Yggdrasil secures UK certification for real-money multiplayer slot SlotMasters

Yggdrasil has announced that HungryBear, a partner in its YGG Masters programme, has received UK certification for the real-money gaming (RMG) version of SlotMasters, its multiplayer slot title. The companies say this makes it the first RMG multiplayer slot experience to become commercially available, and it will launch exclusively through Yggdrasil.

Additional certification work is under way with other regulators, including the Malta Gaming Authority, with a view to expanding availability of the game to further jurisdictions.

From free-play to real money

SlotMasters has operated as a free-to-play title for four years, during which it built a following among operators and players for its gamified, competitive format. The game pits three players against each other in a two-minute round in which they use in-game weapons to take points from opponents, combining slot mechanics with peer-to-peer competition.

Yggdrasil and HungryBear said the free-to-play version’s popularity has driven anticipation for the real-money release, which they expect to build on the title’s existing player base.

Industry reaction

Jose Simon, commercial director at Yggdrasil, said the business had long seen potential in an RMG version of SlotMasters and that certification confirmed the game’s significance for the wider slots category. He added that the company was keen to see how the format develops.

Justin Chamberlain, chief executive of HungryBear, described the certification as the result of four years of development work, saying it represented a new phase for the studio and the wider slot gaming market.

HungryBear is a UK and Canada-based studio focused on developing casino games for the online gambling sector. Yggdrasil, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Sweden with additional offices in Malta, Poland and Gibraltar, operates the YGG Masters partner network alongside its proprietary GATI technology platform.