Top 3 Developers Who Set the Slot Game Trends

Online gaming software providers have grown proficient in entertaining slot lovers beyond the simple gameplay for which the sets are loved. Pokie elements are often consistent, such as displaying icons on multi-reel grids and triggering their combinations with bet lines or win ways. Software developers make their products distinguishable by adding unique building blocks that complement the basics.

Some of these firms excel in spearheading new trends in this respect and have gone on to cement themselves as top dogs. Most of the trends they breathe life into are picked up by other game providers, some of which go on to be core definitions of slot operations. Here are three software developers renowned for their innovative trends in the slot business.

NetEnt

NetEnt currently ranks as the leading online gaming slots provider with know-how, innovation, and creativity that outshine its competitors. The software developer has been around since 1996 and has been consistent with its passion for delivering the best gambling experience. NetEnt has its foot in various casino game categories, including table games, casual sets, and live games, but none define the firm’s excellence as much as the slot collection.

The developer boasts more than 200 titles in the category, with new releases hitting the online market now and then. In the 20+ years it has been operational, NetEnt has carved out a path for premium gaming solutions, making it a true pioneer in propelling the market with cutting edge innovations such as;

• Immersive themes

NetEnt gains a competitive advantage over most other software developers with dazzling themes that take slot gameplay beyond spinning the reels. The software provider develops complex storylines in sets delved into with stunning graphics, animations, and soundtracks that expound more on the story being told. The themes are not only applied to the icons and backdrops but also the bonus features. For instance, in the Cash Noire slot game, players are taken into a gloomy underworld to help the detective Tom Flint solve some cold cases.

The gritting atmosphere on the 5×4 playtable and narrator voiceover is complemented by a Clue Meter that activates six freebies for thirteen clues. Punters then embark on a car chase in the City Chase Map, collecting more spins and multipliers.

• Avalanche wins

Cascading reels were a hardly touched innovation until NetEnt popularized it by releasing the Gonzo’s Quest slot machine. The pokie abandoned the usual spin feature and worked with character blocks that rained from the top of the screen in one motion. Any items that created winning clusters on adjacent reels from the left exploded off the screen and left room for new ones to enter. The avalanche feature gave punters more than one chance at creating payout combinations per spin. Today, tens of slots feature rolling reels, including Bonanza, Dragonfall, Voodoo Gold, and The Asp of Cleopatra.

• Branded games

NetEnt partners with some of the most popular brands to fuse their expertise in pokie development with their established fictional worlds. The software developer has an extensive collection of pokies based on some remarkable properties in music, entertainment, and films that sets a new standard for the industry. Jumanji, Planet of the Apes, Jimi Hendrix, Scarface, and Universal Monsters are some of the sets in this category.

• Mobile gameplay

Mobile affinity is a standard requirement for all slot releases today that gained traction thanks to NetEnt. The slots company was the first to experiment with the platform using Java software to launch pokies on smartphones. The firm later moved on to flash technology before it finally adopted the modern alternative HTML5 technology.

Big Time Gaming

Big Time Gaming has only been around since 2011, but the people behind its operations have decades’ worth of experience that has earned it a place among innovators and trendsetters in the gambling business. The developer has over forty pokies featured in about 600 casinos globally. Alongside this collection, the developer boasts innovations like;

• Megaways

When online slots first came about, they depended on the paylines to activate payouts. Win ways were later invented to allow icons to pay for appearing on adjacent reels in any order without falling on the predetermined patterns of bet lines.

Big Time Gaming revolutionized this concept by introducing the Megaways engine. This feature offers up to 117,649 ways to win. Massive six-reel grids support such a high number of win ways, and each column can hold two to seven characters at a go.

• MegaQuads

Big Time Gaming’s Megaquads engine takes Megaways to a whole new level by featuring 16,777,216 ways to win. The feature has currently only been explored in the Slots Vegas pokie that features four five-reel grids instead of one.

• Data science

Big Time Gaming partners with Future Anthem, the first-ever Data Science data platform in the casino business, for this innovation. The software developer is set to apply AI to optimize their game portfolio and track gamblers’ habits to suit their needs better.

Microgaming

Microgaming is among the most recognizable online slot brands with a revered reputation that spans more than two decades. The game developer boasts a vast collection of 800+ slot releases since its inception and a powerful influence on the gambling industry thanks to innovations like;

• Online gambling

Microgaming is the brand to thank for the inception of online gambling, having been the first-ever firm to venture into the industry. The software provider launched its services in 1994, the same year the internet was born. It is also responsible for the first internet casino, Gaming Club, which is operational to date.

• Massive pooled jackpots

IGT materialized the idea of progressive jackpots in location-based casinos, but it was Microgaming that propelled it to the popularity stratosphere online. The software developer holds the record for the most massive slot win amounting to over €17.87 million awarded in the Mega Moolah slot machine. The company has paid more than €100 million in pooled pots in other pokies like Major Millions, WowPot, and King Cashalot.

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Closing Thoughts

NetEnt, Big Time Gaming, and Microgaming are at the peak of their run in the slot developing industry in varying ways. These gaming companies continue to defy the odds and set new standards for others to follow.