Koala Games, a new studio born from RubyPlay’s ecosystem, is on a mission to craft slot titles that blend proven gameplay with bold creativity. G3 speaks with Tristan Esaid, Studio Director at Koala Games, and Dr. Eyal Loz, Chief Product Officer at RubyPlay, about building trust, leveraging decades of expertise, and delivering a fresh take on distinctive slot content.
Can you tell us about the creative vision behind Koala Games?
Tristan Esaid, Studio Director, Koala Games: Koala Games was founded with a clear purpose: to create slot games that feel fresh, engaging, and built for the audiences we’re working with. Using our known expertise at creating successful products in other gaming industries, we are now bringing it to iGaming.
Being based in Australia gives us a unique edge. Australia really is a unique home of slots, and a lot of our team has learned directly from people with decades of experience in this market. That foundation gives us a deep understanding of what makes a game feel good to play.
From there, our vision is to take those strong, proven gameplay foundations and add unexpected twists, whether that be through mechanics, features or fresh takes on familiar visual themes. Everything is uniquely crafted Down Under! We want our games to surprise players without ever feeling complicated.
Because we’re a small, focused team, we’re able to stay hands-on with every part of development, from the math to the art direction, to make sure every release feels polished and purposeful.
Koala Games has brought in veteran talent from the Social Casino world and leans upon RubyPlay’s expertise. How is that background shaping the philosophy and user experience of the studio?
Dr. Eyal Loz, Chief Product Officer, RubyPlay: The combination of a Tier 1 content team that has been dominating the Social Free to Play In App Purchase in the American Social Casino market, mixed with the robust technology and distribution of RubyPlay, has created a powerful match. The biggest challenge for new studios is building trust with operators. This sounds like a theoretical concern, but it has real world implications.
Without trust, a studio will not have access to high max exposures, which, in turn will cripple the studios’ ability to perform in such a competitive market. In addition to that, the Koala team have real B2C experience, creating content directly for players and learning preferences. Koala can make games that are very effective when building promotions and trying to get visibility with players.
Why was now the right time to launch an independent studio like Koala Games and what strategic role does it play within the larger RubyPlay ecosystem?
Dr Eyal Loz: RubyPlay as a global studio is creating content for global consumption. We identified that this might not be optimal and created an opportunity for some specialisation. What if we create specialised teams that can focus on one specific region or market?
Such dedicated studios can bring with them a specific knowledge that was be tried and tested and contribute to our strength as a company – learning, supporting and discussing ideas, while keeping complete independence of roadmap and vision. Koala has been a phenomenal success! I believe only the first out of many such successful specialised studios.
You’re launching with three distinctive titles, including Voltage Blitz Vortex. What do these games say about the kind of experiences Koala Games wants to bring to players?
Tristan Esaid: Launching with three titles lets us show some range right away. Each game has a different feel and appeal, but they all carry the same core principles of our creative vision – games that feel familiar but bring something fresh to the table. Voltage Blitz Vortex is a perfect example. It taps into some of the big trends in the market right now, but we’ve really made it our own and pushed it further.
The classic art theme grounds it, but the huge growing vortex above the reels, filling with coins as you play, is one of the coolest visual features I’ve seen in a long time and we’re really proud of it. That’s what we want Koala Games to be known for: slots that feel instantly approachable for players but deliver new surprises and energy that keep them coming back.
How does RubyPlay support Koala Games while allowing it to remain creatively independent?
Dr Eyal Loz: Koala Games enjoys all the benefits of being a part of the RubyPlay group – access to our robust technology, our compliance and commercial teams, our distribution and relationships. This means that the Koala Games team can focus on the most important thing, creating impactful titles. We keep the two teams completely separated, to ensure that we have the diversity of ideas that comes from having independent self-led teams.
We do, however, meet and discuss ideas regularly, and give feedback at various stages of production. It’s very beneficial for both studios to get that extra point of view, allowing the best ideas to shine, and mistakes to be identified and addressed early.
What does the roadmap look like for Koala Games over the next 12 months? Are there particular innovations or markets you’re targeting?
Tristan Esaid: The next year is really about building momentum. First, we’re following the same core principles as RubyPlay. Working closely with casinos, coming in with a branded mindset, and building games that help our partners grow and strengthen their brands.
Second, we want to keep the momentum on what’s already working. Our launch titles are performing well, especially Voltage Blitz Vortex, and we’ve got some exciting plans to grow the Voltage Blitz series. (I’ll just say, players can expect something even bigger coming this year.)
And third, we’re not just sticking to what’s already out there. We’ve got some new mechanics and concepts in the works, things we think will bring a fresh energy to the slot space, while keeping our games accessible and fast-paced.
On the market side, our goal is clear: wherever RubyPlay is, Koala will be too. We want Koala Games to be recognised globally, with titles that feel innovative yet unmistakably crafted Down Under.
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Koala Games, a new studio born from RubyPlay’s ecosystem, is on a mission to craft slot titles that blend proven gameplay with bold creativity. G3 speaks with Tristan Esaid, Studio Director at Koala Games, and Dr. Eyal Loz, Chief Product Officer at RubyPlay, about building trust, leveraging decades of expertise, and delivering a fresh take…
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