Red Tiger on Slot Remakes, High Volatility and Why Innovation Is Not Everything
In September 2020, Red Tiger Director of Business Development Carl Ejlertsson discussed several trends that were rapidly changing the online slots market: developers creating new versions of established games, the growing popularity of high-volatility slots, the influence of Megaways and the industry’s constant debate over innovation versus familiarity.
The interview was particularly relevant because Red Tiger had recently worked with NetEnt on Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, a new interpretation of one of the most recognisable online slots of the previous decade.
Rather than viewing slot remakes as evidence that developers had run out of ideas, Ejlertsson argued that successful intellectual property can remain valuable for years. A familiar theme or mechanic can be combined with a new mathematical model, new features or a different game engine to create something that feels both recognisable and fresh.
He also challenged the way the industry used the term high volatility. In his view, many modern games described as highly volatile were better understood as slots offering very high winning potential, often with relatively accessible base-game play but much rarer opportunities to reach extremely valuable bonus features.
Who Is Carl Ejlertsson?
Carl Ejlertsson was Red Tiger’s Director of Business Development when SlotBeats published the interview on 3 September 2020.
He had joined Red Tiger during the company’s early expansion into European online casino markets and was closely involved with operators, commercial partnerships and the development of the supplier’s international presence.
That made his perspective particularly relevant to questions about what casino operators wanted, which games players were choosing and why certain slot-development trends were spreading across the industry.
Why Was Red Tiger Talking About Old Slots in 2020?
The discussion followed the launch of Gonzo’s Quest Megaways.
The original Gonzo’s Quest had been released by NetEnt in 2010 and became one of the developer’s most recognisable online casino games.
Ten years later, Red Tiger and NetEnt revisited the title using the increasingly popular Megaways mechanic.
The result was not simply the same slot with updated graphics.
Gonzo’s Quest Megaways changed the mathematical structure of the game, introducing a variable reel layout capable of generating up to 117,649 ways to win while retaining familiar elements from the original Gonzo’s Quest.
The release provided an obvious example of a broader question facing the casino industry:
Why create another version of an old slot instead of developing something completely new?
Why Do Developers Remake Successful Online Slots?
Ejlertsson rejected the idea that developers were somehow forced to keep remaking old games because they lacked original concepts.
His argument was that good intellectual property remains valuable.
If players already recognise a game and associate it with a positive experience, that recognition has commercial value.
The same principle exists throughout entertainment.
Film studios create sequels. Television programmes produce additional seasons. Video games develop franchises. Successful characters and brands return in new formats because audiences already understand what they represent.
Online casino games are no different.
A successful slot can become a recognisable brand of its own.
A Familiar Slot Is a Safer Starting Point
Launching a completely new casino game carries uncertainty.
Players have never seen the title before. Casino operators do not know how it will perform. Marketing teams need to introduce the concept from the beginning.
A new version of an established game starts with several advantages:
- players may already recognise the name;
- the visual identity is familiar;
- operators know how the original performed;
- the developer already understands which elements attracted players;
- marketing the sequel or remake can be easier;
- players may be curious to see how the original concept has changed.
This does not guarantee that the new game will succeed.
However, it reduces some of the uncertainty associated with launching completely unknown intellectual property.
Red Tiger Had Already Reused Successful Slot Concepts
Gonzo’s Quest was not the first example Ejlertsson mentioned.
Red Tiger had already developed different versions and extensions of its own games, including titles connected with:
- Mystery Reels;
- Dragon’s Fire;
- other established Red Tiger game families.
According to Ejlertsson, those iterations had performed successfully.
The company’s experience therefore suggested that players did not automatically reject a game simply because it reused an existing theme or mechanic.
What mattered was whether the new version still delivered an appealing gaming experience.
The Importance of Intellectual Property in Online Slots
In the casino industry, intellectual property can take several forms.
It may be a completely original slot brand owned by the developer, such as Gonzo’s Quest, or a licensed property based on:
- a film;
- a television series;
- a musician or band;
- a celebrity;
- a board game;
- a recognised entertainment franchise.
In both cases, familiarity reduces the amount of explanation required when presenting a new game.
A player who already knows the brand can immediately recognise what the new title is connected to.
For casino operators, a recognisable title may also be easier to feature in promotions or prominent lobby positions.
Why Do Players Return to Games They Already Know?
Ejlertsson connected the popularity of familiar slot brands to ordinary human behaviour.
People frequently return to:
- restaurants they already enjoy;
- bars they already know;
- familiar foods;
- entertainment franchises they have previously enjoyed.
The reason is simple: familiarity reduces uncertainty.
Trying something new always carries the possibility that the experience will be disappointing.
The same principle can apply to online slots.
A player who enjoyed an earlier version of a game may be more willing to open a sequel, remake or Megaways version because part of the experience is already familiar.
Nostalgia Can Be Valuable to Slot Developers
There is also an emotional component.
Players may associate an older game with memories of when they first discovered online casinos, a particular period in their life or simply an enjoyable previous gaming experience.
Developers can use that recognition while introducing:
- new mathematical models;
- larger maximum wins;
- new bonus features;
- different reel systems;
- new graphics and animation;
- updated mobile interfaces.
Ejlertsson described this combination of established intellectual property and modern game design as a potentially successful marriage between old and new.
Why Gonzo’s Quest Was a Good Candidate for a Remake
Gonzo’s Quest was particularly suitable because the original game already had a distinctive identity.
When NetEnt released it in 2010, the slot stood out for its Avalanche mechanic.
Instead of conventional winning symbols simply remaining on the reels until the next paid spin, symbols involved in a winning combination disappeared and new ones dropped into their positions.
That allowed several consecutive wins to develop from one initial spin.
The cascading concept became extremely common across the online slots industry in subsequent years.
By 2020, Gonzo’s Quest was therefore both a recognisable game and an historically important slot design.
Gonzo’s Quest Megaways Combined Two Recognisable Mechanics
The 2020 version combined the familiar Gonzo’s Quest identity with Megaways, the variable-reel system developed by Big Time Gaming.
Gonzo’s Quest Megaways used six main reels with a changing number of symbols.
Depending on the reel configuration, the game could offer up to 117,649 ways to win.
The remake retained elements associated with the original title while changing the fundamental reel mathematics.
It demonstrated exactly what Ejlertsson meant by reusing successful intellectual property without simply producing an identical copy.
Does Reusing Old Games Mean the Slot Industry Lacks Originality?
Ejlertsson did not believe that every new casino game needed to introduce a completely original mechanic.
His position was pragmatic.
Game developers are commercial businesses. Their objective is to create products that players actually want to use, rather than attempting to make every release historically significant.
A slot can therefore be successful without reinventing the entire format.
Developers can take familiar mechanics and combine them differently.
For example, a game may use: