How Do Slot Game Developers Continue to Innovate the Classic Format?

Computer-generated online slot machines found on globally renowned iGaming sites like the official 10bet online sports betting casino website remain among the most popular games you can play at online casinos today.

Classic table & card games, such as blackjack, poker, baccarat, craps, and roulette, are also popular, but there’s only so much you can do with these games.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

With slots, it’s different. The possibilities are endless, meaning there’s no limit to what software providers and game development studios can do with them.

Here is a closer look at how companies constantly innovate to keep the classic fruit machine (aka one-armed bandit) fresh and appealing to modern audiences.

How do market-leading online casino software providers and game development studios innovate to keep their online slot machines relevant?

Today’s multi-award-winning online casino software providers use a range of tools to develop the next generation of online slot machines that will appeal to all types of slot lovers.

Many iGaming operators and game development studios these days rely on AI-powered tools, machine learning (ML) and big data to find out what players like and dislike about games, which games they play more than others, and which parts they tend to get bored at and decide to switch off.

They gather this crucial information and then analyse it to improve online slot machines. They also give players free spins bonuses and a selection of games to choose from to find out which games players prefer most. All this information helps make better slots for tomorrow.

Which iGaming sites are known for having the best slots from today’s award-winning providers?

One of the best iGaming sites to play slot casino games online is the 10bet online casino. It’s over 20 years old (established in 2003), making it one of the oldest iGaming sites in the world still in operation.

The reputable operator of this site is fully licensed by several trusted iGaming licensing authorities and regulators, such as the MGA and IOM, meaning it can legally operate in numerous top-tier jurisdictions. It also has over 900 online slot machines from 15+ market-leading studios.

Examples include the following notable providers:

  • BTG (Big Time Gaming) – the company that pioneered the game-changing Megaways game mechanic
  • Games Global (which acquired Microgaming, the world’s leading online casino software provider, in May 2022) Microgaming is famous for the Mega Moolah progressive jackpot slots and for award-winning hit titles like Jurassic Park, which featured Parallax Scrolling effects in the background
  • Thunderkick
  • Blueprint Gaming
  • Pragmatic Play – the company behind the network-wide Drops & Wins monthly slot tournament
  • Push Gaming
  • Yggdrasil Gaming

The 10bet casino also has slots from several other notable providers, including Play’n GO, PG Soft (Pocket Games Soft), Hacksaw Gaming, Push Gaming, Iron Dog Studios, Peter & Sons, Avatar UX, OneTouch, and Skywind Group, to name a few.

In certain jurisdictions where 10bet is licensed, you can also find games from a few other leading providers.

What other things do these companies do to innovate?

Most of these companies try to find out what works and then build upon those elements, leaving out the parts players don’t like. Also, you occasionally get companies like Big Time Gaming that develop ground-breaking game mechanics, such as Megaways, which takes slots in a completely new direction.

Megaways technology first appeared in an online slot called Dragon Born in 2017.

To begin with, it wasn’t that popular, but gradually, over the coming years, it became so popular with online casino players across the globe that other studios started paying licensing fees to include the technology in their online slots.

Today, around 50 companies pay to use Megaways in their slots, and there are currently over 200 Megaways slots.

Other providers have also developed unique in-play features that players can’t seem to get enough of, such as cash collect features, respins features, and various wild symbol features, such as roaming, expanding, grouped/stacked, multiplier, shifting, and random wild symbol in-play bonus features.

They use the latest advancements in computer programs to create more realistic-looking slots with far better graphics, immersive storylines, likeable characters, better sound effects and accompanying background audio, and bigger progressive/fixed-coin jackpots.

They also include more exciting ways to win cash prizes, rather than just spinning the reels and players hoping for matching winning symbols to line up across any of the active Megaways/paylines/win ways to receive a payout.

Today’s best software providers and iGaming operators can also afford to offer games with higher RTP% (Return to Player) payout rates than ever, which is another reason why online slots are more appealing today than at any other time in the history of online casinos.

Some companies are also looking to include VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality) technology to create more immersive slots of the future, which you will one day be able to access from your VR headset.

Online slot machine software providers and game developers also ensure their games are optimised for as many platforms as possible, meaning all players generally need today is a reliable web browser (e.g., Chrome, Vivaldi, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Safar, or Firefox), and any decent Wi-Fi/internet-connected smartphone, tablet, desktop computer or laptop.

Finally, don’t forget that you must be at least 18 years old to play online slot machines, and you must never forget to gamble responsibly and only play with money you can afford to lose.

 

 

About Joel Levy 2623 Articles
Editor-In-Chief at Toronto Guardian. Photographer and Writer for Toronto Guardian and Joel Levy Photography