Yggdrasil Slots: Mechanics, RTPs and Licences

Yggdrasil Gaming is a Malta-based slot developer founded by former NetEnt executive Fredrik Elmqvist and licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority under licence MGA/B2B/230/2012. It is known for in-house mechanics such as GigaBlox, Splitz and MultiMAX, and for the YG Masters programme, which publishes games from partner studios on Yggdrasil’s platform. Typical RTPs sit around 96%, with medium-high to high volatility.

Company facts

Yggdrasil was founded by Fredrik Elmqvist, who previously ran market operations at Net Entertainment and was CEO of NetEnt Malta. He led Yggdrasil for about a decade before handing the CEO role to Björn Krantz in April 2022. The company’s Malta licence number, MGA/B2B/230/2012, reflects the original application; the company describes itself as building games “for over a decade”.

Yggdrasil holds one of the broader licence sets among mid-sized slot suppliers:

The company has been a member of the Swedish Gambling Association (SPER) since 2020 and won Innovator of the Year in 2023 and RNG Casino Provider of the Year in 2022 at industry awards. For context on what an MGA licence covers, see our MGA licence explainer.

Signature mechanics

Yggdrasil groups its in-house features under the name Game Engagement Mechanics (GEMs) and licenses them to partner studios.

• GigaBlox: oversized symbols up to 4×4 that land as a single block and pay as multiple symbols. It debuted in June 2020 in Lucky Neko and Hades; Gator Gold GigaBlox, the third title, runs at 96% RTP with at least two reels showing giant symbols on each spin.
• Splitz: a symbol splits into two or more smaller symbols, adding ways to win. First used in Temple Stacks, then in Neon Rush and Syncronite. In Syncronite, Splitz combines with synced reels to raise the win-way count from 729 to as many as 21,168.
• MultiMAX: multipliers that build on the reels and stay for subsequent wins, introduced in Multifly!.
• BOOST tools: operator-side promotional features such as in-game missions, tournaments and prize drops built into the game client.

The YG Masters programme

YG Masters is Yggdrasil’s partner publishing scheme. Independent studios build games on Yggdrasil’s technology and get access to its distribution network and GEM mechanics, including GigaBlox, MultiMAX and Splitz. This is why many slots in a casino’s Yggdrasil filter carry a second studio name (for example ReelPlay or Peter & Sons). The partner studio designs the maths; Yggdrasil handles distribution and the game client. When comparing RTPs, read the individual game’s rules rather than assuming a house standard.

Maths profile and notable releases

Yggdrasil’s own titles usually ship at around 96% RTP, with volatility rated medium-high to high. Some releases can be supplied in reduced-RTP versions at the operator’s choice, so the figure can differ by casino. Our guide on checking a game’s RTP shows where to find the live number, and our volatility guide explains what the volatility rating means for session results.

Other recognisable titles include Holmes and the Stolen Stones, Vikings Go Wild, Hades GigaBlox and Lucky Neko. For how jackpot titles divide their RTP between base game and pot, see our progressive jackpots guide.

Yggdrasil games for Australian players

Yggdrasil supplies mainly European regulated markets and the casinos that integrate its games through aggregators. On this site, 18 casino reviews list Yggdrasil in their provider mix; two of them (Lucky Star and 1xBet) do not accept Australian residents, which leaves 16 for Australians. The list with ratings is on casinos with Yggdrasil games.

Game availability at offshore casinos is set per country in the supplier agreement. A title shown in a casino’s public lobby may be hidden after you log in from Australia, and demo mode can be blocked in the same way. Before depositing for a specific game, open it in the casino while logged in to confirm it loads. Our page on demo play lists the usual reasons a demo does not load.

How Yggdrasil compares

Yggdrasil sits between the high-volume studios and the boutique high-volatility ones. It releases fewer games per year than Pragmatic Play, puts more weight on proprietary mechanics, and its partner programme adds a long tail of third-party titles. Compared with Play’n GO and NetEnt, its default RTPs are similar (about 96%), while its licence coverage in Europe is comparable to both.

Frequently Asked Questions

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