Lucksome Slots: The Boutique Blueprint Studio Behind Saint Nicked
Lucksome is a small, Malta-based studio set up in 2020 by former NetEnt chief game designer Bryan Upton, with the team getting properly under way in early 2021 under the Blueprint Gaming group. Rather than chasing a huge catalogue, Lucksome has released a comparatively small number of titles, researched at around 20 to 26 depending on the tracker checked, and has built its identity around a couple of signature mechanics, Lux Reels and FatStacks, rather than one house theme. Saint Nicked, its dark-comedy Christmas release, is currently the studio’s title reviewed here on SlotsLike.
Lucksome Slot in Action
Saint Nicked, Lucksome’s naughty-Santa release, showing the studio’s typical high-detail character art and its neon-styled progress tracker.
| Lucksome Developer Info | |
|---|---|
| Studio: | Lucksome |
| Parent Company: | Blueprint Gaming, part of Germany’s Merkur Group |
| Founded: | 2020 (studio set up); operations began in early 2021 |
| Games Released: | Around 20-26 titles (trackers vary on the exact count) |
| Speciality: | Boutique, high-volatility slots built around a small number of signature engines rather than a single visual theme |
| Flagship Title: | Divine Links, the studio’s debut release from April 2021 |
| Signature Feature: | Lux Reels (a hold and win style respin engine) and FatStacks (a stacked-symbol collection mechanic) |
| Common Mechanics: | Hold and win respins, escalating round multipliers, expanding or growing grids, feature buy options |
| Other Themes: | Ancient Egypt (Treasures of the Dead), voodoo horror (Voodoo Temple), confectionery (Bon Bomb Luxpots), crime and heist (6 In The Chamber, Saint Nicked) |
| Highest Max Win: | 10,000x stake, documented on Saint Nicked 2’s Jackpot King configuration |
| Distribution: | Exclusively through Blueprint Gaming’s Remote Game Server |
| Licences: | Distributed under Blueprint Gaming Limited’s UK Gambling Commission licence; Lucksome’s Malta base means Malta Gaming Authority coverage is also typical for the group |
Top Lucksome Slots
Saint Nicked is currently the only Lucksome title reviewed on SlotsLike, so we cannot link out to the rest of the catalogue yet. Based on our research, here is a flavour of what else the studio has released.
A dark-comedy Christmas release where a Bar Meter and expanding grid drive the bonus. Reviewed in full on SlotsLike.
Elsewhere in the catalogue: Divine Links (2021) is the studio’s debut, applying its Lux Reels hold and win mechanic to a temple setting. Saint Nicked 2 (2024) follows up the original with a fixed 6×4 grid, 4,096 ways and a Jackpot King progressive option. Treasures of the Dead runs a similar Lux Reels format in an Egyptian setting, Voodoo Temple takes the same core engine into horror territory, Bon Bomb Luxpots is a confectionery-themed cluster release, and FatStacks Miami Cash and 6 In The Chamber both apply the studio’s stacked-symbol FatStacks mechanic to crime and Vegas themes respectively.
Features Lucksome Is Known For
Hold and Win Style Bonuses
Several Lucksome titles, including Divine Links and Treasures of the Dead, are built around a Lux Reels hold and win format, where coin or symbol collections trigger locked respins. We do not have a Lucksome example live on this exact mechanic yet, but similar hold and win slots are grouped on our Wheel Bonus feature page.
Expanding and Growing Grids
Saint Nicked’s headline mechanic, a grid that grows from 5×3 to 5×5 during Free Spins, fits a broader Lucksome habit of changing a game’s physical shape mid-bonus rather than only adding multipliers. Games with similar expanding mechanics elsewhere on the site sit under our Free Spins feature page.
Escalating Multipliers
Saint Nicked’s Santastic Multiplier, which climbs from a 5x base game ceiling to 25x in Free Spins, reflects Lucksome’s general fondness for multipliers that build rather than reset. More climbing-multiplier slots are grouped on our Increasing Multipliers feature page.
Related Theme
Lucksome does not stick to one visual theme across its catalogue, its releases range from ancient Egypt to voodoo horror to confectionery, but the title reviewed on SlotsLike so far sits in the Christmas category alongside dozens of other seasonal slots.
Lucksome’s entry in our Christmas theme collection.
About Lucksome
From NetEnt to a Boutique Studio
Bryan Upton spent years as chief game designer at NetEnt before setting up Lucksome in 2020, bringing in a small team with backgrounds at Yggdrasil, IGT, Inspired and OpenBet. Rather than launching independently, Lucksome operates as a dedicated creative studio inside the Blueprint Gaming group, itself owned by Germany’s Merkur Group, and every Lucksome release goes out through Blueprint’s existing Remote Game Server rather than a separate platform. That arrangement gives a small studio the distribution reach of a much larger one, which is presumably part of why Lucksome titles like Saint Nicked show up at operators who might never carry a genuinely independent boutique studio’s content.
A Small Catalogue With a Deliberate Pace
Where some studios chase volume, Lucksome has stuck to a slower release schedule since Divine Links launched in April 2021, publishing in the region of 20 to 26 titles rather than the hundred-plus catalogues some larger developers carry. That pace shows up in the finish on individual games, Saint Nicked’s neon signage, mugshot styling and character animation all read as more considered than a rushed seasonal reskin, and the studio has leaned on repeatable engines, Lux Reels for hold and win formats and FatStacks for stacked-symbol collection games, to give each new release a clear mechanical identity rather than a purely cosmetic one.
A Catalogue That Ranges Widely by Theme
Unlike studios that settle into one recognisable visual style, Lucksome’s releases jump between settings, ancient Egypt in Treasures of the Dead, voodoo horror in Voodoo Temple, confectionery in Bon Bomb Luxpots, and the boozy crime-comedy of Saint Nicked and 6 In The Chamber. The mechanics tend to be the constant rather than the art style, which makes Lucksome a slightly unusual studio to profile: players are more likely to follow it for a specific engine they enjoyed elsewhere in the catalogue than for a consistent theme.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Lucksome?
Lucksome operates within the Blueprint Gaming group, which is itself owned by Germany’s Merkur Group. Lucksome’s own team is based in Malta and led by former NetEnt chief game designer Bryan Upton.
When was Lucksome founded?
The studio was set up in 2020, with operations getting under way in early 2021. Its debut release, Divine Links, launched in April 2021.
How many games has Lucksome made?
Independent trackers list Lucksome’s catalogue at somewhere between 20 and 26 titles, reflecting the studio’s slower, more deliberate release pace compared with larger developers.
What is Lucksome’s most popular slot?
Divine Links, the studio’s April 2021 debut, is generally regarded as its flagship title thanks to its Lux Reels hold and win mechanic. Saint Nicked, its Christmas release, has also proved popular enough to receive a direct sequel.
Is Lucksome licensed in the UK?
Yes. Lucksome’s titles are distributed through Blueprint Gaming Limited, which holds a current UK Gambling Commission licence.