About this app
About Hugo
The premise leans into that identity. “Frank is outnumbered in his own garden and refuses to accept it, and that came through in the artwork early,” Wallentin said, describing a setting in which a grumpy gnome defends his lawn against the gang next door.
the release signals a provider comfortable iterating on both a familiar mechanical family and a familiar creative template
Humor works here as a differentiator in a category crowded with interchangeable Hold & Win releases. By giving the Coin mechanic a clear narrative wrapper, a besieged gnome plus flames and flying objects, Play’n GO gives operators a title with an on-screen hook that needs little explanation.
How to play Hugo
Earlier this year Merkur Group agreed to acquire the slots provider White Hat Studios. Merkur said the acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals, would “further accelerate” its US expansion, complementing its 2025 purchase of the Nevada-licensed supplier Gaming Arts.
Framing the acquisition as the latest step in the company’s online expansion, Merkur supervisory board Chairman Michael Gauselmann stated: “Having made early inroads into the online space in Europe via our Blueprint acquisition in 2012, I am delighted by this latest development and am confident that White Hat Studios will be a great addition to our group.”
In recent weeks, the gambling sector paid tribute to Paul Gauselmann after the Merkur Group founder passed away at the age of 91.
What is Hugo?
Harrison Barrett, VP of business development, spoke to the iGB team at iGB L!VE 2026 to discuss the evolution of Soft2Bet’s MEGA platform, which started out as a purely gamification layer but has become “much more compelling than simply leaderboards, missions and point-based rewards”.
As Barrett puts it, MEGA is “ultimately a retention tool that helps our partners move away from heavy bonus and costs”.
With ice hockey and UFC-themed initiatives driving engagement in North America and a 45% lifetime value increase seen with the launch of MEGA Shoot, a player-versus-player simulation penalty shootout game initiative which launched during the World Cup, it is an exciting time for the Malta-based platform provider.
