. The collection offers games with varying levels of volatility – from low to very high (on a scale of 1 to 5 stars). As a result, the package meets the needs of both enthusiasts of long session play with frequent, smaller wins, and players looking for higher risk and high wins.
Also new to Pro Selection is a revamped user interface. An intuitive lobby, it provides quick access to all titles, convenient filtering and easy navigation – both from the touch screen and traditional buttons. This is part of software that meets the highest industry technical standards and has been certified by a Polish testing laboratory accredited by the Minister of Finance as authorized to test gaming machines.
“As a product dedicated to casinos, i.e. the most demanding B2B customers, Pro Selection is designed to be fully integrated with the SAS protocol, which is standard in this market, giving compatibility with various casino management systems and providing full operational and billing transparency. It’s a product that is ready for deployment in casino environments where reliability and control are key,” explains Piotr Fedak. – We strive to ensure that Pro Selection’s multigame always goes hand in hand with our proprietary Royal Sevens Jackpot progressive jackpot system, which in itself is a huge asset and player magnet, Fedak adds.
Ease of maintenance and energy efficiency
Pro Selection software is available exclusively on the latest casino-class slot machines from Promatic Group – that is, the Casino 27 and PRO VIP 27 and 32 cabinets These are top-quality terminals equipped with HD monitors, state-of-the-art sound systems and RGB lighting to enhance the gaming atmosphere.
“Thanks to their modular design and intuitive service menus, our multigames are virtually maintenance-free – that is, technical service friendly. Interestingly also, our energy efficiency studies have shown that compared to the competition, Promatic machines consume significantly less energy,” says Piotr Fedak. – At the moment Pro Selection is fully certified for the Polish market, and work is already underway to obtain licenses for the Czech Republic, Slovakia where our goal is to implement this 100% Polish product in those very markets, says Piotr Fedak.
About Promatic Group
Promatic Group is a Polish company with more than 28 years of experience in the gambling industry, specializing in the production of gaming machines and providing dedicated software for gaming rooms and casinos, both land-based and online. The company’s headquarters and factory are located in Warsaw and Jelenia Gora.
In Poland, Promatic’s devices can be found in Totalizator Sportowy’s legal gaming salons, casinos of the WinCasino chain and selected Casinos Poland locations. The company also operates in Latin American and African markets.
Promatic Group is certified to ISO 27001 for information security and ISO 9001 for slot machine manufacturing quality.
Since 2021, the company has also been developing its online gaming segment under the Promatic Games brand, offering online slots in regulated markets in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It also holds B2B licenses issued by regulators in Romania (ONJN) and Malta (MGA) and plans to enter more than a dozen new markets in the next few months.
The post Pro Selection – next generation casino multigame from Promatic Group appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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