In this episode of Bonus Round, Brendan Moore and Jared Book are joined by Ari Mizrachi of Tangam Systems for a status update on True Persistence games. The discussion explores the spectrum of True Persistence styles from short-cycle to long-cycle and digs into what GPD data reveals about performance and design trends. The conversation also covers impacts that fall outside standard floor KPIs, including what True Persistence means for the retail player experience and what operators can actually do about it.

In this episode of Bonus Round, Brendan Moore and Jared Book speak with Dan Marks, SVP of Gaming at Aristocrat and founder of Gimme Games, following Aristocrat's big night at the 8th Annual EKG Slot Awards. Dan shares the story behind how successful slot games are created, from early hits like Sky Rider to recent award-winning titles like Spooky Link. The conversation explores how modern game development blends creativity, math models, and data-driven testing to identify themes that resonate with players. For operators, suppliers, aspiring game designers, and anyone curious about what happens behind the scenes of the slot machine business, this episode offers a rare inside look at how award-winning games come to life.

In this episode, the EKG Game Performance Database team reviews nominees for the 8th Annual EKG Slot Awards' Most Innovative Land-Based Slot Game category. We also break down our latest Data Insights report on key attributes and mechanics shaping 2025's new Core Video releases. This episode gets technical, diving into the nuts and bolts of the innovations pushing the industry forward.