The online slots have been invaded by a world of caped crusaders, big-screen adaptations, and egalitarian jackpots. What has occurred and what does the future hold?
If there is one thing that online slot developers have looked into over the last few years, it is acquiring a major brand to anchor their title.
When you browse the available online slot games, you’ll discover hundreds of top titles based on popular television shows, films, and fictional characters. After all, who can avoid tie-ins to blockbuster Hollywood films such as Microgaming’s Jurassic World or the new Highlander online slot?
However, in comic book-themed games, slot players have surpassed traditional table games such as blackjack and roulette in popularity.
Over the years, Marvel heroes such as Iron Man and the Hulk have battled for dominance in casino lobbies against DC Comics characters such as Superman and Wonder Woman.
And heroes have shifted sides, much like the narratives themselves, as game developers snatched up competing products from under their rivals’ noses.
Becoming a part of Marvel’s fantastic world
It was minuscule in comparison to what it is now, long before Marvel Comics was acquired by Disney in a multibillion-dollar deal. Hollywood was just beginning to produce Marvel titles and give the superhero genre a much-needed power boost.
Interestingly, the online slots industry has been regenerating in a similar fashion. By the mid-2000s, casino technology had advanced, and developers such as Cryptologic and Playtech had released an increasing number of games.
In 2009 and 2010, slot developers released titles based on Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, respectively, both of which had successful cinematic reboots. Rather than traditional comic books, actual images from the films were used. Along with Iron Man 2 – a direct tie-in to the 2010 film – the Fantastic Four quickly followed.
By 2013, Microgaming had joined the fray through DC Comics’ parent company, Warner Bros., by producing big-screen tie-ins such as The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. These are two of the largest progressive jackpot games currently available.
The Slot Machine’s Future Branded Collaborations with big-screen names and television brands have been used by game developers for years, and there is no indication that the demand for brand tie-ins will diminish.
Consider IGT, the industry’s leading developer of casino apps (or casino websites). They take popular brands and give them a group feel with their latest collection of land-based slots.
Sex and the City, based on the hit TV show, relies on a ‘group’ aspect to enhance the slot experience.
Several players will sit on the same machine, similar to a wheel of fortune, and participate in cooperative multi-player bonus features.
While several video slots feature a wide variety of themes, HBO’s tie-in with the producers of Sex and the City is geared toward fans of the hit show. With faster processors, games can manage much longer video sequences from the spin-off game in video slots, adding a new dimension to conventional online slots.
The brand has also released a land-based slot based on The Dark Knight (though this is not to be confused with Microgaming’s own online smash hit). The same ‘group’ aspect is retained, albeit directed at fans of major motion pictures.
Microgaming has successfully tapped into the world of video games with their Tomb Raider and Hitman slots, while Atari has tapped into slot players’ nostalgia with their classic arcade games-themed slots.
Additionally, the crossover between applications and slots is noteworthy. Popular mobile gaming applications such as Bejeweled have evolved into slots in their own right. Major slot developers have also embraced the ‘cascading’ design of these games. Microgaming’s Avalanche Reels feature has become a huge hit with fans.
As technology advances, we’re likely to see slots and casino games with a greater skill component, similar to what you’d find in an average console game. As long as the brand is strong, slot developers will have no difficulty meeting the demands of gamblers for enhanced effects, improved graphics, and more creative bonus features in their games.
Microgaming’s top three pop culture-inspired slots
Game of Thrones Slots
Game of Thrones, one of the most popular television shows in recent years, was adapted into a slot with 243 ways to win, authentic music from the fantasy drama, and a free spin round for each major family in the show.
Hitman Slots
While video games do not always translate well to film, slots do. Hitman is based on Agent 47’s exploits as he travels the world armed with a blade, a syringe, and various other tools of the trade. It was a match made in heaven between online slots and video game animation.
Bridesmaids’ Slots
The Bridesmaids was the’sleeper’ box-office hit, based on the exploits of a group of hen party goers/bachelorettes. Microgaming adapted the film for the 카지노사이트, a massively successful land-based slot machine a few years ago. The original bonus features are one of the funniest gross-out comedies in years.