GBC Time has interviewed – Nick Formosa, Head of Client Strategy at Just Slots, a gaming software development company made up of true industry experts, with a mission to deliver real value to the broader gaming ecosystem.
Can you tell us the story behind Just Slots? How did the studio come to life?
Just Slots was founded in 2023 with a clear mission to create high-quality, commercially focused slot games that both players enjoy and operators can rely on to drive revenue. The idea came from a team of passionate industry veterans who saw a growing gap in the market. While more players than ever are engaging with online slots, the supply of modern, well-engineered and engaging games hasn’t quite kept pace.
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, Just Slots was created to meet the real needs of today’s gaming ecosystem by delivering a consistent flow of well-built and enjoyable titles. From day one, we’ve invested heavily in our technology and internal frameworks, allowing us to build games quickly and consistently without compromising on design or performance. That speed to market is a big value-add for operators.
With a strong leadership team and backing from Yolo Investments, we have a great platform to now scale quickly. We’re here to be a trusted partner to operators by delivering content that stands out in what is a crowded market.
The first phrase about the company on the website is “We love making games.” How does this passion translate into your everyday work culture? What sets Just Slots apart from other game developers in today’s crowded market?
Our tagline“We love making games” is reflected in how we hire, build and how we collaborate. Our team is made up of passionate gamers and professionals and that mix of enthusiasm and knowledge fuels everything we do.
Culturally, we operate as one team. Everyone has full visibility over our sprints and development cycles and that transparency creates a great sense of shared purpose. Our primary focus is always on entertainment, making games that are fun and built to perform.
What really sets us apart is our infrastructure, having developed a powerful internal framework and modular development approach that lets us move faster and more efficiently than traditional studios. We focus on building scalable, reusable tech and mechanics, meaning we are able to shorten production cycles and innovate more consistently without compromising quality.
Just Slots aims to redefine the gaming experience — what does that mean in practical terms?
At Just Slots, redefining the gaming experience means designing games that are not only fun and rewarding for players, but also commercially impactful and operationally efficient for operators to bring to market. We combine mechanics with math models, and evolve our product strategy by building on the foundations of each previous release.
Our in-house framework, built around modular development and reusable components, allows us to develop games faster and with greater flexibility than traditional studios. This system helps us challenge and refine our own features while delivering a consistent pipeline of high-quality and player-focused content.
More broadly, we see ourselves as part of the next wave of studios reshaping the industry, studios that understand the increasing pressure on operators to deliver fresh, diverse experiences regularly. By prioritising scalable infrastructure, smart tooling and seamless delivery, we help partners meet these challenges head on.
What’s your process for identifying game mechanics or features players truly enjoy?
From day one, we’ve integrated Future Anthem’s data tools into our development and post-launch review process. This gives us immediate access to detailed insights like return rates, feature usage, player groupings and spin banding, helping us understand exactly how players are engaging with each title from the moment it goes live.
We also take a broader approach by looking beyond iGaming. We draw inspiration from video games, land-based slots and wider entertainment trends to identify new mechanics or themes that could resonate with modern players. On top of that, we closely track what’s gaining traction on streaming platforms, keeping a pulse on not just what works, but importantly why and what’s entertaining players, what’s getting reactions and where we can create similar moments in our own games.
What kind of feedback loop do you have between players and developers?
We maintain a tight, data-driven feedback loop that combines insights from our operator partners, player behavior and community reactions. We work closely with operators who regularly share detailed performance data and player feedback. This input is reviewed monthly by our product owners and mathematicians to identify what’s working and where we can innovate further.
On the player side, we actively track streamer content and community conversations, which offer real-time reactions and honest feedback that’s often invaluable. Our data-led approach underpins the entire process, with tools like Future Anthem analysing everything from clicks to spin patterns. This helps us understand what features resonate most with players and guides our decision making for future releases. It’s a continuous cycle of listening, analysing, iterating and it’s central to how we build better games.
Recently launched Cyber Egypt attracted over 20,000 players in a week — what do you think drove that rapid engagement?
Cyber Egypt’s early traction came from the right blend of smart positioning, proven gameplay and strong community buzz. We launched it as a timed exclusive on Stake, giving us exposure to a highly active and engaged player base. The game also built on the success of our debut title, Sugar Heaven. While the mechanics remained the same, we reimagined it with a bold new visual identity and theme, something familiar, but fresher and more immersive.
A major boost came from streaming support. Prominent names like Eddie gave the game airtime during launch week, and which helped generate excitement across the community. That level of visibility, combined with a gameplay foundation players already trusted, helped deliver strong engagement right out of the gate.
How was the development process for Cyber Egypt different from your earlier releases? Were there any unexpected challenges or pleasant surprises during the rollout of Cyber Egypt?
Cyber Egypt was a reimagining of our original game, Sugar Heaven, which allowed us to take a more streamlined and focused approach to development. By working from an existing and proven math model, we were able to shorten the production cycle significantly and focus more on polishing the UX and visuals, pushing our creative direction further without slowing down delivery.
The goal wasn’t just to reskin a game, it was to test how effectively we could scale using our internal tools, experiment with different external art teams and restructured aspects of project management. That in itself was a valuable exercise, giving us clear insight into where we can improve, scale and maintain quality at speed.
A pleasant surprise was just how smooth and efficient the process was overall, a real validation of our framework and the progress we’ve made as a team since our first title.
Your newest release, Book of Arcane 100, is described as your most ambitious title — what makes it so special?
Book of Arcane 100 is our third release and easily our most ambitious yet. While it builds on the familiar “Book of” format, it introduces a unique twist with a new gamble feature that gives players the chance to not only earn more expanding symbols but also boost the multiplier tied to them.
It gives players a deeper layer of strategy and control during the bonus round, turning what’s usually a passive experience into something much more dynamic and high-risk/high-reward. Add to that the potential for a 100,000x max win, and it’s a game that rewards thrill-seekers while building on a well-loved format. I
A 100,000x max win potential is massive. How do you balance that with game volatility and user experience?
It’s true that a 100,000x max win is designed to excite, but it has to sit within a gameplay experience that still feels rewarding even when players don’t hit the big moments. Book of Arcane 100 is designed for high-volatility fans, players who enjoy the chase.
That said, we’ve worked hard to make sure the base game delivers consistent engagement with regular features, solid pacing and smooth UX all playing a part in making the game enjoyable in between bonus rounds.
We want to deliver games that offer real excitement without compromising on entertainment value and that means keeping gameplay smooth, features well-timed, and the overall experience enjoyable, regardless of how lucky a player gets.
What’s next for Just Slots after Book of Arcane 100? Any sneak peeks you can share about upcoming projects or goals for 2025?
Following the launch of Book of Arcane 100, we’re keeping the momentum going with our next release, Unholy Mystery, a dark and visually rich evolution of our original hit. It features mystery symbols, multipliers and the kind of high energy gameplay our players love, but now with a more intense creative direction.
Looking ahead, we’re expanding our portfolio with new mechanics and game formats, including ways games, coin features, and other innovations that will push us into new territory.
2025 is a big year for refinement, improving our internal framework, and continuing to experiment with new features that excites players and supports operator growth. We’re just getting started, and there’s a lot more to come. We’ll be showcasing upcoming titles at SBC Summit in Lisbon, so if you’re attending and curious to see what’s coming next from Just Slots, we’d love to give you a demo.
