Blueprint Gaming is set to launch its highly anticipated Game of Thrones slot on 26th March, joining a busy week of new releases from established studios and fresh talent entering the UK online casino space.

Blueprint Takes on Westeros

The Barcrest-owned developer has secured one of the biggest entertainment licences in recent memory, bringing George R.R. Martin’s fantasy epic to the reels later this month. Daniel Kalinowski from Blueprint sat down for an exclusive Q&A covering the game’s development, the challenges of adapting such a massive IP, and what players can expect when the slot goes live across UK casino sites.

Given the franchise’s global fanbase and Blueprint’s track record with branded content, this one’s shaping up to be a proper headliner. The studio has delivered solid work with Rick and Morty and The Goonies in recent years. Expectations are running high for their Westeros debut.

This Week’s Major Releases

Light & Wonder continues its fairytale series with Huff N’ Even More Puff Grand, a Three Little Pigs themed slot that expands the ways-to-win mechanic up to 7,776 in its premium free spins modes. The game centres around a three-tier wheel feature where players can win direct entry to bonus rounds, land fixed jackpots, or upgrade to more rewarding wheels with bigger prizes on offer.

The free spins gameplay involves building frames from different materials, straw through to diamond, with more valuable constructions delivering enhanced prizes. Maximum wins reach 10,000 times stake. Solid territory for the current market.

Pragmatic Play has rolled out Big Bass Return to the Races – Jackpot Bonanza, though this one’s exclusively available to UK and Irish players. The horse racing spin on their wildly popular Bass franchise features the familiar collect mechanic, with wilds gathering Horse Money symbols worth up to 5,000 times bet. Every fourth wild retriggers the feature and boosts a multiplier up to 10x.

The Golden Cup variant strips out standard symbols entirely. Only Horse Money, wilds and blanks for improved win frequency. Three progressive jackpots are available, though these are localised to individual casino sites or operator groups rather than networked across the industry.

Hacksaw Gaming enters the Greek mythology arena with Eternal Duel, pitting Zeus against Hades across 5 reels and 19 paylines. The DuelReels mechanic can push multipliers to 100x. Three distinct free spins modes offer reel multipliers climbing to 999x alongside guaranteed special symbols. Top prize sits at 15,000 times stake.

ELK Studios Veterans Launch Hold Your Hat

A new development studio has emerged from the team behind some of ELK Studios‘ biggest hits, including Pirots, Cygnus and Wild Toro. Hold Your Hat brings serious industry credentials to the table, and their debut release Cooked shows they’re not interested in churning out generic content.

The slot follows chef Jean-Pierre Gratin on a tropical island as he attempts to create a legendary dish while facing interference from rival islanders. Built on a 6×6 cluster pays grid. The game requires five or more matching symbols to connect for a win. Cascading reels feed feature symbols into an inventory system when they appear in winning combinations.

These inventory features deliver symbol transformations, expanded rows and coin collection mechanics. The Free Drops bonus introduces multipliers and persistent upgrades, with maximum wins capped at 10,000 times bet. The game holds a UKGC licence but isn’t available for real money play in the UK just yet, suggesting a wider rollout is coming soon.

Hacksaw Merch Competition

Hacksaw Gaming is running a giveaway until the end of March, offering five €100 merchandise vouchers to UK players. Entry involves following their social channels and signing up through participating casino sites. Pretty straightforward for anyone interested in their branded gear.

What the team thinks

Sheena McAllister says:

The Game of Thrones launch is certainly significant from a licensing perspective, but what caught my attention is the timing alongside new studios entering the UK market. The UKGC’s recent push for supplier diversity means we’re likely to see increased scrutiny on how these new entrants meet compliance standards, particularly around player protection features that established operators like Blueprint have refined over years. This convergence of major IP releases and market expansion will be an interesting test case for how the Commission balances innovation with maintaining robust regulatory oversight.