Behind the Slotlist: The ‘Lights and Joy’ of Baozang Empire of Plenty

As part of the wider creative process to bring Baozang Empire of Plenty to Staruniv Casino players’ screens for this month’s exclusive The Slotlist selection, CEO of Foxium, Liz Bann, says it required her team to deep dive into all things Asian to get the feel of the game just right.

Speaking to Staruniv, Bann, expands on the background to Baozang Empire of Plenty.

“Since Baozang Empire of Plenty is a purely Asian theme slot, the gist was to assemble a lineup of distinct symbols, colours and familiar names to entice players to something familiar. We had to conduct meticulous research to gather all culturally and thematically distinctive symbols, e.g., lanterns, ancient coins, and delve into myths and legends of the East.”

Idea behind Baozang Empire of Plenty

How did Foxium come up with the original idea for the game?

“Every idea is a flicker. A moment you notice something or a random thought, a plan of some sort. When it clicks, we delve into a multi-layered composition of creative processes. In a nutshell, it all starts with an idea. We wanted to saturate the beginning of the year with brisk and vibrant colours, and festive mood.”

At the core of Baozang Empire of Plenty is a mechanic that Foxium are very proud of, says the studio CEO.

“The game swivels around our distinct pot collection mechanics. Nevertheless, we introduced the Triple bonus to provide players with opportunities to potentially trigger bonus games with every spin they make.”

Between the cultural research, the unique features, it must take a very dedicated and hardworking team to bring the game to fruition.

Bann nods enthusiastically: “Complacency is a killer; therefore, we had to augment all we could: visuals, subtlety, topicality and mechanics. Creative boards, frequent meetings to review and follow up assigned tasks were quite rife. Consistency makes things perfect. Every professional is a separate gear in the studio; therefore, we must work together to complement one another.”

She adds: “Teamwork makes dream work. It is truly complicated to spotlight someone, since every member of the team pushed themselves to the limit to become a better version of what was yesterday.”

Listening to players

A strong core mission statement lies at the heart of all things for Foxium. For Bann while this means understanding the market, it ultimately means listening to what players want.

“We swore to unfox the ordinary, and this is exactly what we are working on. The studio is an epitome of consistency, persistently elevated quality and amiability. We listen to what is told and hear every single feedback from our players. We stay true to our values and what we believe in. Our approach is entrenched in creativity, strong performing games and discipline.”

When asked if there were any particular challenges the team encountered with Baozang Empire of Plenty, Bann looks at it another way.

“We don’t have such words in our vocabulary here,” she responds with a smile. “Every challenge regardless of its scope is an indispensable opportunity to conquer new summits, to live the moment, and grow internally and globally.

Getting close to the end of the creation of the game and towards its release, it must be both exciting and terrifying. Were there any tricky obstacles at this late stage that you needed to overcome?

“It goes without saying that we are always terrified”, Bann says. “By the pricking of our thumbs, something splendid this way comes. We truly want players to rejoice our games. We want them to go with the flow. To make it better, more gripping and entailing so that spinners can stay there longer.”

Hopes for Baozang Empire of Plenty

There’s no doubt that both Bann and Foxium are proud of their achievement with Baozang Empire of Plenty. All that remains is to see how it is received. What hopes does she have for the game?

“Well, I assume that we are eager to see it shine, right? We have high hopes for this game to shatter the reels and brighten screens of any gadget. We are eager to behold its success in the following months to come. Well, you know it, ‘To infinity and beyond!’”.

Having to opportunity to have Baozang Empire of Plenty take pride of place on The Slotlist is something that Bann is “thrilled” to see.

“We are undeniably incredibly honoured and thrilled to see it there! It is an indispensable opportunity to create something not only vibrant and memorable, but also long-lasting in terms of games and friendship. We genuinely want our games to resonate within the fanbase community, because this is what we do – we bring brisk lights and joy to every spinner out there.”