In the rapidly growing online casino landscape, slot producers must constantly find new ways to gain visibility in the lobbies and direct players to their products. Some, with more manpower in their offices, can afford to release more games to stay on top, but others must rely on original ideas that set them apart from the crowd. In 2025, we've seen several ambitious studios enter the scene to prove their mettle, like Shady Lady, Sneaky Slots, or Exco Game Studio, and we were more than happy to see what they delivered. The beginning of 2026 reveals another creative team willing to conquer the hearts of punters. Under a combination of a peculiar name and a quirky logo, Hold Your Hat suddenly emerged with its first release, Cooked, which is definitely bound to ruffle some feathers. We contacted Hold Your Hat and spoke with founders Daniel Klangefeldt and Lars Rustemeier, who shared details about the game and the studio itself.
AS: With not much info available online about the company, can you elaborate on the studio's vision and strategy? What kind of provider is Hold Your Hat striving to be?
HYH: We’ve deliberately kept a low external profile so far because most of our energy has gone into building the right creative and technical foundations. But our vision is actually very simple.
First and foremost, we want to be entertaining. Not just visually appealing, but genuinely fun to play. If a game doesn’t spark curiosity or create memorable moments, then it doesn’t matter how polished it is.
Strategically, our ambition is to bring new concepts and mechanisms to the table. The industry is full of proven well-executed formulas, but we believe there’s still room to explore new concepts and mechanisms.
AS: We must admit that the studio's name and logo are quite peculiar and enigmatic. Is there something specific hiding behind them?
HYH: We’re glad you noticed, that reaction is very intentional. The name and logo are purposefully a bit mysterious. We didn’t want something overly literal or directly tied to a single genre. Instead, we chose an identity that sparks curiosity and invites interpretation.
There are actually two sides to it, and the two sides tell different stories. But both sides describe the company philosophy well. We want to create experiences that feel bold and surprising on the surface, while being carefully constructed underneath. So yes, there is meaning behind the logo, we just prefer to let people discover it rather than spelling it out too clearly.
AS: Moving on to your debut game, Cooked, what can you tell us about the inspiration for the theme and its artwork? We were massively impressed with the quality and the ideas that formed it.
HYH: We work very iteratively, testing ideas, refining mechanics, and adjusting designs at every stage, even very late in the process. The key inspiration for the theme actually came from the Costa Concordia incident. That gave us a strong conceptual base for both the artwork and the gameplay. While the final product might look spontaneous and creative, the process was surprisingly methodical.
AS: The gameplay is no less attractive with the multitude of features working hand-in-hand on every spin and the original way of evaluating clusters. What was the thinking behind this kind of setup?
HYH: This was our first game, so there was a strong temptation to showcase everything we’re capable of. We had to limit ourselves not to go overboard with features.
The original cluster evaluation came from that same mindset. With our new diagonal cluster mechanic (X-clusters), we wanted to create an experience with a higher “roll-factor”. As a first game, it is important to both be ambitious, but also disciplined. The features had to enhance one another, and the cluster system had to feel fresh without being confusing.
AS: How confident do you feel entering this competitive landscape, seeing some of the new studios like Shady Lady, Sneaky Slots, or Exco making some noticeable waves already?
HYH: It’s a big market still, and that’s important to remember. Yes, there are lots of games launching every month, and yes, many new studios are already making noticeable waves. That’s exciting to see. Healthy competition pushes everyone to raise their standards. At the same time, while there are lots of games, there’s not always the same amount of innovation. Many releases follow familiar templates, which means there should still be room for studios willing to think differently and take calculated creative risks.
Ultimately, the players decide who will succeed. We don’t spend much energy worrying about positioning against specific competitors, we concentrate on making games worth playing. Our approach is simple: we will do our best to make games that both entertain and surprise. If we can consistently deliver experiences that feel fresh while remaining entertaining, we believe there’s space for us in this landscape. Competition doesn’t discourage us.
AS: Thank you for sharing more details about the Hold Your Hat studio and your first release. We wish you many successes with your games, and we are looking forward to the next titles!
HYH: Thank you.
