The iGaming industry of today sees slot titles characterised by vibrant visuals, dynamic animations and immersive themes that capture the attention of players and drives retention and acquisition rates.
Anna Bashmakova, 2D Artists Stream Leader at Playson, sheds light on the visual demands for design and how current trends are shaping the overall user experience.
iGaming Expert: How has the role of visual design in slot games evolved in recent years, and what are the key drivers behind this shift?
Anna Bashmakova: In recent years, we have seen a noticeable shift towards higher-quality graphics and deeper visual concepts. Artists from various branches of game development are joining the industry, bringing their experience and aesthetic vision. Games are becoming more diverse, more stylistically complex, and with better rendering and overall higher level of elaboration.
With the advent of AI, the work has accelerated significantly, but the demands for speed and quality have also increased. Artists have to manage to create visually strong projects in a short time, without losing the key idea of a final product.
Also, due to the large number of studios and new games on the market, it is difficult to compete for the player’s attention. Now it is important not only to draw beautifully, but also to understand the goal, the product and a player – because experiments and long research are increasingly less possible.
iGX: What are some of the most exciting graphical design trends currently shaping the iGaming industry?
AB: It is difficult to single out one thing, because the industry is very dynamic. But there are several interesting trends.
Reinterpretation of classic themes is the first that comes to mind. Many studios do not simply repeat the themes of Egypt, Aztecs or ‘piggy bank’, but try to mix them with new stylistic techniques, creating unexpected and fresh-looking visual solutions.
Another spotted tendency is putting a heavier emphasis on the character. More and more games are built around an expressive figure who is not just decorative, but interacts with the game features, creates a mood and adds depth and entertainment.
As an example of a more conscious use of the character, we can cite two recent games of ours — The King of the Sky and 3x Catch. In both games, the central character is placed at the top of the screen and acts as a link between the playing field and the features.
In The King of the Sky, the eagle plays a key role in the bonus game: by using animations of this character we communicate the addition of multipliers. This could have been implemented with a simple random animation, but the presence of a majestic bird creates a more exciting experience for the player – without overloading with unnecessary unique animations. This approach requires a delicate balance between anticipation and the dynamics of the game: to give a sense of the moment, without dragging out the process itself.
In 3x Catch, we used a lighter, softer approach. The fisherman character not only clearly conveys the general theme of the game, but also participates in the game events – unobtrusively, delicately, but effectively. He adds liveliness and emotion to the game, enhancing the gameplay without drawing too much attention to himself.
In such slots the character does not just exist because it is beautiful but also plays its role in the interaction with the visual and mathematical core of the game.
These trends show that design is becoming not only about aesthetics, but about creating an experience for the player, emotional attachment and game distinctiveness.
iGX: In such a visually saturated market, how does Playson approach creating graphics that truly stand out and resonate with players?
AB: We always keep our own quality bar in mind – it’s not just a requirement, it’s an inner feeling of what a game should be. We try to attract and hire people to the team who can raise this bar even higher, who inspire others and bring a new level of vision.
It’s very important for us at Playson that the entire team thinks in terms of the product, and not just their piece of work, art in particular as an example. We constantly ask ourselves the question: how will my art affect the perception of the entire game? Because that’s the only way to create a coherent, strong product from individual elements.
We don’t have an art director who dictates the style, so each team member is expected to take initiative and be responsible – for ideas, for quality, and for the overall vibe of the game. It is this creative and caring atmosphere that allows us to create projects that you really want to play and that last a long time.
In short, our approach is based on two things: uncompromising graphics quality and a bright, catchy element in each game — something that will touch the player and remain in their memory.
iGX: Can you share how the collaboration between design, animation, and development work to bring immersive slot themes to life?
AB: Nothing extraordinary – the main thing is to work as a single team, without division into isolated departments. All our key specialists are constantly in touch, not only at stand-ups or meetings, but also throughout the day. This is live, informal communication, where any issue is resolved at the touch of your fingertips.
When we create graphics, we always approach animators with discussion already at the concept stage, to immediately understand how art can be brought to life. One of such cases that comes to mind, was a task to make the experience with the piles of gold in 3 Carts of Gold more immersive. We used 3D rendering and this allowed us to achieve a more realistic effect. The elements, gold bars, look so alive that you want to touch them and take them for yourself.
We also involve developers quite early as well, so that they can see our ideas and immediately evaluate the complexity of the technical implementation.
This approach allows us to find non-standard technical solutions that improve the gameplay. For example, a new spine structure for smoother animation. Also in the Royal Express we integrated an internal particle system at a new level of detail to render the smoke from the train as realistically as possible.
By implementing this system, we have decreased the game size, and gained more control over smoke animation, making it move in accordance with game events. We’re constantly looking for ways to optimise graphics without sacrificing quality – that’s our forte, and we stand by it.
Automation of routine processes and reducing the amount of manual work is something that we constantly strive for. We widely use layer comps and linked files. Layer comps allow you to quickly switch between design variations, and linked files allow you to work as a team, without duplicating files and maintaining a single structure. This is especially important in the iterative development process, such as packaging art for a quick test in a prototype, or where changes need to be implemented quickly and without loss of quality.
It generally allows the whole team to move quickly, stay flexible and focused on the result. We are constantly trying to be proactive, review our pipelines, and improve everything we can comprehend at the current stage.
iGX: Looking ahead, how do you see advancements in visual technology influencing player engagement and game development strategies?
AB: With the advent of AI, everything will speed up – there will be even more content, and even more vibrant games. But that is precisely why visual quality will cease to be a unique advantage. Those companies that would be able to maintain focus on the gameplay, catchy mathematics, and the overall player experience as a holistic product, will win.
In my opinion, the future is about more immersive, emotionally accurate experiences. Engagement will not only be through winning, but through combined game elements in action. Examples are character movement that is satisfying, or music with the right rhythm and atmosphere, animations and effects that hit the spot – at the right moment, with the right emotion. All these tiny yet precise game responses that give you a thrill.
Technologies open up new possibilities, but their power is in the details. Therefore, as artists and developers, we must look towards directing the gaming experience, where everything – from visuals to rhythm and sound – works as a single living mechanism.
