Join us for a deep dive into the partnership between Games Global and Snowborn Games, and how this resulted in the release of the casual game-inspired slot, Pile ‘Em Up 2.
We had the opportunity to chat with Mikael Pakkala of Snowborn Games about their retro-inspired slot machine, Pile ‘em Up 2.
We had the opportunity to discuss the studio's design philosophy for this release, what went into crafting its bonus features, and what fans can look forward to from this superb studio for 2025 and beyond.
A: My name is Mikael Pakkala, and I am the Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Snowborn Games, a Nordic game studio. We take pride in bringing together boutique craftsmanship and state-of-the-art slot technology to create unforgettable gaming experiences for players.
A: We’re proud to have such a strong partnership with Games Global, which allows us to distribute our games worldwide and connect with top operators.
Pile ‘Em Up™ was the game that first introduced Snowborn Games to the iGaming industry and showed what our small but passionate team can achieve. That’s why we’re so excited to see how players respond to this sequel. Pile ‘Em Up 2™ is both a celebration of that original success and a chance to elevate the series with fresh ideas, new features, and an even more engaging player experience.
A: At Snowborn, we’re all gamers at heart, and with Pile ‘Em Up 2™, we wanted to channel that passion into something that feels both nostalgic and fresh in our industry. Our goal was to evolve the series in the same way many beloved video games have been – updating the art style and adding new features, while staying true to its arcade-inspired roots.
The Pile ‘Em Up™ series was born from our love for classic titles, and this release allows us to celebrate that nostalgia while giving players a fun, casual experience that’s approachable and engaging.
A: We love the Cash Collect mechanic just as much as the players do, and enhancing it was truly a collaborative effort. Every slot mechanic we create is the result of teamwork across the Snowborn product team, bringing together people with diverse backgrounds in math, games, analytics, design, art and commercial.
We hold weekly sessions where we pitch new ideas, challenge each other’s concepts, and refine both in-game mechanics and themes. That way, what ends up in the game isn’t just an innovative idea – it’s something we’ve all shaped together to ensure it feels intriguing and balanced to players. It’s all about creating mechanics that are as fun to play as they are for us to build.
A: We took our time with this sequel because we had so many ideas for how to really build on the series. By closely following player feedback and session patterns from the original, we aimed to create something that feels instantly familiar yet fresh and potentially more rewarding.
The core base game remains true to the first Pile ‘Em Up™ title, but now includes the brand-new Extra Collect feature, which can boost win potential in both the base game and Free Spins feature, making the familiar Cash Collect moments more impactful. On top of that, we’ve added five completely new bonus rounds, giving players more variety and ways to experience the game. Whether you loved the original or are just joining the fun, this sequel offers even more depth and entertainment value.
A: With Pile ‘Em Up 2™, we set out to make the base game not just engaging, but potentially rewarding enough on its own. We’ve introduced five unique super bonus features – Gold, BIG, Staxx, Spins, and Headstart – each offering a distinct twist.
With this mix of a potentially rewarding base game and diverse bonus features, we can offer players something fresh to explore every time they return to the game, delivering entertaining and dynamic gameplay journeys where no two sessions feel the same.
A: Hyper FramesTM is an evolution of how wins are revealed during bonus rounds, designed to build intrigue and heighten the entertainment factor. The feature consists of three tiers of frames: Twig, Leaf, and Gold. Players can activate and upgrade these frames by landing the Mushroom Symbol during the bonus round.
At the end of the round, the frames reveal their rewards in order, starting with Twig, then Leaf, and finally Gold. The Twig and Leaf frames typically award smaller to medium wins, while Gold holds the biggest potential rewards, including jackpots with multipliers. This tiered reveal builds interest, saving the most valuable prizes for last and keeping players engaged until the very end.
A: Player feedback plays a vital role in how we design and refine our games, from colleagues to operators. For Pile ‘Em Up 2™, these insights directly influenced several key design decisions.
An example is noticing how much players enjoyed the 1UP feature in the original game as well as in Pile ’Em Up Frosty SweetsTM. This motivated us to develop the concept into something new and potentially rewarding for players – a feature that most players recognise from bonus rounds but not from traditional base games.
A: While we can’t reveal too much just yet, we can say that both the Pile ‘Em Up™ series and the Hyper Frames™ mechanic are just the beginning. Players can look forward to seeing these concepts evolve in surprising ways, delivering even more engaging and entertaining gameplay experiences in future releases.
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Snowborn is a Nordic game studio within the Games Global family, creating online casino games for regulated markets. Our mission is to engage and entertain players — one buzzing spin at a time. Known for sharp playability, thrilling math models, and bold creativity, Snowborn delivers games built for players, blending excitement and quality that keep the action alive.
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