Known for titles that blend lighthearted themes with solid gameplay structure, the Montreal-based developer PearFiction Studios has steadily built a name for itself – not by chasing trends, but by shaping them in its own style.
Janine Copperstone, Senior Marketing Manager at PearFiction, has been at the forefront of the studio’s communication and creative strategy. In this interview with Bigwinboard, Copperstone discusses the studio’s design philosophy, the evolution of its LockNWin™ mechanic, and what players can expect from the upcoming Squealin’ Riches 2: Loot Collect – a sequel aiming to refine rather than reinvent.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Thanks for taking the time to talk to Bigwinboard today. Can you start off by introducing yourself and talking us through your role at PearFiction?
Janine: Hey, thanks for having me. Always happy to chat with the legends at Bigwinboard. I’m Janine Copperstone, the Senior Marketing Manager at PearFiction Studios, and my day-to-day is basically all about making sure our games get the spotlight they deserve and that the industry sees and feels what PearFiction is all about.
I’m involved across everything from branding to game launch creative campaign strategy, various partnerships, PR, and the overall vibe of how we show up in the world. And honestly, one of my favourite parts is bringing a bit of spark and storytelling to the entire process whilst seeing the amazing games come to fruition.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): PearFiction has built a reputation for specialising in Hold-n-Win content, with your own LockNWin mechanic playing a significant role in a number of releases. In your opinion, what is it about this mechanic that makes it so popular amongst players?
Janine: I think the popularity of our LockNWin™ mechanic really comes down to three things: clarity, potential, and anticipation. At its core, it’s a simple mechanic that players immediately understand, collect symbols, lock them in, fill the grid, and chase those juicy jackpots. But the way we’ve evolved it gives it this layered, escalating excitement that keeps players fully engaged.
We also spend a lot of time on the math side to load a lot of potential in our LockNWin™ games. Even if the brand and mechanic are the same, there is a lot more potential for BIG wins in our most recent games. Treasures of Kilauea 2 is a perfect example of this. We never treat it as a copy-paste feature. Each game puts a fresh spin on it, like upzones in Alpha Gods Zeus™ and Topgraderz in 3 Lucky Gators™, we evolve the mechanic to suit the story and theme, which keeps it feeling fresh.
From a marketing view, it gives us an amazing visual and emotional build-up. Simple to understand, exciting to watch, and packed with potential. That’s the sweet spot.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Do you have a set creative process you follow for each and every new PearFiction release? If so, can you give us an insight into what that looks like?
Janine: Oh yes! Every game starts with a killer theme or character concept, something that instantly sparks curiosity or laughter. From there, we move into a collaborative brainstorm phase, where our designers, developers, artists, and sound team all jump in. We ask: What makes this theme unique? How can we surprise the player?
Then we shape the gameplay around the story. Mechanics like LockNWin™ or multipliers are tailored to fit the world we’re building, not just dropped in for the sake of it. Every visual, sound effect, and animation is crafted to reflect the game’s vibe, whether it’s chaos and bloodshed in Blazing Piranhas™ and Goons Gone Wild™ or zombie madness in Granny Vs Zombies™.
We focus heavily on the player experience, so the polish, pacing, and fun factor are tested, tweaked, and tested again. It’s a mix of creativity, structure, and a whole lot of team passion.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): As someone who creates games for a living, do you feel there’s a pressure to follow what other studios are doing when it comes to game ideation and creation, particularly when it comes to trending features and mechanics?
Janine: There’s definitely pressure in the industry to follow trends, especially when a particular mechanic or theme is dominating the charts. But we’ve worked really hard to establish our own unique style and tone. We’re big believers that players can sense when a game has a real heart and imagination poured into it.
We go the extra mile to create titles that feel fresh and different. Sure, we pay attention to what’s popular, but the key question for us is: how can we take that and twist it into something distinctively “PearFiction”? Whether it’s a triple-pot mechanic with quirky hippos, or turning a sweet old granny into a zombie-smashing (or disco-dancing) hero, we’re always aiming to add our own flavour, vibrant visuals, storytelling, characters with personality, and layered mechanics. And so far, that approach seems to be working really well for us.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): PearFiction’s next big release is Squealin’ Riches 2 Loot Collect. Can you tell us about this sequel and why you’ve tipped it to be one of your flagship releases of 2025?
Janine: We’re super excited about Squealin’ Riches 2: Loot Collect because it is the long-awaited sequel to what we consider our most legendary title to date, Squealin Riches LockNWin™. The original game really put us on the map as it introduced players to our cheeky pig mascot, fast-paced LockNWin™ action, and a game flow that felt genuinely thrilling. With the sequel, we’ve kept the heart of what made the original so loved, but evolved everything, from the math model to the visuals, sound, and feature set.
We’ve introduced our brand-new Loot Collect mechanic, upgraded the math, added even more personality, and refined the entire experience. It’s bold, fast, and full of surprises, everything you’d expect from PearFiction. We believe this one’s going to be huge in 2025, and we can’t wait to see it fly.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): One of the most significant differences between the original 2021 release of Squealin’ Riches and the 2025 sequel is the introduction of your new Loot Collection™ mechanic. Can you tell us what this mechanic is and how it works?
Janine: The Loot Collection™ mechanic is our new twist on the classic LockNWin™. During the bonus, collecting Loot symbols powers up the feature, unlocking new rows and boosting the excitement. The more you collect, the more intense and rewarding the round becomes. It’s all about building tension and creating those edge-of-your-seat moments we love. And yes, our cheeky little piggy is back and greedier than ever!
Bigwinboard (Daniel): What does the future hold for PearFiction?
Janine: The future’s looking bright (and busy!) for PearFiction. We’ve ramped up our production in a big way, planning to release more than 12 games this year. What’s exciting is that we’ve managed to increase our output without compromising on quality – in fact, the production value of our games is increasing. That’s something we take great pride in, especially in an industry where scaling often means cutting corners.
As for the Loot Collection™ mechanic, we’re not done with it yet! We have plans to enhance and evolve the features. We’re experimenting with these upgrades in a project that may see the light of day this year, and bring back another one of our very popular, classic titles.
A new version of Alpha Gods is pencilled in for sometime in Q3! There’s a lot of buzz internally about this one, as it was a very successful game, and we’re confident players will love the upgrades and surprises we’ve packed in. So you’ll be seeing more of what you love, and a few fresh twists along the way!
