Gaining clear, concise, and definitive evidence that protocols and strategies are having the desired results is difficult to come by, but SYNOT Games reports that it is witnessing exactly that.
Built on a solid foundation, the studio has its sights firmly set on reaching the next level in iGaming. An ambition that is multi-pronged in nature.
Head of Games Product, Brian Hallas, explains what we can expect from the developer moving forward, how current trends will be capitalised on, how to manage a delicate balance between innovation and proven mechanics, and much more.
iGaming Expert: SYNOT Games recently introduced the new 1000x Series. Could you explain what defines this series, what makes it different from previous titles, and which games will be part of it? What makes it different from previous titles and other titles on the market, and how do you ensure that it truly stands out?
Brian Hallas: The 1000x series is a reaction to regulatory changes that we’ve seen. It’s about keeping our content fresh and at the top of the page, and in this case, that’s really just about making tweaks and adjustments to the mechanics of these popular titles to increase their max exposure accordingly.
The strong branding evident in the games stems from players needing to clearly distinguish between the variants they’ve enjoyed to this day and their supercharged, high-exposure relationship.
That’s really the main purpose of it. You’re seeing popular classic titles, games that have served us well and continue to do so, staying in the limelight. Fresh for all markets but remaining especially relevant to players in markets where things have changed.
In essence, that’s what this series is all about.
iGX: Looking ahead to 2026, which game mechanics, features, or design philosophies will SYNOT Games be focusing on, and what kind of titles can players and operators expect to see on your upcoming roadmap?
BH: On the back of performance that we’ve seen, especially in the last six months of 2025, you’re definitely going to see titles that include more in-game retention mechanics.
We’ve really honed our expertise on this front, and there will definitely be more to see in 2026.
We’ve also grown the portfolio to become more diverse with more thematic games to go alongside our more land-based material. This means there’s likely going to be a clearer definition of the variation within the portfolio.
As a result, you’re likely going to see new ways for us to distinguish between classic portfolio content and its counterpart. We’ve been great at delivering over the years, but growth now means we need to make it clear to operators and players what to expect.
There’ll be a few innovations as well – we need to keep things fresh too!
iGX: Regarding game development, there seems to be an increased focus on franchises. Is that a route that you’re going to take yourselves?
BH: The 1000x series is not a franchise, let’s make that clear first. Evidently, game sequels are a huge trend in this industry, and understandably so. That’s definitely an area we realise we can focus on and intend to.
Seasonality, for example, is a great one. It’s been done over the years, but it’s not something that SYNOT Games has really focused on. We’ll certainly be able to leverage our content to better the full spectrum of opportunity, both for existing games and future ones..
Seeing follow-ups is definitely going to be an area of focus for game development this year and we’ve got quite a lot going on as a result.
iGX: When reviewing performance in 2025, which games delivered the strongest results, and was there a particular title that exceeded your expectations in terms of player engagement or commercial success?
BH: SYNOT Games has celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, and Respin Joker has long been the flagship – a game that comes with many variants.
However, the success of Age of Pyramids has been tremendous. Its core casino feel, with its Egyptian theme and five great features per reel, has made it a great example of our shift to focus upon retention-based games that provide players with a better in-game experience.
iGX: How do you balance innovation with proven mechanics when developing new games, and how much influence do player data and operator feedback have on your creative decisions?
BH: This is a very difficult area in a company like ours, when you have classic slot-themed games. You have to be very careful with the innovation you put into the content.
I think one of the things we’ve really made clear is sometimes there’s an area where you don’t need to be innovative, and perhaps the innovation comes from behind the scenes and not necessarily what the players see as an innovation in the game, but how you are as a studio and how you structure yourself.
It’s about managing the processes for producing those games and where we focus the efforts of our mathematicians, designers, and graphics people. It’s been very much an internal innovation structure within the studios.
There’s still innovation in the games. Obviously, pot mechanics are nothing new, but we’re working hard to find a way to present them in our own way, differently. With our land-based operations, too, this is a really interesting topic.
There are plenty more different game types, too. We want to complete our table game portfolio, and there are always opportunities to be innovative in that.
iGX: What emerging trends in slot development are you most excited about, and how is SYNOT Games translating those into its future game portfolio?
BH: Player data is obviously there in the daily numbers that we’re looking at. When we talk about the success of games, it’s a standout factor that immediately impacts the planning and design of our games and the priority they’re given.
Operator feedback is one of the reasons I moved to SYNOT Games: the company listens, evolves, and seeks to incorporate innovations and contributions. It’s not just in the games, but also in the company’s daily operations.
Another area is that we’re seeing the growth of AI. That’s huge in terms of game production, but it’s also really important in product analysis. One area where I would say AI is more important for us than just game production or end result is in how we analyse what’s happening in the market and with our games.
iGX: If we were to sit here in 12 months and I was to ask what key achievements paved SYNOT Games’ 2026, what would you want to say?
BH: First of all, there’ll be more content than can be expected in our normal years. The organisation is scaling up in that respect – there’ll be more titles on the table to discuss! We’re going to be talking about a handful of games.
As I said before, we’ll see a clear definition of who we are and what we offer. That will be more distinct and obvious. We’ve seen that on the back of ICE this year, which has been a hugely successful show, because we’re going in the right direction.
