Greentube has been around for decades, originally under a completely different name, but rebranded just as it entered the online market early in the industry’s lifespan. Over the years, we’ve seen the studio expand its extensive portfolio with a diverse range of releases, many of which quickly found their way into players’ hearts, such as its Cash Connection and Sizzling Hot series, which are the foundation of the combined release Cash Connection Golden Sizzling Hot. Today, we’ve invited the Director of Games Strategy and Games Portfolio Management, Richard Ganster, to discuss the release and the thought process behind the game’s development.
AS: Hello, and welcome. Please tell us a little about yourself and your work at Greentube.
RG: Games are in my DNA. I’ve been with the wider Novomatic group for over a decade, and with Greentube for nearly 6 years. I work closely with our talented teams to shape the direction of our game families and make sure that every release earns its place in the portfolio. I’m honored to have worked across a wide range of titles, from brand-new IP to some of our most established franchises and series, such as Cash Connection.
AS: Cash Connection Golden Sizzling Hot is described as a “golden edition”. For players who know the original, how would you describe the changes, and what makes it an upgrade rather than just a reskin?
RG: The gold theme is the first thing players will notice, and while it stands out and may capture your attention, the real upgrades are under the hood. We’ve paired the Lock & Spin Feature that players already know with a guaranteed-win Winning Spins Feature, and that’s not a small addition.
Another change we did was that landing a Mini or Minor jackpot during Lock & Spin now opens the door into a round played on entirely different reels, with no Disc symbols, where every single spin wins. That changes the rhythm and payoff structure of the game in meaningful and engaging ways. So, while the look is golden, the upgrade is mechanical, which makes it feel like a genuine new entry in the series rather than a reskin.
AS: The Sizzling Hot name has been part of Greentube’s DNA for years. How do you balance its classic, old-school identity with something that can also meet modern player expectations?
RG: It comes down to knowing what to protect and what to evolve. Sizzling Hot has real equity with players, so the pacing, the classic energy, the fast reels, all of that stays intact. Then it’s just about what we layer on top, and that’s where we get to innovate.
With Golden Sizzling Hot, that meant keeping the Lock & Spin mechanic players already love and building the Winning Spins Feature on top of it, rather than replacing anything. Generally, our approach with legacy titles is to earn the right to add something new by respecting what already works.
AS: The Lock & Spin Feature is at the heart of the game. Can you walk players through how this core feature works and what it feels like when those Disc Symbols start filling the reels?
RG: Players need to land six or more Disc Symbols in the base game to trigger it. Once landed, the collected Discs lock in place, and they are rewarded with three Free Spins to continue building on the feature. Every new Disc that appears during a Free Spin resets the counter back to three, so the round keeps extending as long as Discs keep landing.
There’s a real momentum to it; each new Disc feels like it’s buying you more time and more potential value. The feature then ends either when the Free Spins run out or the Grand Jackpot is won, at which point everything on the Discs collected pays out, including any jackpots that have appeared along the way. If a player is lucky enough to land 15 Discs during the feature, meaning they filled the entire playing grid, they are rewarded with the Grand Jackpot on top of their wins. It’s designed so that anticipation keeps building the longer the feature runs.
AS: The reset mechanic, where collecting a new Disc during Lock & Spin resets your spin counter back to three, creates a real sense of tension and anticipation. Was that focus on risk and reward a deliberate design choice?
RG: Very much so, as that reset is really the core of the feature. Every spin becomes a small moment of suspense because a single new Disc can extend the round and meaningfully change the outcome.
It’s a mechanic that rewards patience and creates genuine tension without ever feeling unfair, because the player can see exactly why their round is extending, creating a positive feedback loop. That kind of visible, understandable risk and reward is something we look for in many features we build.
AS: The Winning Spins Feature plays out on different reels with no Disc symbols, guaranteeing a win on every spin. How does that change the gameplay feel compared to the base game, and how did you decide where it should sit in the feature flow?
RG: The feature is a complete shift in tone. The base game and Lock & Spin are about building tension and chasing that next Disc, whereas Winning Spins strips that uncertainty away entirely, as every spin leads to wins. We deliberately placed it at the end of the Lock & Spin journey, tied to the Mini and Minor jackpots, so it functions as a reward for reaching that stage rather than something available from the outset. It gives players a guaranteed payoff moment after the tension of Lock & Spin, and that contrast is what makes it land so well.
AS: For a player sitting on the fence about trying Cash Connection Golden Sizzling Hot, what’s the one thing about the game you’d want them to know before they hit spin for the first time?
RG: That every spin in the Winning Spins Feature is a guaranteed win. It’s not a small bonus tucked away somewhere; instead, it’s this game’s headline feature, built directly into the Lock & Spin journey, with Mini and Minor jackpots. Once you understand that connection, you start praying every Disc landing differently, because you know it might be a route into a feature where you simply cannot lose.
AS: Finally, looking ahead, what can players expect from Greentube in the coming months, and are there any other titles or series in the pipeline that you’re particularly excited about?
RG: We’ve got our usual rich selection of new titles on the horizon that we’re working hard on to deliver. We’ve just previewed one of the highlights at a recent industry event, Highway to Bell Stack & Collect, set to launch in September.
Set in a fiery rock-and-roll underworld, the features are as bold as the visuals, inspired by explosive concerts and heavy metal. You’ll see rocker devils, guitars, microphones, and blazing Fireball symbols on the reels as you chase wins via features like the Stack & Collect Bonus, Bell Collect, and Mystery Bell Collect. It’s definitely a rock ’n’ roll entry to our library, and I’m very confident that players are going to love it!
Thank you for sharing more details about Cash Connection Golden Sizzling Hot and joining us in this interview. We’ll be looking forward to seeing what the studio delivers next!
