Originally published: https://www.kongebonus.com/nyheter/filip-wargeus-print-studios-intervju-2026/

The last time Filip Wargéus met Kongebonus Editor-in-Chief David Nilsen, they were in Barcelona, where Nilsen presented him with the Best New Slot 2025 award for Print Studios’ Uncle Profit. Now they have continued the conversation. In a new Kongebonus interview, Filip discusses Rotten Potato, the challenge of making sequels feel new and what the studio has learned from Norwegian casino players.

A few years ago, every Print release had to introduce players to Print Studios as well as to the game itself. Today, many already know the Potato Kingdom, Piney and the gnomes. Filip says that recognition brings greater creative freedom, along with higher expectations.

Rotten Potato puts both to the test. Filip describes it as a darker, more twisted direction for the world introduced in Royal Potato. The world is familiar, but the game is being built with new art, maths, mechanics, music and story. Returning to a character does not mean rebuilding the same slot around it.

The interview also explores Pine of Plinko 3 and the question every sequel has to answer: What will players experience this time that they could not experience before? For Filip, a higher multiplier or another modifier is not enough. The harder part is deciding what made the original work, then finding a new direction without losing it.

There is pressure from outside the studio, too. Filip says operators increasingly favour proven concepts and recognisable games that are easy to present to players. He understands why, but believes that following the same data as everyone else can lead studios towards the same ideas.

Kongebonus also asks what Print has learned about Norwegian players. Filip highlights the response to Crystal Golem and the studio’s more unusual characters, while cautioning against a simple formula for what Norwegian players want. How a game is presented and promoted matters as well.

With the Kongebonus Awards 2026 approaching, Filip reflects on a year in which not every release has performed equally well. He also explains why an award chosen by the people who play the games means so much to the team.