🎤 Play ‘n GO Q&As with Magnus Wallentin

Wilde Slot Series Q&A (July 2026)

This Q&A looks at the Wilde slot series, which begin with Aztec Idols in 2013 and was made popular by Book of Dead and subsequent releases.

Q: The series began with Aztec Idols in December 2013, more than two years before Book of Dead. Did the team have any sense at that early stage that Rich Wilde could become one of the longest-standing series in slots? 

MW: “When Rich Wilde first appeared, I don’t think anyone could have predicted the full scale of what the character would become. What we did know very early on was that he had the ingredients of a strong, lasting slot character: a clear identity, a sense of adventure, and a world that players could immediately understand.

Aztec Idols gave us the first glimpse of that. It introduced Rich as more than just a face on the game screen; he was an explorer, a storyteller, and a route into worlds filled with mystery and discovery. That became the foundation for everything that followed.

The longevity of the series comes from that combination of familiarity and possibility. Players know what a Rich Wilde adventure feels like, but every game gives us a new opportunity to take him somewhere different.”

Q: Aztec Idols still holds the highest max win in the entire series at 22,275x, higher even than Wildest Gambit’s 20,000x. Was that early ceiling a deliberate benchmark, or simply a product of how that first game was built? 

MW: “It was more a product of that game’s individual design than a deliberate attempt to set a benchmark for the rest of the series.

Every game has its own mathematical model, volatility profile and entertainment objective. A max win is one part of that, but it is never considered in isolation. With Aztec Idols, the ceiling reflected the way that particular game was structured and the type of experience we wanted it to offer.

What is interesting, looking back, is that it shows the Wilde series has always had range. Some titles lean into very high potential and dramatic moments, while others focus more on pace, familiarity, feature frequency or character-led storytelling. That flexibility is one of the reasons the series has been able to grow for more than a decade.”

Q: Book of Dead in 2016 is described as a revolution and one of the most-played slots of all time, and it’s become the engine behind countless no-wager free spins offers. How has that single title shaped every Wilde game that followed? 

MW: “Book of Dead shaped the series in two big ways.

First, it established the clearest version of Rich Wilde’s identity: exploration, ancient mystery, high drama and a very readable game experience. It gave the series a centre of gravity. Even when later games go in different directions, there is always that sense of adventure and discovery that traces back to Book of Dead.

Second, it proved the power of simplicity when it is executed exceptionally well. The expanding-symbol Free Spins mechanic is easy to understand, but it creates huge anticipation. That lesson has influenced every Wilde game since: a strong idea, a clear emotional hook, and mechanics that serve the experience rather than overcomplicate it.

Book of Dead also showed that a slot can become more than a single release. It can become an IP, a world, and a long-term point of connection between players, operators and the Play’n GO brand.”

Q: The expanding-symbol Free Spins mechanic runs through Book of Dead, Doom of Dead, Amulet of Dead, Lost Chapter, Pyramids of Dead and beyond. How do you keep that signature feature feeling fresh rather than repetitive across so many titles? 

MW: “The key is to treat the expanding symbol as the heart of the experience, not the whole experience.

Players return to that mechanic because they understand it and enjoy the anticipation it creates. Our role is to protect that feeling while changing the context around it: the setting, the pacing, the visual language, the supporting features and the way the bonus round builds tension.

Sometimes freshness comes from adding a new layer, like multipliers or additional symbols. Sometimes it comes from presentation, atmosphere or how the story unfolds. The important thing is that the feature still feels intuitive. If players recognise the emotional rhythm of a ‘Book of’ game, then we can innovate around it without losing what makes it special.”

Q: Amulet of Dead layered in Thoth Multipliers and Pyramids of Dead added a jackpot pick and up to nine expanding symbols. When you extend the ‘Book of’ formula, how do you judge how much to add before it stops feeling like Book of Dead? 

MW: “That is always the balance. The ‘Book of’ formula works because it is direct, dramatic and easy to follow. If you add too much, you risk losing the clarity that made the original so powerful.

For us, the test is whether the new feature strengthens the core experience or distracts from it. Thoth Multipliers, for example, work because they add anticipation to the Free Spins without changing the fundamental structure players understand. Pyramids of Dead feels bigger and more layered, but it is still built around the same central excitement of revealing and expanding symbols.

We always ask: does this mechanic belong in the world of the game, and does it make the player feel more engaged with the adventure? If the answer is yes, it can enhance the formula. If it feels like complexity for the sake of complexity, it probably does not belong.”

Q: Book of Dead GO Collect in 2026 is a modern remake that bolts a Gold Staters and Treasure Vault respin mechanic onto the classic. What made now the right moment to remake the game that defined the series, and how do you modernise it without alienating purists?

MW: “The timing felt right because Book of Dead has reached a point where it is both a classic and a living franchise. Players still love the original, but expectations around pacing, progression and feature depth have evolved.

With Book of Dead GO Collect, the intention was not to replace Book of Dead. It was to create a companion piece that respects the original while giving players a new reason to explore Rich Wilde’s world again. The familiar foundation remains: the Egyptian setting, the Book, the Free Spins, the expanding symbol and that sense of anticipation that players know so well.

The new layer comes through Gold Staters, GO Collect and the Treasure Vault. Those elements add progression and a new source of tension in the base game, but they do not interfere with the soul of the original. That was the most important creative principle: modernise the journey, but protect the identity.”

Q: Tome of Madness in 2019 broke from paylines entirely with a 5x5 Cluster Pays grid and the Portal mechanic. What prompted that departure, and did you expect it to spawn its own sub-series? 

MW: “Tome of Madness was a chance to ask what a Rich Wilde game could be if we moved away from the traditional ‘Book of’ structure.

By 2019, Rich Wilde was already strongly associated with ancient adventure and expanding-symbol Free Spins. We wanted to explore a darker, stranger corner of his universe and give players something that still felt connected to Rich, but mechanically and tonally different.

The 5x5 Cluster Pays grid and Portal mechanic helped create that sense of instability and escalation. It felt more chaotic, more supernatural, and better suited to the Lovecraftian tone of the game.

Did we know it would become its own sub-series? Not necessarily at the beginning. But once we saw how naturally that world supported more stories and mechanics, it became clear there was more to explore.”

Q: Tome of Insanity and Tome of Dead have since built on that Portal/Ritual-charging idea with walking wilds like Yog-Sothoth and Ammit the Devourer. How do you approach building a sub-series within the wider Wilde universe? 

MW: “A sub-series needs its own identity, but it cannot feel disconnected from the wider world.

With the Tome games, the identity is darker, more unpredictable and more supernatural. The mechanics support that tone: portals, rituals, charging meters, walking wilds, and a sense that something powerful is being awakened as the game progresses.

At the same time, Rich Wilde remains the anchor. He is still the explorer stepping into places he perhaps should not enter, uncovering forces that are ancient, dangerous and mysterious. That keeps the connection to the wider Wilde universe intact.

The best sub-series feel like a different chapter in the same library. The Tome games are exactly that: a different mood, a different rhythm, but still unmistakably part of Rich’s world.”

Q: The Tome games lean into Lovecraftian horror, a real tonal contrast to the adventure feel of the Egyptian titles. How do you balance those different moods while keeping everything recognisably part of one series? 

MW: “The connective tissue is the idea of exploration. Whether Rich is entering an Egyptian tomb, an ancient temple or a Lovecraftian nightmare, he is always crossing a threshold into the unknown.

That gives us a lot of tonal freedom. The Egyptian games can feel golden, mysterious and adventurous. The Tome games can feel darker, stranger and more unsettling. But they both begin from the same character premise: Rich Wilde follows the mystery wherever it leads.

Visually and mechanically, we also keep certain principles consistent. The games need strong symbols, clear feature moments, and a sense of discovery. The tone can shift, but the player should still feel they are inside a crafted Play’n GO adventure.”

Q: Cat Wilde was introduced in Shield of Athena in 2020 and has since led as many titles as her father. What made you decide the series needed a second lead, and how do you keep her games distinct from Rich’s? 

MW: “Introducing Cat Wilde allowed the universe to grow without simply repeating Rich’s story.

Rich is the classic adventurer: experienced, curious, and often drawn towards ancient power and lost knowledge. Cat brings a different energy. She is capable, bold and modern, but she also carries the Wilde legacy in her own way. That gives us a new emotional and creative angle.

Her games can explore different settings, different mythologies and different types of momentum. The key is that Cat should never feel like a substitute for Rich. She has to feel like a lead character in her own right.

That is what makes the family dynamic interesting. The Wilde name connects them, but their personalities allow us to tell different kinds of stories.”

Q: Gerard is positioned as the unconventional black sheep seeking to reclaim the family’s honour, and Gerard’s Gambit is also your lowest-stake game at 5p. How does building a game around a character like Gerard differ from Rich or Cat? 

MW: “Gerard gives us permission to play with a different kind of tone.

Rich and Cat are both heroic in quite clear ways. Gerard is more unconventional. He has something to prove, and that makes his story feel more personal, more unpredictable and, in some ways, more mischievous.

That changes how you think about the game around him. It does not need to carry the same sense of grand, iconic adventure as a Rich Wilde title. It can be more characterful, more playful, and more accessible in its presentation.

The lower stake point also fits that broader accessibility. It gives the game its own space within the series and supports the idea that not every Wilde title has to deliver the same type of experience. Different characters allow for different game shapes.”

Q: Wildest Gambit is the only game to feature all three Wilde family members, travelling across India, Chile, Peru and Egypt with a different feature in each. What was the thinking behind bringing the whole family into one title, and might you do it again? 

MW: “Wildest Gambit was a celebration of the Wilde universe.

By bringing Rich, Cat and Gerard together, we could show the series as a family story rather than just a collection of individual adventures. Each character brought a different personality and each location allowed us to create a different feature identity, so the game had a real sense of movement and variety.

It also gave players something they had not seen before: the Wildes operating as a group, with all the energy and contrast that creates.

Would we do it again? Absolutely, if the idea is strong enough. A full-family Wilde game needs to feel like an event. It should not be done simply because the characters exist. It has to give players a reason to be excited about seeing them together.”

Q: Across Cat, Gerard and now the wider family, how do you keep the characters and their personalities consistent while still surprising long-time players? 

MW: “Consistency comes from knowing what each character represents.

Rich is discovery, courage and legacy. Cat is independence, energy and a fresh perspective on the Wilde name. Gerard is unpredictability, ambition and a slightly more unconventional route to adventure. Once those foundations are clear, we can place them in very different stories without losing who they are.

Surprise comes from context. A character can remain consistent while being tested in new settings, new mechanics and new emotional situations. That is how any long-running character stays interesting.

For long-time players, the pleasure is partly recognition and partly discovery. They want to feel, ‘Yes, that is the character I know,’ but also, ‘I have not seen them do this before.’ That is the balance we aim for.”

Q: Egypt is clearly the spiritual home of the series, but the Wildes have also visited India, Greece, Patagonia, the Peruvian Amazon and Aztec Mexico. How do you balance returning to fan-favourite settings against exploring new ones? 

MW: “Egypt will always have a special place in the Wilde series because it is so closely tied to Book of Dead and the wider Dead mythology. There is a reason players associate Rich Wilde so strongly with tombs, ancient books, golden symbols and hidden chambers.

But if the series only returned to the same setting, it would eventually limit itself. The joy of an adventurer character is that he or she can travel. India, Greece, Patagonia, the Amazon and Aztec Mexico all allow us to explore different visual languages, mythologies and mechanical ideas.

The balance comes down to purpose. If we return to Egypt, there has to be a fresh reason to go back. If we explore somewhere new, it still has to feel like a Wilde adventure. The location should never be decorative. It should shape the game.”

Q: Pearls of India and Pearls of Vishnu both draw on Indian mythology and share a cascading-multiplier mechanic. When you revisit a setting a decade later, how much do you build on the original versus start fresh? 

MW: “You do both.

When you revisit a setting, you want to respect what players may remember: the atmosphere, the visual cues, the broad emotional feeling. But you also have to be honest about how much game design, art direction and player expectations have evolved.

With a setting like India, there is so much richness to draw from that you do not need to simply repeat what came before. You can build on the broad identity while creating a new rhythm and a new mechanical focus.

A shared mechanic, like cascading multipliers, can create a sense of continuity. But the execution, pacing, feature structure and presentation all need to feel current. Revisiting a setting should feel like returning with a new perspective, not simply remaking the past.”

Q: Formats range widely: classic paylines, 243 ways in Wandering City, Cluster Pays in the Tome line, Falling Wilds in Incan Quest. How do you decide which mechanic suits which character and setting? 

MW: “The mechanic has to fit the fantasy.

If the setting is about ancient books, symbols and ritual anticipation, an expanding-symbol mechanic makes intuitive sense. If the world is unstable or supernatural, Cluster Pays, portals and charging features can better express that feeling. If the adventure is about movement, collapse or discovery, then cascading wins or Falling Wilds may be more appropriate.

We start by asking what the player should feel. Should the game feel mysterious, fast, volatile, playful, cinematic, tense? Once that emotional target is clear, the mechanic becomes a way of expressing it.

That is why there is so much variety across the Wilde series. The characters and settings give us different moods, and the mechanics should bring those moods to life.”

Q: Every game in the series sits at 96% RTP or higher, with Pearls of India topping the list at 96.87%. Is maintaining that consistency a deliberate brand promise to Wilde players? 

MW: “It reflects our broader approach to game quality and player entertainment.

RTP is one important part of a game’s design, but it is not the only measure of value. Players also respond to pacing, clarity, volatility, feature design, audiovisual quality and whether the experience feels rewarding as entertainment.

For a long-running series like Wilde, consistency matters. Players and operators know the brand, and that creates expectations. Maintaining a strong RTP range helps support that trust, but it has to sit alongside a complete entertainment experience.

So I would not describe it as a narrow promise based only on a number. I would describe it as part of the wider Play’n GO commitment to creating games with long-term appeal, strong design standards and responsible, entertainment-led value.”

Q: Max wins vary enormously, from 22,275x on Aztec Idols down to 2,000x on Tome of Madness and Pearls of Vishnu. How do you think about setting the right ceiling for each individual game? 

MW: “The right ceiling depends on the type of experience the game is designed to deliver.

A very high max win can create huge headline potential, but it also affects the mathematical profile and how the game feels moment to moment. A lower max win can support a different rhythm, different hit frequency, or a more balanced entertainment curve.

We do not set max wins simply to make a number look impressive. It has to fit the game’s volatility, feature structure and audience. A Tome game, a ‘Book of’ game and a character-led adventure with a different stake range may all require very different design decisions.

The goal is always to create the right overall experience, not to chase the highest possible figure.”

Q: The series spans medium to very high volatility. How do you decide the right variance for a given title, and how much does the character or theme influence that call? 

MW: “Volatility is one of the most important creative and mathematical decisions in any slot.

The theme and character absolutely influence it. A darker, more intense game may naturally support a higher-volatility experience because the mood is about tension, risk and escalation. A more accessible or playful title may benefit from a steadier rhythm.

But the decision is also highly practical. We look at the mechanic, the bonus structure, the pacing, the target experience and how the game will sit within the broader portfolio. Not every Wilde game should feel the same, because not every Wilde adventure is trying to deliver the same emotional arc.

The strength of the series is that it can support that range. Some players want the drama of a very volatile title. Others prefer a more measured experience. The Wilde universe gives us room to serve both.”

Q: Looking back across more than a decade, which game or innovation are you proudest of, and is there a setting, character or mechanic you’d still love to bring to the Wilde world? 

MW: “It is difficult to look past Book of Dead because of what it has meant to Play’n GO, to Rich Wilde and to the wider slot industry. It showed how powerful a character-led slot could become when the world, mechanic and presentation all worked together.

That said, I am also proud of the way the series has continued to evolve. The Tome games proved that Rich Wilde could move into darker and more experimental territory. Cat Wilde gave the universe a second lead with her own identity. Book of Dead GO Collect showed that even the most iconic parts of the series can be modernised when it is done with respect for the original.

As for the future, the exciting thing about the Wilde world is that it still feels full of possibility. There are more cultures, myths, locations and family dynamics to explore. The important thing is that any new chapter has to earn its place. It has to feel like a genuine adventure, not just another title in a long-running series.

That is the challenge and the opportunity with Rich Wilde: after more than a decade, players know the world, but there are still so many doors left to open.”

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