Paper Biker - Q&A with Andre Villandberg, CEO at Bullshark Games

From charming dragons to competitive foodstuffs, Bullshark Games is well on its way to building up one of the most eclectic mix of slot themes we've seen for quite some time! Nothing seems to faze these guys and when they set their minds on a new project, they tackle it with style and flair.

The latest crazy creation to power its way out of this studio is Paper Biker, a cluster pays slot that features newspapers with multiplying powers and 3 free spins bonus games. We sat down with CEO Andre Villandberg to find out how this idea came to life and what gets their engines revving over at Bullshark right now.

Name:

Paper Biker

Developer:

Bullshark Games

RTP:

96.24%

Max payout:

15,000x stake

Volatility:

Medium-High

Theme:

WTF

Release date:

23rd Sep 2025

Play Paper Biker here:

As a relatively new studio, we’re really interested to hear what your game ideation and creation process looks like. How quickly does a game go from an idea to something on screen? 

We’re a pretty lean and hands-on team, so our process is both creative and fast-moving. It usually starts with a simple concept. Sometimes a theme, sometimes a mechanic and we build from there. Once we feel like the idea has legs, we move quickly into prototyping and iterate based on feel and internal playtests.

From idea to live game, the full process usually takes around 4 to 6 months, but we’re always adjusting based on what we learn along the way. We care a lot about pacing and player experience, so we tend to test heavily before finalizing anything.

Your upcoming release, Paper Biker, follows a former biker who loses his license and is forced to trade in his motorcycle for a bicycle, on which he delivers newspapers… A novel story! Where do you find inspiration for the backstory for this release?

Honestly, it just made us laugh and we like games with a bit of humor. The idea of this ex-tough guy navigating suburban streets with a stack of newspapers on a bike felt so unexpected, it stuck.

We try to keep our themes fresh and offbeat, and sometimes inspiration comes from the most random “what if?” conversations on the team. Paper Biker was one of those. It’s different, and it gives us a reason to inject personality into every part of the game. From art to sound to features.

Paper Biker has quite a lot of moving parts when it comes to features and mechanics. Do you find your audience has a preference for action-packed games as opposed to a simple slot that might only offer free spins?

Definitely. What we’ve seen is that players enjoy having more layers to discover over time. A straightforward slot can still be fun, but having features that stack, evolve, or surprise the player keeps engagement high, especially for streamers and regular players who want more depth.

That said, the key is balance. We try not to overload the player with too much at once. The best kind of action is the kind that builds naturally and makes every spin feel meaningful.

This release also has quite a distinctive art style reminiscent of some of your other releases such as Gem Ghosts and Coop Clash. Would it be fair to suggest Bullshark is carving out a strong identity for itself on the back of games like this? 

We hope so! While our themes vary a lot, we do gravitate toward strong, character-led visuals with personality. We like slots that feel alive and memorable, not just a generic background and spinning reels.

Even if each game has its own flavor, there’s definitely a certain Bullshark energy we’re building: bright, dynamic, a little cheeky, but still high quality.

Similarly, Cluster Pays games seem to be very popular within your portfolio. What’s the thinking behind that and do you think they have more to offer than games with a traditional set of reels?

Cluster Pays naturally allow for bigger visual wins and more exciting chain reactions. From a design perspective, they also open up more room for creative mechanics, like cascading wins, wild features, or building tension over multiple spins.

We don’t do Cluster Pays just for the sake of it, but when the theme and pacing call for that style, we love using it. It’s a great way to keep the screen dynamic and give players that snowball feeling where one hit leads to something even bigger.

The Free Spins feature sees multipliers remain on the game grid for the entirety of the bonus. In this day and age, do you think Free Spins features need to be beefed up with additional mechanics such as multipliers in order for the game to remain competitive? 

It’s definitely becoming expected. Players today have seen a lot of Free Spins, so if yours don’t offer something extra like multipliers, persistent symbols, collection features then it can feel underwhelming.

We’re always thinking about how to make Free Spins feel like a true reward. In Paper Biker, the sticky multipliers give that sense of progression and potential, which makes the whole bonus feel more intense. It’s not about gimmicks, though and it has to fit the flow of the game.

Finally, can you tell our audience exactly why they should load up a Bullshark slot and give it a spin ahead of another studio’s latest release? 

Because we actually play the games we build. Every mechanic, every sound cue, every visual: we design them to create real excitement, not just tick boxes.

We don’t do lazy reskins or one-size-fits-all math. We try to give each slot its own personality and build in moments that make you lean in, not just spin mindlessly. 

If you’re looking for games with energy, surprises, and a touch of fun, you’ll feel at home with Bullshark.