Former Yggdrasil founder launches EXCO Game Studio – good games, no clones : iGamingToday
The gaming industry just got slapped. Hard.
Fredrik Elmqvist, yeah, the guy who built Yggdrasil Gaming from nothing: just dropped his latest bomb. EXCO Game Studio. And their mission? Simple. Brutal. No clones.
iGamingToday broke the story first. But let's dive deeper into what this really means.
The Industry Is Broken. Period.
"I'm going to be honest, the industry has become a bit tired and lazy."
Elmqvist didn't hold back. The man who spent a decade turning Yggdrasil into a powerhouse just called out the entire sector. Tired. Lazy. Uninspiring.
You know what he's talking about. Those endless Buffalo reskins. The thousandth Egyptian-themed slot with the same tired mechanics. The sequel to the sequel of a game nobody asked for.
Clone games are killing creativity.
And EXCO? They're here to fix it.
Meet EXCO: E X C O M M U N I C A D O
The name says everything. Excommunicado. Cut off from the pack. Rejected by the mainstream. Operating outside the rules.
This isn't just another studio launch. This is a declaration of war against mediocrity.
Their philosophy hits different:
Quality over quantity
Innovation over imitation
Players over profit margins
"We won't ship what we won't play"
No corporate boardroom decisions. No focus groups demanding "safer" content. No recycled assets masquerading as "new" games.
VEGASCALINE: The First Shot Fired
September 10, 2025. SBC Summit Lisbon. VEGASCALINE dropped.
Not just another slot. The first weapon in EXCO's arsenal against the clone army.
What makes it special? Everything the industry forgot how to do. Original mechanics. Fresh themes. Gameplay that actually matters.
But here's the kicker: they're not telling us everything yet. Limited live beta on September 11. "Watchability and pacing" data collection.
They're studying how players actually engage. Not how spreadsheets say they should.
The GAMEX Revolution
Forget everything you know about slot mechanics. EXCO just rewrote the playbook.
The GAMEX suite drops five game-changers:
Wrapper Stacks - Stack mechanics that actually stack up
Power Field - Energy systems that power real gameplay
Boss Fights - Because slots needed actual combat
Power Bar - Progress that means progress
Doubling Dial - Multipliers that multiply the fun
Each mechanic designed for one thing: moments worth sharing.
Not RTP optimization. Not retention hacks. Pure. Gaming. Joy.
The kind of features that make you screenshot wins. The mechanics that get you talking to other players. Games that generate organic buzz instead of buying it.
The 30+ Game Roadmap: Quantity Through Quality
Here's where it gets interesting. Most studios pump out 50+ games per year. Cookie-cutter content. Asset flips with new skins.
EXCO's planning 30+ titles. But each one built from scratch. Each one carrying the "no clones" DNA.
Five games dropping fast after VEGASCALINE. Then a steady stream of actually original content.
Early intel suggests:
Robbin' Goblins - Fantasy meets heist mechanics
TRiGGR - Name says it all
Multiple unannounced projects - Stealth mode engaged
Late September launch window. The revolution begins.
Why This Matters (And Why Competitors Are Sweating)
Let's be real. The slot industry got comfortable. Lazy comfortable.
Player complaints about repetitive content? Ignored.
Streamers begging for innovative mechanics? Brushed off.
The community screaming for original themes? Silence.
EXCO heard everything.
And now they're answering. With games that hit different. Content that creates conversations. Mechanics that matter.
This isn't just another studio launch. This is the industry getting called out by its own legends.
The Elmqvist Factor: Track Record That Terrifies
Fredrik Elmqvist doesn't do small. Yggdrasil Gaming. Built from nothing. Scaled to major supplier status. Offices across Malta, Poland, Gibraltar, Sweden.
Nearly a decade of proving doubters wrong.
But EXCO isn't Yggdrasil 2.0. It's something completely different. Completely independent.
No corporate oversight. No shareholder pressure. No committees deciding what players "really want."
Just pure creative vision. Executed with surgical precision.
Plus his current portfolio: ParlayBay chairman (sports betting innovation), EpicurInvest founder (tech startup acceleration). The man doesn't just build companies. He builds ecosystems.
The Clone Wars: Industry Response
Silence. Deafening silence.
Major studios watching. Waiting. Probably scrambling to figure out their response.
You can almost hear the emergency meetings:
"How do we compete with actual innovation?"
"Should we start building original content?"
"What if players actually want quality over quantity?"
Too late. The gauntlet's thrown.
EXCO just proved something the industry forgot: Players notice when you stop trying.
And they definitely notice when someone starts trying again.
What This Means For Players
Simple. Games worth playing again.
Not content optimized for maximum spend. Not mechanics designed to milk retention metrics. Games built for gaming.
The kind of slots that create communities. Content that spawns tutorials, strategy guides, Reddit discussions. Organic engagement instead of manufactured addiction.
VEGASCALINE is just the beginning. Each EXCO release promises something the industry stopped delivering: Surprise.
You won't know what's coming next. Because they're not following the playbook everyone else copied.
The Future Just Got Interesting
September 2025 marked a turning point. Not just for EXCO. For everyone.
The clone wars started. Original content vs recycled garbage. Innovation vs imitation. Quality vs quantity.
And EXCO? They're not just playing to win. They're playing to change everything.
30+ games in development. Each one original. Each one carrying the "no clones" promise.
The gaming industry just got its wake-up call.
Question is: Will they answer?
Or will they keep pumping out the same tired content while EXCO shows them how it's really done?
Place your bets. The revolution starts now.
Read the full iGamingToday coverage: Former Yggdrasil founder launches EXCO Game Studio – good games, no clones