Jamie: Cartel Cash: Reel Collect drops players into a neon-lit, crime-drenched city. What was the starting point for the game?
Adam: We wanted a game with real attitude, and a city-crime setting gave us that straight away.
The art is bold and striking, but the driver is the mechanic. Our Reel Collect format puts a dedicated Collectors Reel above the Prize Grid, so every spin has a clear sense of who is about to take what.
Here, that becomes a heist. Briefcases, Drones and Helicopters grab coins and bars from the grid, while the powerful Cop Collector can sweep every prize in sight.
We wanted the theme and gameplay to reinforce each other, so every feature feels like a character making a move, to reinforce the player experience.
Jamie: The Collectors Reel is central to the game. How do the different collectors work?
Adam: Each collector has a clear job, which keeps the game easy to read.
Briefcases, Drones, Helicopters, and Cop Collectors all collect coins, bars, or both in a tiered format.
Each of those has three tiers, and a higher tier also collects the tiers beneath it, so a Gold collector takes Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Then there is the Cop Collector, which takes every prize on the grid. The Collectors Reel resets on every spin, so you get a fresh set each time, and players quickly learn to read where the biggest collections might come from.
Jamie: How does the Progress Meter shape the base game?
Adam: The Progress Meter gives the base game a sense of direction. When one or two Scatters land on the Collectors Reel, they send energy to the meter, and progress is permanent, so nothing resets.
Level 1 unlocks Gold Tier Collectors, Level 2 brings in the Bank Vault and Police Car Upgraders, and Level 3 expands the Prize Grid from three symbols high to four, which adds a lot more room for action.
Players can see what each level will unlock, so every Scatter feels like a step toward something.
Landing three Scatters does something different, triggering Free Spins instead, with no contribution to the meter.
Jamie: The Bank Vault and Police Car both arrive at Level 2. How do they change the action?
Adam: They add a bit of controlled chaos. The Bank Vault can land anywhere on the grid and adds symbols to the positions next to it, then turns into a random tier symbol itself, so it can set up a much bigger collection.
The Police Car explodes when it lands and lowers the tier of adjacent symbols: Gold becomes Silver, Silver becomes Bronze and Bronze stays as it is, with the values unchanged.
This brings a key incentive because lower-tier symbols can be obtained by more collectors, therefore a blast can bring a prize within reach that was not before.
Both only appear once Level 2 is unlocked, so they feel like a further reward for progress in the game.
Jamie: Free Spins is where the Cop Collector and the Mob Bosses take over. How does the feature build?
Adam: Three Scatters on the Collectors Reel trigger 10 Free Spins, with every level unlocked for the whole feature.
A Progress Bar fills each time a Cop Collector lands, and every four Cops unlock a new level: 10 extra spins and a higher multiplier on everything the Cop collects, rising from 2x to 3x and then 10x.
The feature tops out at 40 spins, with no retriggers.
The Mob Bosses can only be taken by the Cop, and they pay 25x, 100x, 500x or 2,000x the total bet. This means you are always watching the bar and the grid at once.
Jamie: The game is rated high volatility with a 10,000x maximum win. Who is it built for?
Adam: It’s built for players who enjoy a collection game with a real ceiling.
Volatility is high, rated 7 out of 10, and the maximum win is 10,000x the total bet.
That sits alongside Mob Boss prizes of up to 2,000x and Cop multipliers of up to 10x, so there are several routes to a big result. Bet stakes run from €0.10 to €20.00, which makes the game accessible to a wide range of players.
It’s available in three RTP versions at 95.85%, 93.83% and 91.81%, and operators can choose the one that fits their regulatory, market and commercial requirements.
We wanted high-volatility excitement that still looks and feels easy to follow.
About Gaming Corps
Gaming Corps is a Sweden-based game development studio that creates innovative casino content for operators and players worldwide.
Known for blending creative themes with engaging gameplay mechanics, the studio has built a diverse portfolio spanning slots, casino games and its proprietary Smash4Cash™ series, as well as character-driven titles like their ongoing 3 Pigs series.
Gaming Corps focuses on delivering entertaining, feature-rich experiences that combine strong visual design, memorable characters and rewarding gameplay, helping the provider establish a growing presence across regulated markets.
To learn more about the studio and explore its full game catalogue, visit the Fruity Slots Gaming Corps provider page here.
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