Evolution Launches New US-Focused Slot Studio, Spinning Whale

Evolution isn’t the kind of studio that takes a breather. Right on the heels of launching Sneaky Slots – that cheeky, rebellious studio designed to ruffle feathers and rival the likes of Nolimit City – the iGaming giant has lifted the veil on yet another addition to its ever-expanding empire.

Spinning Whale is Evolution’s new studio. But just like Sneaky Slots before it, it’s new in name only. In practice, Spinning Whale is standing on the shoulders of giants, joining a powerhouse roster that already boasts NetEnt, Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming, and the said Nolimit City, among others.

Made in North America, for North Americans

Evolution takes a more calculated risk this time around. While Sneaky Slots is busy serving up chaotic xMechanics and body-mod satire, Spinning Whale is playing a more focused, high-stakes game. Its tones and themes will decidedly target North American tastes.

Instead of trying to force a one-size-fits-all formula on players from Las Vegas to London, Evolution built Spinning Whale from scratch to give US players exactly what they dig.

“North America is a key market for Evolution, and we see significant opportunity to continue growing our online slots business here,” says Jacob Claesson, CEO of Evolution North America. He pointed out that US players have unique tastes when it comes to themes and math models, making Spinning Whale a direct response to market demand.

Does that mean a whole lotta neon-drenched Vegas nostalgia, classic Hold ‘n’ Win mechanics, and games that go together with player preferences like hot dogs and baseball?

Debut Game Releases November 18

Not really. At least not initially.

You see, the pilot Spinning Whale release is 888 Dragon’s Fortune Hold’n’Win, a game scheduled for November 18. If your first instinct was to shout that the game sounds more Asia than it does North America, you’d be right. 888 Dragon’s Fortune Hold’n’Win is inspired by classic, Asian-themed physical slot cabinets and sticks to more conservative guns. Volatility is medium, RTP is 95%, with a 4,189x max win potential.

The base game driver is a sticky Collector on reel 2. It nudges down one position per spin and scoops up all Coin and Jackpot values that drop on reels up and down. Landing a Collector with any Coin or Jackpot triggers the Dragon’s Fortune Bonus (or via a random Mystery Trigger), where spin counts reset to 3 on every hit and frames upgrade from Bronze to Silver to Gold.

But wait, there’s more. Hitting the Dragon on a Gold frame unlocks instant 50x rewards or the top 1,000x Grand Jackpot. There’s also a Coin Hunt option, which drops the bonus hit rate from 160 spins down to 29 for a 4x extra wager, and a direct Buy Bonus for 99x.

While the fledgling studio made known its affinity for the Northern continent, it clearly doesn’t want to limit its thematic scope. As Malcolm Mizzi, Head of Commercial Operations of Evolution RNG, noted, “While the US is the initial focus for Spinning Whale, we see strong potential for its games across our global network.”