Rival is synonymous with quality in the iGaming sector. Most recently, the launch of Cobra King, a 1,024 ways to win online slot, debuted in March 2023. In addition to game development, the company offers a range of services offering a one stop shop for operators. In this exclusive interview, we discuss even more new games, predictions for the future of online gambling, the largest Rival jackpot won to date and more. Thank you to Ryan Maclean for giving us a peek behind the curtain of Rival studios.
Q: While many are familiar with the company in terms of game development, what else is available under the products and services line?
A: Game development is of course a main focus for Rival and something we have been known to do very well, but we also offer many other ancillary services. Rival offer an enormous portfolio of products and services that let operators run an online casino entirely from within our own ecosystem.
Rival have gained strong recognition among operators across the industry for having an incredibly powerful and sophisticated proprietary back-office. In addition, Rival have developed an Affiliate Platform that works seamlessly with the back-office tool so operators can react and interact with players and affiliates alike, all from within the same platform.
Reinforcing the power of the back-office even more is the proprietary Live Chat system which allows the interaction of players and casino staff in real-time. It’s an incredible tool for relationship building and maintaining, and for keeping everything integrated and under one roof.
There is so much more to the back-office including promotional campaign creation, account and finance management, game reporting, and more. As you can see from what is listed above, the system is entirely self-sustaining and offers many powerful tools that let our partners run their business successfully.
Q: March 2023 saw the launch of Cobra King, a new 1,024 ways to win online slot. Tell us more about the title and its features.
A: We were excited to launch Cobra King this past month as our newest Arabian themed slot. As you noted, this is a 5x4 slot that offers 1,024 ways to win. What’s unique and exciting about this game is that it comes with three different ‘Wish’ rounds, each accessed through a Magic Lamp Collection feature. Collecting 15 Magic Lamps advances you to a new ‘Wish’ round that comes with a new set of Free Spins bonus features. Depending on the Wish (First, Second, or Third), the Accumulator Feature will unlock three different Free Spin bonus rounds; Expanding 3X Multiplier Wild, Drop Symbols with 3X Multiplier Wild, or Sticky 3X Multiplier Wild with Re-spin!
Q: There’s no doubt that Rival’s slot portfolio is extensive. What features or themes have become player favorites over the years?
A: Our Mythic Wolf video slot always makes our list of top performers, as does its sequel Mythic Wolf: Sacred Moon. Many of our classic 3-reel slots are also very popular, most notably the Vegas themed Bigger Cash Win.
In terms of features, our new Collect ’N’ Win feature launched in January 2023 through Klondike Gold has been a hit. Additionally, our expanding reels sets in slots like Reel Crime: Stealing Christmas and Viking Victory have gained a faithful following across the platform. Players have also made a case for the Prize Wheel feature that is present in games like Lucky Ox Jackpots and Witches of Salem. When spun, the Prize Wheel can lead to free spins, instant prizes, or one of the slot’s in-game jackpots.
Outside of slots recently, we’ve seen a great number of players really enjoying Rival’s new tap game called Kaboom. This game is unique in that players choose the number of bombs active in the game, with their ultimate reward based on the risk and volatility profile of their choice. Players decide how far they want to push their appetite for risk, having the option to cash out early or go for bigger prizes. This game can be a real nail-biter!
Q: Which Rival slot paid the highest jackpot in the company’s history and how much was it?
A: The first Rival progressive jackpot was launched back in 2008 and there have been so many large jackpot winners over the years, it’s hard to pinpoint the largest over that span. What I can say is that the largest jackpot so far in 2023 was hit by a lucky player on Jackpot Five Times Wins, and worth over $605,000 USD!
Q: In our 2019 interview, the Rival team stated that the transition from desktop to mobile was the most significant impact for the company. This led to the launch of your first mobile game. What sort of industry changes have affected you most since then?
A: Firstly, we are happy to report the transition to mobile went smoothly since our last interview and that our portfolio of games are all delivered seamlessly to any device.
One of the biggest changes recently for Rival has been the demand from players and operators for our games to be integrated with third party platforms. Not only are our games available on our own platform, but the formation of new partnerships with other platforms has extended our global reach and helped us meet the increased demand for our games.
Q: What are your predictions for trends or market changes over the next few years?
A: On the business side of things, we have started to see more acquisitions and mergers in the industry. We could see this trend continuing for the next few years.
With regard to games, we believe there will be a flurry of new game innovation as developers look for ways to make their games standout amongst the crowd. We believe this is going to be a very exciting time in the industry, full of creative implementations of new game ideas and features.
Additionally, there have been major developments in AI across the entire tech industry so we are watching that closely to see how it may affect all aspects of iGaming.
Q: Can you dish any details about what’s to come for the rest of this year?
A: Rival have an exciting 2023 planned, full of new game features and game types. We have already mentioned the release of the Collect ’N’ Win feature in Klondike Gold, as well as our new tap game Kaboom. Following up on that will be slot features that include a Buy Feature, a Hold & Spin style bonus game, Cluster Pays and much more. We will also be launching our first crash style game. 2023 is shaping up to be one of Rival’s most exciting years ever!
grandmastrFLUSH 2 months ago Sr. Newbie
My first experiences playing slots online were with Ignition/Bovada that had Rival slots. There were also a handful of other casinos that offered no deposit bonus codes that could only be played on Rival slots. Suffice to say, collectively, that added up to quite a bit of time playing older Rival slots. As mentioned, Mystic...
My first experiences playing slots online were with Ignition/Bovada that had Rival slots. There were also a handful of other casinos that offered no deposit bonus codes that could only be played on Rival slots. Suffice to say, collectively, that added up to quite a bit of time playing older Rival slots. As mentioned, Mystic Wolf always stood out from the other slots. Thanks for the interview that gave some insight into the backstory of those old Rival slot memories.
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Larryr1984 1 year ago Sr. Newbie
Very good interview. Rival is one of two software development companies I personally own stock in and the Cobra King slot game is one of my new favorites behind only Blazin Buffalo. I look forward to all the new and creative ways Rival will entertain us in the future. Good luck and keep spinning.
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Theo Rabe 1 year ago Sr. Newbie
As a longtime fan of Rival slot games, this was a very good read. Klondike Gold is a very unique and fresh slot and I simply loved the theme and graphics on offer.
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seanze65 1 year ago Jr. Member
This is a great look behind the curtain at rival. Its great to see that they spent so much time creating a incredibly powerful and sophisticated proprietary back-office for operators. Also its great to see they have plans for more great game features and more great slots. Cobra king was a cool addition to the 1024 ways...
This is a great look behind the curtain at rival. Its great to see that they spent so much time creating a incredibly powerful and sophisticated proprietary back-office for operators. Also its great to see they have plans for more great game features and more great slots. Cobra king was a cool addition to the 1024 ways to win class of games. And its great to hear about the successful launch of the collect n win feature in Klondike gold. Overall its great to hear that rivals just getting bigger and better.
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Complaints Moderator 1 year ago Super Hero
Rival definitely predicts fun new game innovations and expects to see more mergers in the industry!
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SaleA 1 year ago Super Hero
Awesome interview from Ryan. Can't wait to see more slots from Rival.
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ana0206 1 year ago Moderator
Exciting to learn about Rival's powerful back-office and new game Cobra King with its unique features and wishes.
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KingNemo 1 year ago Mighty Member
What a fantastic and incredibly insightful interview with an outstanding software provider! I want to extend a big thank you to LCB and Ryan for taking the time to answer these questions.
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Anchi 1 year ago Admin
Thanks for the interview :)))
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MarijaS 1 year ago Moderator
Thank you very much for sharing the news Ryan! Looking forward to seeing what Rival has prepared for us in the future!
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