Zitro – Moving On Up

Barcelona-based slot supplier Zitro has nothing to prove in its home base of Spain, or in Mexico, or South America. From its technology campuses in Barcelona and Bangalore, Zitro drives innovation that supports its growing footprint worldwide.

This year, however, marks a leap forward for Zitro USA, the U.S. subsidiary that has continued to penetrate new markets in North America under CEO Derik Mooberry.

Mooberry was tapped by Zitro owner Johnny Ortiz four years ago to oversee the expansion of the supplier’s U.S. footprint—beyond the sparse collection of video bingo games that marked Zitro’s traditional U.S. presence. Mooberry and his U.S. team worked with Zitro’s game development staff to adapt and localize the game content specifically for the U.S. market.

Soon, Zitro games were supporting a lot of the most popular game mechanics from some of the most successful games in the U.S. markets, and the supplier’s U.S. footprint expanded to more than 115 casinos by the beginning of this year.

The ramped-up game development efforts for the U.S. and international markets have also increased Zitro’s annual volume of new titles and games to market. In fact, the company’s booth at this year’s Global Gaming Expo will be more than twice the size of last year’s G2E display.

“I told Johnny (Ortiz), that’s a lot of booth space. Are you sure?” recalls Mooberry. “He responded that he’s never been more confident in our growth or our product line, so now is the time. When the owner’s making that bold of a statement (doubling the booth size) is the move we wanted to make.”

That booth space will be filled with 18 unique game families. “All of our families are multi-game,” Mooberry says. “Usually, under each family is anywhere from two to four individual themes with different math models—they’re not clones. The math models are different. The players feel it, and we see it in the game performance.”

Zitro’s exhibit also will reflect a diversification in the markets the company serves. For instance, for the first time, the company will display a historical horse racing game. “We hope to be live in our first HHR facility by January,” Mooberry says.

The Big Display

There will be 112 total machines on display. In addition to the 18 game families, the company plans to unveil a new cabinet, the name and fine details to be kept under wraps until the show.

A teaser in a recent press release referred to the new cabinet only as “an experience crafted to awaken the senses.” Mooberry reveals some of the broader details. He says it will be a portrait cabinet with a unique design. “The lighting, and the way it’s curved, colored and textured, makes it different than most other cabinets,” he says. “I can tell you that it deserves your visit.”

He adds that the new hardware is enhanced with a new generation of custom sign packaging, building on the success of Zitro’s Tesla model from recent G2E shows. “It shows how the cabinets can be merchandised,” he says, “and it’s something you definitely cannot miss.”

He says the new cabinet moves away from the look even of the Concept cabinet, launched last year. That’s not to say the Concept cabinet hasn’t delivered for the company. “The Concept cabinet actually exceeded our expectations, in terms of performance,” says Mooberry. “It was a must-see at last year’s show; it was the centerpiece in the booth. And it’s proven to be everything we thought it would be. It’s performed exceptionally well for us everywhere we’ve placed it.”

In fact, the Concept debuted as the No. 1-ranked cabinet among U.S. emerging suppliers in the July Eilers-Fantini Cabinet Performance Report.

One of the biggest hits on the cabinet has been Legendary Sword, with striking graphics and three combinable metamorphic features, which was a focus of last year’s show. Mooberry says Zitro will again display the game this year. “We’re really proud of that being the No. 1 theme in the Emerging Supplier category (in the Eilers report), and it’s No. 14 overall among all core video.”

According to Mooberry, at G2E, one of the showcase games will be River Gold Wealth, a riverboat-themed game featured on the Concept Prime cabinet. “The game introduces a special River Bonus event activated when all rows are unlocked and an additional Rossette symbol appears, which launches at the end of the Bonus Link (Zitro’s hold-and-spin brand) with credits and jackpots, including Mega or Super, floating across the screen and adding to your winnings,” Mooberry explains.

Another standout theme among all the new games for Zitro is Tied Up! Coins, the company’s first game with a four-combinable metamorphic feature. It allows accumulators to merge during the base game, unlocking the Bonus Link with combined features. “If you hit either one of the features, you can get both,” says Mooberry. “It becomes a good way to visually show the player that you’re getting both bonuses. That’s different from what we’ve seen.” During the Bonus Link event, obtaining a special Tied Up! symbol will award a match-three bonus at the end, where players can win a Grand or Grand Mega jackpot.

Another new game on the Concept cabinet is Goddess Saga. The Bonus Link hold-and-spin event features two additional special rows containing fixed credit values (including Mini and Minor jackpots) or multiplier values. Each new link symbol that lands applies the special row values, greatly enhancing the bonus. “It’s got this secret element to it that adds two additional rows in the bonus event, which is a different way to do it,” Mooberry says. “You’re rooting for these credit values or jackpots to show up and then hit a multiplier as well.”

Other new Concept games at G2E will include Haunted Fortune, which features three metamorphic accumulators, each offering a unique feature. “Bonus Free Game” and “Bonus Jackpot” unlock mystery access and pick-and-match opportunities, while “Haunted Bonus” awards free spins across four three-by-two zones. Ghosts illuminate zones one at a time, collecting coins and colored keys, with three matching keys unlocking an extra ghost. “Players will love the suspense and how the bonus events reveal surprises,” Mooberry says.

Elsewhere, Zitro will launch a new game, Octo Gold, an Octopus-inspired treasure chest bonus game. It combines eight free spins with a mystery rain of wilds and a Bonus Link featuring three distinct Octopus features: “Multiplier,” “Increase” and “Double.” A special Jackpot symbol allows players to spin the giant wheel for Grand Mega or Mega prizes. “It’s visually stunning and keeps the excitement high throughout every spin,” Mooberry says.

Another standout Mooberry says is a must-see game is Ancient Link, which delivers an action-packed Bonus Link event where players can unlock up to two more reel sets, supported by metamorphic accumulators: “Multiplier” and/or “Grace.”

Players can win any jackpots during the Bonus Link event by landing 15 link symbols on any reel set and winning the Mega jackpot. “This game really packs in the thrill and rewards, making every Bonus Link feel exciting,” says Mooberry.

Branching Out

Mooberry says that going forward, Zitro will focus on continued steady growth in the U.S. “We’re at over 1,000 machines now in the U.S., in 19 states. I’ve probably got four or five more states that could be added in three or four months.”

Zitro currently has a game in the New Jersey lab. The Indiana license, as well as those for Colorado, Iowa, Illinois and others, is expected to come through shortly thereafter.

Internally, Zitro USA is increasing its development staff and facilities, including a new development studio in India, with the first games expected in 2026. “We’ve actively been looking to grow by 500 more positions globally,” Mooberry says. “We’ve got 1,500 employees around the world, as of right now. But we’re looking to get that probably north of 2,000 in 2026.

“In terms of content, you’re going to see a continued focus on new concepts, game availability, and the supporting progressive jackpot prizes.”

Internationally, Zitro launched and continues to grow its “Mega or/and Grand Mega Lounges,” in which large banks of various Zitro games are linked to a single Mega or Grand Mega jackpot. The lounges caught on rapidly in the South American casinos, with huge success, and these lounge concepts are also successful in Europe.

“We might start to look to do them here in the U.S.,” says Mooberry. “The concept behind the Mega Lounge is that any Zitro game with the same common Mega or Grand Mega jackpot prize can be linked with all the other compatible games. You create these banks of lounges on Zitro games. We haven’t done it in the U.S. because our footprint is not big enough yet, but this concept has seen great success. I get why some of the big companies are doing it here—players like it, and there’s a lot of value in that.”

For now, the focus for Zitro is on continued growth in licensed jurisdictions to open new markets in the U.S. “Customers around the U.S. continue to be open to doing business with more of the emerging suppliers,” says Mooberry. “The great part is that customers in new markets have been willing to give us a try.

“I’ve got customers on their sixth, seventh, or eighth banks of games from Zitro, who have been with us for three or four years. They started their investment journey with us, and we’ve earned our place on their floors. We’ve delivered performance, which has given us more opportunities to grow our bank size. I’m incredibly grateful to these clients—their trust and partnership have been key to our growth. I look forward to showing them, and everyone attending, what we’ve been building at this year’s G2E. It’s the perfect opportunity to ‘see beyond the fantasy.’”