In the fast-shifting landscape of online slots, longevity is rare, and cultural icons even rarer. Yet for nearly a decade, one intrepid explorer has remained a constant presence in the hearts of players worldwide: Rich Wilde. The adventurer’s escapades, often drenched in Egyptian mystique and high-volatility drama, have become a cornerstone of modern slot gaming. With a legacy as enduring as the tombs he plunders, the question now is: how do you keep such a storied franchise fresh?
To find out, Bigwinboard sat down with George Olekszy, Head of Game Retention at Play’n GO, the studio responsible for Rich Wilde’s journey from cult favorite to industry mainstay. In a candid and forward-looking conversation, Olekszy discusses the creative decisions behind Rich Wilde and the Tome of Dead, reflects on the timeless appeal of Egyptian-themed slots, and hints at what’s next for one of iGaming’s most recognizable names.
With Play’n GO navigating a sea of ever-evolving player expectations and technological shifts, this is a rare look behind the curtain at how enduring brands continue to reinvent themselves, without losing the soul that made them icons in the first place.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Rich Wilde has been around for a very long time now, and there’s no doubt that it’s deservedly etched its place in slot history. Just how challenging is it to keep the franchise fresh with so many games in the portfolio?
George Olekszy: Great question! I think this ties nicely into why we created this game in the first place. We’re approaching the tenth anniversary of Rich Wilde next year, and the franchise has shown no signs of slowing down. When we first started developing sequels to the original Book of Dead, we wanted to keep things relatively similar, adding things like win multipliers and small twists on the expanding symbol feature.
In those earlier days, the core elements of the game remained the same, and players were happy with that. However, you can only go so far with this before you end up reusing the same assets, and things risk becoming stale. As we all know, slots evolve and tastes change.
Truthfully, it’s not too difficult to keep the franchise fresh and in line with what’s going on around us. We always knew that in order to stay relevant, we’d need to go in different directions. So far, we’ve been extremely successful, and I’ve got high hopes for the release of Rich Wilde and the Tome of Dead.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): What inspired Play’n GO to release another cluster pays in Rich Wilde and the Tome of Dead? It’s clearly inspired by Tome of Insanity. Was that a standout hit within the franchise?
George Olekszy: Tome of Insanity was one of our best releases last year, and those kind of cluster pays games perform extremely well for us – although we’ve got a lot of successful traditional video slots in our arsenal. I think a lot of people actually associate Play’n GO with grid slots and cluster pays games. Not only do I think we’re an innovator in that space, but I believe it’s what we’re best known for. So yes, I’d absolutely say that Tome on Insanity was a source of inspiration for this one.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Rich Wilde and the Tome of Dead combines Book of Dead optics with Tome of Insanity mechanics to good effect. Could we potentially see any further mashups? If so, which two titles would you bring together?
George Olekszy: That’s a tough one! Firstly, I’d be amazed if we didn’t produce any further mashups, as the ones we have done have been extremely successful. Right now, I’d say we’re still testing the water with the concept, but there are definitely some great opportunities there.
Personally, I’d like to see Reactoonz, or a Rise of Olympus type game crossed over into a more traditional video slot. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. There’s so much you could do with a game like Reactoonz, I honestly think it’d be awesome if you introduced dynamic pathways or the Blitzways mechanic, who knows what might happen in the future?
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Do you think there’s still longevity in Egyptian-themed slots such as Tome of Dead? The rush of nostalgia is an enticing factor for any strong slot.
George Olekszy: Egypt is one of those timeless themes that never truly ages. We all laugh and joke about Egyptian-themed games being everywhere, just as we do with others, such as fishing slots. Whilst some might groan at the sight of one, the honest reality is that these games perform extremely well, and you can’t really ignore that as a creator.
Egyptian-themed slots are classics, both in land-based casinos and online, they’re a big part of our industry’s history. I can’t see them going away anytime soon, and I think they’ll continue to perform well for a very long time.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Rich Wilde is clearly a long-time favourite for players. Do you see an uplift in players whenever a new title is released, and do new releases revive interest in older Rich Wilde titles?
George Olekszy: We’ve actually done some analysis on various games to see what happens, and you don’t really see much cannibalisation when a new Rich Wilde game lands – or any game that follows on from something else, for that matter. We’ll usually see the same player base stick to the original, with a fair few of them trying out the new release. It’s very rare to see a player jump over to a new version of any game and stick with that one forevermore.
With a series as large as Rich Wilde, we ultimately find that most players like to dip between multiple games. We see it as growing the player base for the series as a whole, as opposed to pushing them towards just one release.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): Looking back at Play’n GO classic, Book of Dead, just how much play does this slot still get? Is it still a top performer, and why do you think it captured the imaginations of so many players over the years?
George Olekszy: Book of Dead is still a top performer of ours, and it has been referenced as the biggest and best slot for Play’n GO for a very long time – and I’d have to agree with that.
One thing that’s been interesting to watch over the years is how players have begun to diversify across our portfolio. At one point, many years ago, a very large percentage of our play came through Book of Dead, whereas now that number grows smaller as players are enjoying everything else we have to offer. Despite that diversification, Book of Dead remains our flagship game and will always be a huge part of our history.
Bigwinboard (Daniel): What’s next for the Rich Wilde franchise?
George Olekszy: Once Tome of Dead is out there, we’ll need to sit back and take stock and gather feedback from our players and partners on this game. Once we’ve built a good picture of its success, we’ll take it from there.
I don’t think we’re done experimenting with these crossover mechanics. One thing we’ve always done really well, I’m my opinion, is finding new ways to make classic features and mechanics interesting. So, in answer to your question, I think we will see some more of the traditional Rich Wilde games coming in the not-so-distant future. We’ve got some really cool ideas in the pipeline that we’re already talking about. Watch this space!
