Push Gaming Pandas to Slots Crowd With Boss Bear (Interview)

It's been a great year for Push Gaming, and I for one have loved reviewing their new slots! From the massive Razor Returns release, to other titles such as Goat Getter and 10 Swords, it's been a banner year for the slot developer.

Imagine my excitement when I saw that Boss Bear was scheduled for release!

We sat down with Amit Samji, Principal Game Producer at Push Gaming, to see what fans can expect from this latest slot.

Boss Bear has a very different theme from many other Push Gaming titles, can you tell us more about it and what players should expect?

Boss Bear’s theme was a joy to conceptualise and create, as its aesthetic is in contrast to many of the other titles in our portfolio, which are typically lighter in tone, bright and colourful. We have created this slot with a focus on the criminal underworld and displayed this theme through a variety of anthropomorphic animals, the game’s setting and the symbols.

Guns, shuriken and blade-wielding animals provide the imagery for the symbols, populating a fog-filled back alley where the antagonistic characters reside, denoting visuals commonly associated with the Yakuza. Upon entering the bonus, players are transported to a more tranquil Japanese-inspired bar but looking closely you will spot samurai swords and kunais on the wall showing that there is more to this establishment than initially meets the eye. Although a deviation from our traditionally light-hearted themes, Boss Bear’s aesthetic was a pleasure to make and we have truly captured the mobster theme we were aiming for.

There are numerous different features in the base game - can you elaborate on what these are and how they work?

Played across 5x6 reels and 50 paylines, players can gain wins in a variety of different ways in the base game heightening the excitement and the anticipation of what each spin can hold. Players will need to land three matched symbols to be granted a win however it is worth noting that the Panda symbol is a high-paying symbol, meaning that it is worth more and awards a win if only two iterations of it are landed. Wilds are also present on the reels and aid players in creating these wins by substituting for all base game symbols.

Stacked reveal symbols are also on the reels and when landed, all iterations will transform into the same symbol or extra wilds providing additional winning opportunities. Landing three or more reveals on consecutive reels will also trigger the golden reveal feature. Here, reveal symbols will transform into instant win coins, collector symbols which proved a hit in Razor Returns, along with nudge icons which grant more reveals and scatters. These are joined by a multiplier which can climb as high as 10x boosting win potential.

What should players be expecting from Boss Bear’s bonus round and how is this won?

The thrilling bonus can be activated in numerous ways with each awarding a variety of different free spin rounds. Landing three scatters will unlock seven free spins with no low symbols being converted, whereas landing five scatters will grant nine free spins with four low-paying symbols converted.

Each of these will award an incrementally increasing multiplier up to 10x with these conversions transforming base game symbols into additional reveal icons. This in turn increases the likelihood of landing three reveals concurrently and awarding the golden reveal feature creating a crescendo of excitement throughout the bonus as more symbols are converted. Along with a multiplier this also grants more spins extending the length of the bonus initially awarded. Players can gamble the number of spins awarded for a chance at being awarded more prior to the bonus beginning.

Boss Bear has some aspects players will already be familiar with from the hit game Big Bamboo. What parts of this title have made their way into Boss Bear?

It's no secret that Boss Bear has been influenced by the award-winning Big Bamboo. The super high-paying Panda symbol, for example, has been borrowed from the original slot, along with the reveal mechanic. However, we have built upon this core concept by introducing the coin feature, keeping the title fresh whilst still utilising some of the principles that made Big Bamboo so popular.

With 2023 drawing to a close what other titles will you be launching before the end of the year and into 2024?

After Boss Bear, we have DJ Fox which will see the return of the Push-Up mechanic popularised in Generous Jack earlier this year. We will then be building upon the hit game Retro Tapes with the launch of Retro Sweets at the beginning of 2024 before getting some wintery wins with Big Bite launching thereafter. These titles wrap up an incredible year of success for Push Gaming and will start the new year with a bang!

Thanks again to Amit for taking the time to reach out to us, we can't wait to see how Push Gaming goes from strength to strength in 2024!