In the early 2000s the casino industry began to change. As demand for slots began ratcheting up, the internet was also beginning to emerge as a potential platform for online—and later social—gaming. Manufacturers struggled to keep pace and turned to outsourcing to alleviate some of the burden. Unfortunately, the lack of a cohesive development processes often resulted in games that fell short of expectations at costs that were hard to control. Zurawski, game-centric to the core, was also coming to the realization that he was at a crossroads. Even though he enjoyed working with the manufacturers he felt constrained by factors that got in the way of great game development, such as sales, manufacturing, distribution and bureaucracy. To Zurawski, the answer was clear. He would streamline and consolidate the process to make high-quality game development efficient and affordable. “My goal was to create an independent studio that truly understood what players wanted—and hire the best talent possible—to give slot manufacturers exactly that.” With an industry pedigree and an impeccable network on his side, all that was stood between Zurawski and his dream business was a leap of faith. And in 2005 he left a career working for slot manufacturers to found Design Works Gaming. Both literally and figuratively it was a game changer.