Immortal Romance 2 Slot Interview With Stormcraft Studios
We had the privilege to speak with Terence Igesund, the esteemed Founder and Executive Producer at Stormcraft Studios. During our conversation, we delved into the brand-new Immortal Romance 2 slot, a highly anticipated addition to the world of online gaming. Notably, Terence Igesund is the visionary creator behind the original Immortal Romance game, making him an authority on the evolution of this beloved franchise.
Welcome, Terence! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Before we begin, could you introduce yourself and Stormcraft Studios to our readers?
“My name is Terence Igesund, and I am the founder and Executive Producer of Stormcraft Studios and Hammertime Games.
Starting in the industry 28 years ago, looking back, it blows my mind at what an incredible journey it has been. I have been honoured to work with many awesome licenced brands and bring games to life in the shape of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider™; Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones™ to name a few.
Back in 2015, I was afforded the opportunity to create my own studio, and the following year, Stormcraft Studios was founded. Collectively, the team has hundreds of years’ of industry experience, and we are all passionate about creating unforgettable gaming experiences that embodies our core values of craftsmanship and entertainment. Seeing slot brands that I helped originate evolve into commercially successful fan favourites has been fantastic, including Thunderstruck, Immortal Romance and Mega Moolah.”
How does Immortal Romance 2 differ from its predecessor in terms of gameplay and features?
“Based on industry feedback, we decided to create unique Free Spins features for each of the four characters, enhanced with their own original soundtrack. As per the original game, each of the Free Spins differs in volatility, but this time all the features are available to play from the first trigger with no unlocking required.
We’ve introduced four character-themed Jackpots into the base game which will grow and improve through a novel gem collection mechanism. The jackpot wheel bonus can be triggered randomly on any gem collection event, where players can win one of the four Jackpots or trigger the famous Wild Desire feature.
We knew this feature needed to be next-level, so we elevated the experience to a thrilling 1,024 Ways to win. But that’s not all. One of the consistent requests we saw online was for a multiplier to be added to Wild Desire, so we did it! Wild Desire is now a reel symbol driven event, requiring a Blood Drop symbol to land on reels two and four. We also increased the max win potential in the feature from 12,000x to 15,000x! So, as you can see there was a lot of work and engineering that went into this feature.”
Was it challenging to develop a sequel to a hugely popular game? How did you manage to make it different?
“Of course! It was a huge challenge to design and deliver a sequel to one of the most popular and commercially successful online slot games of all time. I would say that we were very mindful from the start about finding that careful balance between the familiarity and nostalgia of the original… and the excitement that comes with exploring and understanding the features and mechanics of a new game. We created Immortal Romance 2 with longevity in mind and leaned into our core values of craftsmanship and entertainment.”
How does the storyline in Immortal Romance 2 extend the narrative from the original slot?
“The character narratives were the catalyst for the evolution of Immortal Romance into a really compelling and immersive gaming experience. We took storytelling a step further with the introduction of songs for each character, that were written and composed in-house and helped turn Immortal Romance into the legendary game that it is.
For many, Immortal Romance is so much more than just a slot game, it’s a prevailing symbol of nostalgia, which added great pressure on us to deliver successfully on the sequel.”
Can you share insights into the character development for the returning characters in Immortal Romance 2?
“In the original game I deliberately left Sarah’s narrative on an exciting cliffhanger as I had every intention of creating a follow up sequel that would further unpack and explore the dark intriguing tales within the mythology of Immortal Romance.
Even though 12 years may have passed since the original launched, only a fraction of time has passed in the game world. We find Sarah struggling with the dilemma of having achieved the most incredible scientific breakthrough of her career, but at the cost of her relationship with Michael, who has completely withdrawn from the world as he feels deeply betrayed and responsible for putting the woman he loves in mortal danger.
Allowing Sarah to study his blood was the biggest mistake of his immortal existence. News of her discovery regarding the reversal of cellular degeneration will ultimately reach the Shadow Council.
Enter Troy, the wayward son of Michael, who in an attempt to gain his maker’s favour and prove his self-worth, joined the Shadow Council’s academy of assassins. All of these fateful events are made visible to Amber through her precognitive visions and dreams.”
How have the graphics and soundtrack evolved in Immortal Romance 2 compared to the original game?
“The graphical quality of the game has been improved significantly from the original, with Sarah, Michael, Troy, and Amber also having gone through a stylistic makeover. I made the decision early on that the overall visual presentation needed to be brighter and bolder as it is a slot game after all. The dark gothic vibes are still there, with all the artwork and game interfaces were hand painted digitally by our talented illustrators and designers.
As far as the soundtrack goes, I collaborated with my sound designers to compose the music before reaching out to professional singers to perform the vocals. Each character’s song is another vehicle for the Immortal Romance narrative, so listen carefully to the lyrics to gain a deeper insight into what is happening in their Cinematic Big Win videos. The album has now launched on Spotify and all major music streaming sites, so go check it out!”
How has player feedback influenced the development of Immortal Romance 2?
“During the creative process, we did a lot of canvassing with operators, streamers, and players regarding the feature set of the sequel. The most requested feature by far was for Wild Desire to be given a Multiplier, so we listened and introduced an increasing Multiplier in the feature which significantly increased its win potential.
Another big request was for an amazing soundtrack that could compare with the popularity of the first game’s songs. We knew that we had our work cut out for us to once again deliver four unique and compelling songs for each of the characters Free Spin features.”
What else can we expect to see from Stormcraft Studios in the upcoming months?
“We are in the final stages of designing our third iteration in the popular Avalon franchise, which will see Arthur and Merlin return in a beautifully rendered feature rich game close to the end of the year. We are also working on new Thunderstruck and Jungle Jim games that will see these brands cross over into exciting new genres.”
Is there anything else you would like to share with fans following the release of Immortal Romance 2?
“I have to be careful how I answer this one. I can neither confirm nor deny that the intriguing tale of Immortal Romance will continue to unfold in the future as the brand franchise expands. This is the beginning of an exciting new era, so check out our website or follow us on social media and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the breaking news and juicy updates.”