Craig Asling of Booming Games Talks Fortune Surge

CasinoWow talks with Craig Asling about the Fortune Surge online slot and what's next from Booming Games in an exclusive interview.

Three reels is the format every casino player recognises. Classic slots are built for speed and simplicity, which often leaves little happening between spins. Booming Games has done the opposite with its latest release, layering a collect mechanic onto a small grid.

Fortune Surge arrived on 13 August 2026. It plays on a 3x3 grid with five fixed paylines, the same compact layout as classics like Fire Joker and Grand Spinn, with coins gathering on the outer reels while the centre reel decides how many times they are collected.

To gain more insights, we spoke with Craig Asling, Director of Games at Booming Games, about how the feature is put together and what the studio is planning next.

Booming Games x CasinoWow – Fortune Surge Q&A

Fortune Surge by Booming Games, 3x3 grid and prize tiers

CW: Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! We’re going to be talking all about your latest release, Fortune Surge. Can you begin by explaining the central gameplay idea behind the game?

Fortune Surge is built around a simple idea: combining the immediacy of a classic three-reel slot with the anticipation and depth of modern collection mechanics. It plays on a compact 3x3 grid with five fixed paylines, so players can understand the fundamentals straight away.

From there, the Coin Stack and Fortune Surge features add progression and the potential for the gameplay to shift gear at any moment. We wanted every spin to feel clear and fast-paced while still giving players something bigger to anticipate, with maximum win potential of 2,000x the bet.

CW: As the name suggests, the Fortune Surge feature plays a leading role. Can you talk us through how it works?

The feature revolves around Scatter Coins landing on the two outer reels and Collect Coins appearing on the center reel. When a Collect Coin lands on reel two alongside Scatter Coins on reel one or three, it collects their values and awards an instant cash prize.

Landing Scatter Coins on both outer reels with a Collect Coin in the center activates the Fortune Surge Bonus. During this feature, up to three Collect symbols can lock in place on the middle reel. Each new Collect symbol resets the respin counter, while every Scatter Coin or Prize Pot landing on the outer reels is collected by every active Collect symbol.

It is a very visual mechanic, and the potential is easy to follow as the feature develops.

Fortune Surge Gameplay by Booming Games — Watermelons complete payline 3 in Fortune Surge

CW: The Coin Stack mechanic sees every coin that lands have a chance to randomly trigger the Fortune Surge Bonus. Does adding extra layers to the base gameplay cycle have a big impact on whether a player sticks with a slot?

It can make a significant difference when the mechanic is intuitive and properly integrated. Players should never feel that they need to study a game before they can enjoy it, so the underlying concept must remain clear.

The Coin Stack works because it gives every relevant coin an additional purpose. It creates a visible sense of progression and means the bonus can enter the game in another way, maintaining anticipation beyond the immediate result of a spin. These secondary layers can support engagement, but they need to enhance the core experience rather than distract from it. In Fortune Surge, the mechanic feels like a natural extension of the game’s central collect theme.

CW: Up to three Collect symbols can land and remain in place throughout the bonus feature, but how does each additional collector change the potential of the round?

Each additional Collect symbol increases the impact of the coins that subsequently land. With one active collector, a Scatter Coin or Prize Pot is collected once. With two, it is collected by both; with all three positions occupied, every qualifying landing is collected three times.

A new Collect symbol also resets the respin counter, extending the round and creating more opportunities for further prizes to arrive. That means each collector offers two forms of value: it increases the power of future coin landings and can give the feature additional time to develop. Reaching three locked Collect symbols is therefore a particularly exciting moment.

Fortune Surge Win Screen by Booming Games — Booming Games' Fortune Surge win screen

CW: Scatter Coins and Prize Pot coins on reels one and three are collected by every active Collect symbol. Can you talk us through how these mechanics combine as the bonus develops?

The outer reels supply the prizes, while the center reel determines how many times those prizes are collected. This creates a very clear relationship between the two sides of the feature.

At the beginning of the round, the focus is on landing additional Scatter Coins or Collect symbols and keeping the respins alive. As more collectors lock into place, every new Scatter Coin or Prize Pot becomes increasingly valuable because it is awarded by each active collector. The potential can therefore grow quickly, while the player can understand exactly why it is growing.

It is simple to follow but capable of producing dramatic changes from one respin to the next, which is precisely the balance we wanted to achieve.

CW: As someone who has spent more time with the game than anyone else, what’s your favourite thing about Fortune Surge?

My favourite aspect is how much excitement it creates from such a compact setup. The three-reel format is clean and familiar, yet the game can escalate very quickly once the Collect symbols begin locking into position. Since coins are removed and collected, it generally feels like sometimes the Bonus can go on forever and that prospect really drives up anticipation of every spin.

In particular, the moment when a second or third collector lands is extremely satisfying. The player can immediately see that every subsequent coin now carries greater potential. That combination of simplicity, transparency and escalation captures what Fortune Surge is all about.

CW: Now that Fortune Surge is here, what’s coming next from Booming Games?

We have a busy roadmap ahead, with new releases spanning different themes, formats and player preferences. Players can expect us to continue exploring fresh mechanics while also finding new ways to develop familiar and proven gameplay concepts as well as developing our existing game series.

Variety remains very important to us. We want each release to have its own identity, whether it is a feature-rich slot, an evolution of one of our established franchises or a more streamlined experience such as Fortune Surge. Across all of those formats, our focus will remain on accessible gameplay, strong entertainment value and features that create memorable moments.

Fortune Surge and what's next for Booming Games

From what we've learned in our interview, Fortune Surge makes a lot happen on the small 3x3 grid. The outer reels supply the coins, and the centre reel decides how often they count (up to three times with all Collect symbols locked). The Coin Stack does the rest, giving every coin a second purpose in the base game.

You can find Fortune Surge at many online casinos, but the demo is still the easiest place to see how three-reel online slots work.

Craig didn't name specific titles, but he pointed to a busy roadmap with releases spanning different themes and formats. Some will develop the studio's established series, others will explore new mechanics, and the mix will keep running from feature-heavy slots to streamlined ones like Fortune Surge.

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