Searching for true love: Play’n GO’s Moon Princess Power of Love

“Success breeds success, and we knew players were eager for more Moon Princess adventures.” 

Known for releasing some of the best performing sequels in the industry, like its Toonz series, Play’n GO has delivered once again with Moon Princess Power of Love. With the previous installments proving popular with players across the globe, it’s no surprise that the games developer chose to release another anime-themed adventure. 

Popular slots review site, BigWinBoard, gave the original Moon Princess an impressive rating alongside this telling review: “Moon Princess is a highly entertaining Anime styled grid slots filled with charm, diversity and plenty of girl power.” 

With the original game first released back in 2017 receiving a host of rave reviews like this, the biggest challenge for Play’n GO was being able to replicate this success time and time again. For most slot developers, sequels tend to receive a lukewarm reception or fail to attract players at the first hurdle. But fans of its slot games have helped Play’n GO to take the industry’s crown for top sequel developer with continuously large player numbers worldwide. 

But how does it manage to do what others can’t – delivering exactly what players want? 

Lessons from the leader: How to build sequels for success 

“2023 was the year of the sequel for us here.” 

2023 saw Play’n GO become the beating heart of sequels in the industry with the release of Boat Bonanza Colossal Catch, Honey Rush 100, Return of the Green Knight, Scales of Dead, Raging Rex 3, and Mega Don Feeding Frenzy.  

It’s clear that the leading games developer has found the sweet spot when it comes to building sequels for success, and Wallentin believes that this is down to Play’n GO’s “unique entertainment value”. Chief commercial officer, Magnus Olsson, is passionate about driving this above generating revenue – “We focus on the entertainment value, that’s our strategy, instead of the gambling aspects and measuring the best GR (gross revenue) turnover which can drive irresponsible behaviour.”  

This entertainment value is upheld by the creative and iconic themes that Play’n GO continues to choose for its slot games. Take Legion Gold as an example, based in Ancient Rome and recruiting players to become Roman soldiers in a quest to win prized coins against the fiercest of lions.  

Nostalgic themes fused with thrilling features elevates Play’n GO’s slots offering, and Wallentin believes that the educational element also plays a pivotal role – “Our themes are continuously well-received. Gerard’s Gambit was the first game of its kind and proved wildly popular.  

“Players really seemed to engage with the educational aspect of the game, fused with that unique Play’n GO entertainment. I’d also like to highlight Temple of Prosperity, which was Play’n GO’s first game with scatter pays.” 

With 2023 proving to exceed the game developer’s expectations, seeing more than 50% year-on-year growth on rounds and players in regulated markets, all eyes are on its next release. Enter Moon Princess Power of Love. 

Back by popular demand: The Moon Princess slot series 

With so many successful sequels under its belt, how did Play’n GO decide which game to develop next? For Wallentin, this was an easy decision. 

“Moon Princess is one of our most popular game series here at Play’n GO. It’s been around since 2017, and players latched on to it from day one. This makes Moon Princess Power of Love a very important release for us. 

“We’re always looking to expand our worldbuilding, and this is the first “branch off” game where we get to follow one of the three princesses: Love on her search for true love- hence the name of the game.” 

How does Moon Princess Power of Love work? 

“As a game developer, we’re very proud of both the theme and mechanics of the Moon Princess series, and we put countless hours into crafting and cultivating both. Players from all around the world appreciate the games for their unique game play and storytelling.”  

With any sequel, there’s a fine balance between giving fans features that they know and love, whilst bringing enough innovation to the game to excite them. 

Wallentin explains, “We try to keep the core mechanics in each game insofar as is possible, while also changing some of the features to offer a new experience. For example, in Moon Princess Power of Love, players who are used to Moon Princess 100 will be familiar with the overarching mechanics such as the increasing win multiplier, charging the meter, and character powers.” 

With this foundation in place, the games developer can add the specially crafted extras, like new characters or new ways of winning, that bring a sequel to life. 

For fans expecting to see the original characters Love, Star and Storm, they’ll be in for a surprise as two of the princesses have been replaced by Hail and Blaze. The two new anime princes help players to win on their quest to get the heart of Princess Love. 

Wallentin believes this is an exciting new development – “The two princes Hail and Blaze, offer completely new ways for their respective abilities to interact with the game.” 

Key features of Moon Princess Power of Love 

This exciting anime-adventure slot has a host of features that new and loyal players will enjoy, such as the fan-favourite – a win multiplier.  

Wallentin explains, “There’s an increasing win multiplier on any winning spin, clearing the grid of symbols rewards, and an instant prize x win multiplier. Wins with HP-symbols charge the meter, and players clearing the grid while the meter is active rewards them free spins. During the free spins feature, the win multiplier doesn’t reset between spins.” 

The two new features that players should watch out for are the abilities of princes, Hail and Blaze.  

Wallentin continues, “Hail selects a reel and synchronises one adjacent reel to match with an identical setup of symbols present on the selected reel. Blaze creates 2-5 identical symbols at random positions on the grid.” 

Pin-point moment: Releasing games at the right time  

“Player moods are often dictated by the seasons, and we want to give those players what they want.” 

For any developer, getting a game’s release right is one of the most important elements of the process. Wrong timing could make or break the success of a game, and that’s why Play’n GO marries a slot’s theme to key dates for maximum engagement. 

“We try to match our roadmap to the calendar year. We wouldn’t release a winter themed game during summer, and of course a game centred around love would be scheduled for Valentine’s Day in February where possible.” 

With a 25^th January launch date, the early reviews are in based on the teaser demo released earlier this year, and it seems that Play’n GO’s winning formula has worked once again. 

About Slots enthused – “Moon Princess Power of Love by Play’n GO pushes this epic saga forward in a great way.”    

Whilst BigWinBoard had previously raved about the original Moon Princess game, it had a similar take on this latest instalment – “There are […] enough tweaks here to satisfy players who enjoyed previous releases in the range, and for a slot that offers the chance of long chains of consecutive tumble wins with a substantial number of extras clipped on, it’s hard to go wrong with any Moon Princess slot, this one included.” 

What’s next for Play’n GO  

Fans of Play’n GO’s slot games will be on the edge of their seat when they find out that 2024 is set to be full of fun-packed original and sequel games that keep delivering on high-quality player entertainment. Though Wallentin is keeping exact names under wraps, he did want players to know that “There is a lot to look forward to!”