Million Games CEO reveals the real cost of casino games
We had the pleasure to video interview Thomas Nimstad, the CEO of Million Games. The video is also available on YouTube.
We had the pleasure to video interview Thomas Nimstad, the CEO of Million Games. The video is also available on YouTube.
This interview was recorded at ICE Barcelona 2026 with Thomas Nimstad, CEO of Million Games. The conversation focuses on how the studio was built, why owning the technology matters, and how Million Games approaches game development in a crowded iGaming market.
It also covers game costs, portfolio strategy, and what the studio has planned for 2026.
Hello, my name is Thomas Nimstad. I'm the CEO for the game studio Million Games.
Million Games is a young studio, founded roughly two years before this interview. Its starting point was not a single game, but the creation of an in-house RGS platform.
The studio was built around a clear idea: if you control the platform, you control how games are built, operated, and delivered to the market.
Million Games was founded two years ago as a result of us creating the RGS platform, and we wanted also to create games and work in symbiotics with the RGS.
The RGS acts as the backbone of the operation, covering development, game operations, and distribution.
RGS is a platform that we use to run the games and build games and distribute games onto the market and the industry.
Million Games does not limit itself to a single category. The studio builds games across multiple verticals, allowing it to serve different player types and operator needs.
The focus is on variety, speed, and scalability.
One crash title in particular helped the studio gain early traction and visibility.
We do a lot of crash games, and one of our crash games has been really popular.
Chicken X is highlighted as a turning point for the studio. The game succeeded by leaning into personality and character, rather than relying only on mechanics.
The character was deliberately given an identity, making the game more memorable for players.
The Chicken X game has been unique, it's found a niche in the industry among players.
Out of a growing catalog, Chicken X stands out as both a personal favorite and the studio’s best performing title so far.
The Chicken games has really stood out. We gave him lots of personality, we gave him character, we gave him a name.
To be fair, it has been our best performing game since it was launched... very popular.
The game launched about six months before the interview and quickly gained industry recognition.
The Chicken game was released half a year ago and it has been nominated four times for different awards.
Even without a win yet, the exposure is seen as a strong result.
We haven't won anyone so far, but we are very positive for the media attention we got for this game.
Million Games operates as an independent studio, while also working with external developers under the Million Star model.
These partner studios build games independently, while Million Games handles the platform and market distribution.
Million Games is a studio that creates games as an independent studio, but in Million Games you also have substudios, our Million Star partners, which build games on the outside, which we also have then distributed onto the industry.
Game development is not cheap. Even with platform ownership, building a full-featured game requires a significant investment.
Costs vary based on complexity, graphics, and the number of features.
| Cost item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Game production | 50,000 to 60,000 EUR, up to 100,000 EUR |
| Main cost drivers | Complexity, graphics, bonus features |
| Licensing per market | 3,000 to 4,000 EUR extra |
A game is normally about 50, 60,000 euros, can be up to 100,000 euros depending on the difficulties, the number of graphic levels, bonus features, etc.
That is without licensing... Then you need to add about another like three, four thousand euros for the licensing and per market.
For 2026, Million Games has set a clear target.
The plan is to release 12 new games, split between internal projects and Million Star partner titles.
For 2026 we're going to release another 12 games.
Half of those games will be Million Games, but we also have our Million Star Games.
Two new partner studios are expected to join during the year, expanding the release pipeline.
We are launching two new studio partners this year, which we're really looking forward and their games are so amazing.
Thank you to Thomas Nimstad and the Million Games team for speaking with CasinoLove at ICE Barcelona 2026.