Originally published: https://www.casinowizard.com/deck-of-divinity-slot-interview-with-carl-wiggman-print-studios/

Q: Congratulations on an amazing slot with the upcoming release of Deck of Divinity! Let’s start with the thought process. Can you share it with us, and what you wanted to achieve with this game?

Thank you so much for being curious! Originally, we looked at Scurra and saw some really awesome elements with the cards hiding underneath and the sense of building a deck, but felt a lot of that would just as well in a simpler format. So the full focus turned towards capturing the feeling of getting a super valuable card. Everything sprung up from that. 

Q: We love original ideas, and Deck of Scurra blew us away because it was so different from what we’d seen before. How was that game received by the players?

Deck of Scurra found a loyal fanbase and had a great launch, but I think the complexity threw off some of the mainstream crowd. It’s a beautiful game, but it has a lot of quirks, perhaps too many for some.

Q: You must have seen enormous potential in what you created with Deck of Scurra, and it feels like you took the sophistication and uniqueness that that game offered while simplifying things. Is this a correct assumption, and can you share what you have changed for this release?

Yeah, you’re right on the money. Beyond what I said above, I can add that we completely rethought the story and setting for Deck of Divinity. If you’ve seen the movie The Seventh Seal, the protagonist plays chess with death, while here we play cards with the universe.

Q: The alteration cards felt like a good idea in Deck of Scurra, but it could be difficult to understand what was happening and why. Deck of Divinity, with a Scatter Pays system and a focus on the Prize cards, makes this game much easier to understand and play. How did you come up with the idea to use Prize Cards instead and the way you reveal them?

We wanted there to be no friction between getting a good card and have it pay out accordingly, no conditions that can come in between. If you get a gold card, you get a gold payout, every time. If it was multipliers on the win, while perhaps fun to dive into in the future, there’s ways your gold card multi can be dragged down by a weak symbol win. Fortunately, we have the deckbuilding and the upgrading card mechanic to drive depth, so I feel the mechanics complement each other nicely.

Q: The soundtrack is once again amazing in Deck of Divinity. How is this created?

It’s the first production from our sound engineer’s new studio, so great to hear you liked it!! Personally, I’m always a bit hesitant about very filmic, epic music in slots since the drama doesn’t always align with the action, so I think it’s a good thing it’s not full interstellar, so to speak.

Q: Out of curiosity, how long does a game like this take to make from the initial idea to a ready game?

About 7 months for this one; we held the first concept meeting 28th of January, but the first sketch wasn’t delivered until 20th of February. That said, we’re not overly concerned with exactly how many hours we spent on each game. If we achieve what we’re going for, to create the undeniable game of the year, it won’t matter.

Q: What type of player do you think will really enjoy a unique game like Deck of Divinity?

Deck-builders and card collectors should have a blast, but the game pulls on a lot of desires we all have. Given the unique aspects, you have to be up for trying something new, of course, and you have to appreciate higher-quality visuals and sounds (not everyone does, funnily enough). 

Q: We love the mix between the uniqueness, sophistication, simplicity and excitement that Deck of Divinity offers, but what are your expectations for this game?

That is awesome to hear! As you can probably tell, I do have high hopes, but only because I’m so proud of the team’s effort in the production. Whether the original ideas truly work, we will simply have to wait and see. What we’re always hoping for the most is seeing people enjoying the game, so as long as someone out there falls in love with it, we’re happy.

Q: Will we see a continuation of these card-style types of games from Print Studios if Deck of Divinity becomes popular?

Could well be! Plenty of stuff to experiment with in the same vein, so why not.

Thanks a ton for showing interest and having this interview, love your reviews and will happily do this again some time!