Gamshy

About the Company

Gamshy is a Rome, Italy-based game developer for online casinos. The company was founded as a startup in 2016 by CEO, Andrea Sipone. In a few short years, the company was already producing unique content. The firm became known to the greater industry when they opened booths at important industry events such as ICE Totally Gaming in London and Enada Primavera in Italy.

One thing that sets the studio apart from many others is the way in which they strive to bring unique and innovative content and mechanics to real money game play. The first thing that strikes you is the amount of 3D art and animation they utilize to accomplish this in some games.

However, their niche is much more than just 3D renderings. Each game is well-themed with a narrative that works and gameplay features that complement the virtual machines themselves. While they don't have dozens and dozens of titles deployed yet, the ones they have released are interesting, innovative, and simply fun to play.

Software and Games

All slots are developed using the HTML5 framework. This makes them instantly available on any device. HTML5 is a webpage markup standard and it has allowed developers to produce games that not only load fast but are optimized to whatever sort of device you are using.

While mobile games play in any orientation, the same coding also allows 3D animation in high definition on a desktop device. All games are played in a web browser.

In early 2018, the company let the world see their proprietary gaming platform. Announced under the trade name, Engy, the HTML5-integrated platform provides massive scalability and instant availability. Since the games are all developed in HTML5 they execute perfectly on any device.

• Seamless and wallet transfer integration allows all online casino to meet their needs
• The games are all available in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean, and Italian
• The company's RNG (random number generator) is certified by iTech Labs and BMM Test Labs 

The Games

Jumping Sushi was unveiled at SiGMA iGaming Malta in 2018 and released to the market in January 2019. A fully realized 3D title, the game is fantastic rather than realistic in theme. Like all of their other titles so far, the game has a high theoretical return to player percentage at 96.59% RTP.

A simple game mechanically, there are 5 reels, 3 rows with free spins, a wild symbol, and a scatter icon. It plays well on desktop, tablet, and handheld devices. iOS and Android play is undiscernable.

Tooncops is another light-hearted game rendered in 2D. Mechanically it's nearly identical to Sushi, but has a low volatility index and returns 96.36%, giving the game quite different maths. It's the kind of game that you can play for a long time on a small bankroll, but players shouldn't expect too many big jackpots to fall from this game. One innovation is 'fluid paths' rather than paylines.

Kraken Island departs from the two games mentioned above in several ways. We still see a 3D character 'host' interacting with spin results and cheering us on. However, there is no 'cuteness' to the game. The paylines sketch sinister-looking figures, and when you enter the bonus game to try and slay the sea beast, you might get a chill.

Brave the skeleton and open three chests to find coins, free spins, multipliers and more in this highly volatile game with RTP of 96.05%. Free spins, wilds, scatters, and a visually and audibly rich bonus game round out Kraken Island's features.

Design approach

We don't know much about what goes on behind the curtain when they build game engines and we haven't seen many innovative feature mechanics. The front end, the immediate and ongoing user experience, is largely driven by art and animation. Even the 2D Tooncops comes off slick, entertaining, and engaging. The 1940's style "cop cartoon" appeals to several generations with well-timed animations and glitz, while maintaining a flatscreen approach to the theme.

The 2D games feature animations created in the same way Walt Disney and the early animation pioneers rendered their product - frame by frame and drawn by hand - albeit with modern digital technology rather than lead pencils, paintbrushes, and flipbooks.

The 3D titles, such as Kraken Island with its pirate theme, are sophisticated and slick with pulsing color animations most likely accomplished with Unity3D, Babylon, or the like. However, there could be some proprietary software involved and there is bound to be Java coding in the animations and C+ in the engines as HTML5 dependencies.

One thing that is certain, a great percentage of the company's resources are devoted to design and execution which results is stunning visual presentations and immersive audio.

Other Games

In addition to creating new games from scratch, the company also devotes energy to re-imagining casino classics. We haven't been able to get our hands on their Texas Hold'em Bet game yet, but from what we can see it is different enough, while still based on the classic, to appeal to players across the age spectrum. Fantasy Soccer Bet also looks interesting. 

The Final Analysis

Gamshy is a vibrant young company taking a new approach to the market with a focus on design. While oldtimers like myself are more excited by innovative and exciting features and manipulation of volatility through player control, most slot players simply enjoy a good game that will keep them entertained while they hope for a lucky spin.

With a high degree of focus on presenting engaging and fun content, bolstered by state-of-the-art cutting edge technology, coupled with a CEO who is young and a team that is passionate about their work, Gamshy is poised to make a real splash and possibly build a cult following as well as convert players across the spectrum.