Eurostar Studios - Interview with Tara Townsend
In this archived interview, Tara Townsend discusses Eurostar Studios, the slots it had released at the time and the studio’s ambitions. The conversation also touches on its creative influences, collaborations and future plans.
Q1.: Hi Tara, nice to meet you online. Please introduce yourself to our readers!
Townsend said she had worked in gaming for more than a decade, covering real-money gaming, mobile social games, blockchain, NFTs and other areas. She called iGaming’s growth exciting and said she was happy to be part of the industry.
Q2.: What inspired you and your business partner to establish Eurostar Studios?
Townsend explained that Eurostar Studios was created to bring the refinement and artistic appeal of leading land-based casino games to mobile. The studio aims to create engaging visual stories that revisit familiar settings with a fresh perspective.
Q3.: What does Eurostar Studios offer that competitors might not?
Townsend highlighted the studio’s distinctive perspective.
She credited business partner Jerry Seelig’s 30 years in senior roles across gaming, including land-based casinos, lotto, social casino, VLTs and iGaming. He had designed over 1,000 games and authored over 100 patents; Townsend said his creative vision was central to Eurostar.
Townsend said her own strengths were in partnerships, licensing, marketing and product strategy. She also brought industry connections and access to brands that can be difficult to secure.
She said their combined strengths—careful curation and a knack for distinctive licensing partnerships—help them take brands in new directions and create engaging games.
Q4.: Your studio’s first exclusive release for Microgaming, the deadmau5 online slot, was widely praised for its sound and graphics. How did the concept develop, and what was it like working with deadmau5?
Townsend recalled meeting Joel, also known as deadmau5, at his home to launch the project. She described him as a prolific creator, artist and technophile. During the visit, the team watched him work in his recording studio and design lab, where he showed how he created the striking show graphics and displayed them through the 3D cube interface he had designed.
After that meeting, the team set out to bring the energy of a live deadmau5 performance to the reels of an online slot, which Townsend said was a challenging brief. The result combined an iconic soundtrack and vivid graphics with a dancing crowd and two of his hit songs to create an immersive game.
Q5.: Burlesque by Dita, your new slot featuring the Queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese, has a distinctive look. What led to the game and to the partnership with her?
Townsend said Eurostar looks for iconic brands and considers Dita Von Teese a leading burlesque figure. The team used her photo archive and details from her stage productions to create symbols and features that reflected her image and brand while making for an entertaining game.
She said the game’s backgrounds were inspired by venues where Von Teese had performed. In one of the free spin bonus games, large white feathers float across the screen to reveal multipliers, referencing a feather central to one of Von Teese’s signature acts.
Q6.: After two distinctive first releases, what can players expect next? Will another famous personality feature?
Townsend said the studio planned to keep introducing new brands and celebrities, pairing them with its land-based-inspired art style for players worldwide. She confirmed that more brands were in development and said Eurostar hoped players would enjoy them across several casino verticals.
Q8.: Thanks for speaking with us. Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
Townsend said the studio hoped its community would enjoy exploring the settings and stories in the games as much as the team enjoyed creating them. She also thanked Casino Ideal for the opportunity to discuss Eurostar’s work.
Evan Carrington brings more than 12 years of experience in the iGaming industry, with a focus on reviewing online casinos, assessing slot games and examining player safety. Their work covers casino licensing, RTP, volatility, bonus terms and withdrawal policies. Drawing on practical testing and independent research, Evan provides clear, evidence-based reviews to help players understand gambling platforms, their features and possible risks.
