If there is one thing online slot promoters have focused on in recent years, it is looking for a great brand to title their novelties.
Take a look at the online slot games available and you will find tons of titles based on popular TV shows, movies, heroes and heroines. After all, who can resist such blockbuster titles in Hollywood as Jurasic World or the new Highlander online slot machine?
But one of the areas where slots have been most successful is in comics, far surpassing traditional table games like blackjack and roulette.
Over the years, Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Hulk have faced DC Comics rivals like Superman or Wonder Woman for supremacy in casino lobbies.
And as in the stories themselves, the heroes have switched sides, as game developers have signed competing brands under the watchful eye of their rivals.
Entering the wonderful world of Marvel
Long before Disney acquired Marvel Comics for a multi-billion dollar deal, it was relatively small compared to what it is today. Hollywood was starting to create Marvel titles and it gave the superhero genre the boost it needed.
Interestingly, the world of online slots was going through a similar regeneration. By the mid-2000s, casino technology was improving and developers like Cryptologic and Playtech were releasing more titles.
By 2009 and 2010, slot promoters had titles based on Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, both of which had returned to theaters with great success. Actual images from the movies were used instead of the classic comics. The Fantastic Four soon joined them, as well as Iron Man 2, making a direct connection to the 2010 film.
By 2013, even Microgaming came into action, through DC Comics parent company Warner Bros, with the production of such films as The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Both are now two of the biggest progressive jackpot slot titles out there.
The Future of Branded Slots Game promoters have long used popular names from the big screen and television brands for collaborations, and there is no indication that the appetite for successful brands is going to end.
Take as a reference the leading casino software provider: IGT. Their new range of traditional slot machines uses successful brands and gives them a sense of community. Games like Sex in the City, a movie based on the hit television series, feature a ‘community’ element to make the slot experience more immersive.
Multiple players can sit around the same slot and participate and interact with the bonus options available to multiple players, such as the wheel of fortune.
While many of the video slots are highly varied, the target of the producers of the Sex and the City slot, HBO, are those who want to have a link to the hit series. As video slots have faster processors, games can display longer video sequences, adding a different element to traditional online slots.
The brand has also released a physical slot based on The Dark Knight, although it should not be confused with Microgaming’s online game. Despite being aimed at fans of great movies, the same ‘community’ element remains.
Promoters like Microgaming have tapped into the world of video games by releasing very successful slots like Tom Raider and Hitman, while Atari has used slot players’ love of nostalgia in classic arcade games.
The crossover between apps and slots is remarkable. Popular mobile apps like Bejeweled have become slots in their own right. The domino effect of these games has also been adapted by most of the slot promoters. Microgaming’s Avalanche Reels is now a huge hit with gamers.
As technology advances, we are likely to see slot machines and casino games offering a greater element of skill, such as can be found in a console game. Slot promoters will have no problem keeping up with the demand from players who want more special effects, better graphics and more features.
Innovative bonus ones in their games, as long as the brand is correct.
Top 3 Pop Culture Inspired Slots Created by Microgaming
Game of Thrones slot machines
One of the biggest television hits of recent years, George R.R. Martin went on to be a slot with 243 ways to win, original music from the series, and a free spin for each of the major families.
Hitman slots
Video games don’t always make for good movies, but they are generally good slots. Hitman was based on the adventures of Agent 47 as he travels the world armed with a sword, a syringe, and all possible tools of the trade. The animation of the video game and the online slot machine made the perfect marriage.
Bridesmaids Slots
Bridesmaids was a box office success based on the adventures of a bachelorette party and a bachelor party. Being a huge worldwide success a few years ago, Microgaming adapted the film for the online casino market. The original bonus features take advantage of sequences from one of the funniest comedies of recent times.
