Fredrik Elmqvist, the visionary behind one of the world’s most successful iGaming studios, Yggdrasil, has doubled down on promoting innovation at the heart of iGaming by launching his brand-new upstart venture – EXCO Game Studio.
Former Yggdrasil veteran hopes to change industry with new studio launch
Elmqvist has vowed to bring a brand-new product portfolio that seeks to prioritize the user experience and creativity. Already, EXCO Game Studio offers a complete road map, and it has vowed to dispense with traditional themes, such as buffalo and Egyptian-themed games.
The name of the studio was also picked to aptly reflect this ambition for breaking away from old standards and establishing new game designs and environments that players can enjoy and genuinely seek out.
EXCO is short for Excommunicado, by which Elmqvist wants to emphasize the status that the studio seeks to achieve in the industry. The studio focuses on building games from scratch by focusing on specific player interests and taking emerging industry trends into consideration, leading to fewer but higher-quality releases.
The first release is actually due to be presented at SBC Summit in Lisbon at Stand B446 next week, with a roadmap of more than 30 titles already planned ahead. VEGASCALINE is the first game to arrive in EXCO’s brand-new lineup, and it will compete against a busy field.
Along with the rollout of the game, EXCO will also launch its GAMEX mechanic suite, which will introduce the core features that the studio believes will help it establish itself on the iGaming map and drive differentiation.
EXCO will have a chance to prove its value at the upcoming SBC Summit Lisbon
Those include Wrapper Stacks, Power Field, Boss Fights, Power Bar, and Doubling Dial. Commenting on the rollout and announced plans, Elmqvist, who is also the CEO of EXCO Game Studio, blasted the industry as "tired" and "lazy," stuck in a cycle of perpetually releasing uninspired games. EXCO sets out to change this.
"Our approach to development is that we won’t ship what we won’t play. We’re looking to stand out with our artistic flair and superb mechanics, and we’ve been working for some time to create an exciting roadmap of games that will genuinely shake things up. Come and see us on our stand in Lisbon next week to see what all the fuss is about,"Elmqvist wrapped up.
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