Slots may be one of the newest forms of gambling, but it is by far the most popular. Although other casino games predate slot machines, a precursor to the reel games arrived on the scene in the 1890s and since then evolved from card machines to online animated wonders. Since the first Microgaming title hit the internet, a century after Sittman and Pitt’s card machine, a lot has changed and so have the players who enjoy reel action. We’ve seen amazing improvements, brilliantly unique titles, and exciting mechanics reach slots screens, but we’ve also lost some along the way. Some of the biggest hits disappeared instantly and behind the scenes, we’ve seen slot developers rise and fall, while top studios release a massive hit only to bomb out with their next release. Why is it so challenging and what does it take to be successful in the fiercely competitive slots industry? Also, where did our favourite slots disappear to? Now You See Them, Now You Don’t Few things are as disappointing as having a favourite product, and suddenly it is nowhere to be found. Strangely enough, many punters have experienced this with their favourite online slot and the titles that come to mind include superheroes. Truth be told, it’s mainly branded slots that vanish without sight or any warning from the creators, so there must be a reason for this. The Branded Slots Disappearing Act Whether you were a fan of Microgaming’s Lord of the Rings, Playtech’s Marvel collection or NetEnt’s South Park and Aliens hit slots, you would have experienced this disappointment in the last decade. How do slot developers decide on a theme? Why would they pull a slot game off the market if it is popular? To answer the first question, we must understand player behaviour better because this drives slot releases. Trends inspire demand for most products in the consumer market and the igaming industry is no exception to this. Punters want to see popular topics on their slot screen, and Hollywood content is usually a hot topic. It makes sense for slot developers to create titles inspired by blockbuster movies. This attracts players, creates fans of their brand, and brings in the dough. It is good business. As for the second question, the answer lies with distribution rights, known by many as royalties. Branded slots with genuine Marvel, DC, and Lord of the Rings imagery come at a high price and licensing agreements with the owners of the brand. This means providers must shave a bit off their profits to pay royalties for use and hope they renew the licensing deal once it expires. As you can probably tell, either of these reasons leads to branded titles being shelved. Therefore, software developers weigh the risks involved against the exposure and potential revenue injection they can gain from branded slots. License agreements are always subject to renewal and any successful business will remove a product if it is no longer viable to offer it. This is probably why there are fewer branded slots than universal themes and thankfully the most popular ones fall into the last-mentioned category. The Multiplayer Mini-Act As technology advanced and social media took the world by storm, the igaming world became social, although from a distance. It was only a matter of time before social gaming spilt over into the online gambling space and before we knew it, multiplayer slots appeared on the scene. The need was obvious and software developers, gambling operators, and players were thrilled. These community slot games disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Unbeknown to the creators of multiplayer slots, international regulators saw the games as high-risk areas for fraud and money laundering, which led to the cancellation. Some industry experts still believe multiplayer slots are the next thing on the list of innovations and with the metaverse on the rise, they may be right. But until operators, developers, and regulators can agree on how to find the golden midway and eliminate money laundering concerns, the idea remains idle. Hitting the Slot Content Jackpot Finding that sweet spot in the igaming market is not as straightforward as some may think. The sheer amount of Game developers present in the current market proves that some oversimplify the art of successful slot-making. Those that withstand the treacherous waters of changing consumer behaviour, technology innovating at the speed of light, and regulators constantly raising the bar, enjoy the fruits of their labour. Although it isn’t an easy feat, some have conquered the highly competitive market and stayed on top of their game. So, what is their secret and how do they push forward through the sea of developers and create fan-favourite slot games? Brand Identity The trick with slots is that most players do not see the name of the software developer behind the game, because titles rarely display it. Players rarely know which studio developed their favourite game; they only know where to find it in the casino lobby. This is because creating compelling slot content is as much an art as it is designing luxury cars. Any genuine Ferrari fan could spot one from a distance in the dark by recognising its taillights, just like Pragmatic Play fans spot one of their games through a unique spin button. Developers must be very creative and position their brand in players’ subconscious through intentional design work. When they get this right, slot magic happens. Some of the software developers who differentiated themselves from the crowd are NetEnt, Nolimit City, Evoplay, Relax Gaming, and Peter& sons. Players know their games by the look and experience. Something specific sets them apart. Creative Talent: The Wow Factor Some believe lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot, and maybe this is why most established studios have specific games that catapulted them to success while the rest of their library attain average popularity ratings. Examples of releases that changed the igaming industry include titles like Starburst and Gonzo’s Quest, mechanics like Megaways, and jackpots like Mega Moolah. While some studios behind these iconic releases make a habit of creating excellent gambling content, others continue with a hit-and-miss trend seen all over the market. Experts from the developer industry ascribe these successes to the individuals who dreamed up the ideas. Although their teams helped to realise the dream, their creative spark started the fire and led to the explosive release. Balancing Reliability with Excitement Earlier slots used to provide punters with a rather predictable gameplay experience of low to medium variance in payouts, which kept gamblers playing for longer. There is a sense of satisfaction with consistent wins, regardless of the size. For a few reasons, this gradually changed and today, most Online Slots have medium to high volatility. The thrill of possibly hitting it big in the base game excites players and developers seem to feed into this need for adrenaline-pumping igaming. Whether this is sustainable is debatable and some argue that high volatility has concerning effects. The effect of high payout variance shows in gaming sessions and wager amounts. Experts advise studios must find a balance on the volatility scale. Collaborate The gambling industry is rife with merger and acquisition news where larger developers buy small studios and land-based operators take over igaming businesses. It is an age-old business strategy, and some might find it bizarre, but when approached with the right mindset, two heads are better than one. The best example that comes to mind is Evolution, the leading live casino games developer. It is the holding company for top brands in igaming, including legendary studios like NetEnt, Red Tiger, Big Time Gaming, and recently NoLimit City. Their partnership and the continuous excellent content from the subsidiaries pay testament to the power of collaboration. The smaller studios have the freedom to create authentic games, while the holding company provides the advantage of global exposure and resources. Collaboration also allows fresh talent to meet with experienced market veterans, presenting more sustainable business outcomes. Smart Technology and Personalisation Once developers have a clear brand goal and marry this with creative talent, it paves their way into the slot world. Many of the bigger providers are also one-stop shops for operators and provide full business suites to power gambling platforms and drive player satisfaction. B2B suppliers and slot aggregators help streamline the data processes for operators and, through technological advances, enable online casinos to stay ahead of their competitors. With proper backend support and processes that allow essential data analytics, providers can offer highly personalised experiences. The Big R Gambling regulators are focusing more on B2B providers, and developers must create content with regulatory compliance as part of the goal. Although most have a role to play in getting a casino platform recognised as a fan favourite, regulatory compliance has not always been a focal point. This is one reason smaller studios benefit from partnerships with bigger companies. Soon, every part of the igaming process will play a vital role in licensing regimes and maintaining healthy levels of player safety protocols. Those agile enough to adapt to changing demands will stay at the top, and those who can’t will disappear along with those missing branded slots.

Gonzo’s Quest might seem like a standard video slot from a distance, but this NetEnt game is far from ordinary and the impact it made in the iGaming industry is undeniable. Since the online slot’s release in 2011, many have followed in the footsteps of NetEnt’s brilliant game mechanics. Many features slot players now take for granted, found their origin from the NetEnt classic. The classic 5x3 slot design is merely there to bring comfort to traditional slot players as Gonzo’s Quest included a mind-blowing new feature, the Avalanche reels. Before the Spanish explorer graced our screens, avalanche pays, or cascading wins, was unheard of and to top it off, this game incorporated a progressive multiplier into the mix. Something else NetEnt captured in this innovative slot game was to make it look and feel like a video game, instead of the well-known slot machine experience. The crisp graphics that include the interactive main character ensure that, a decade later, it still competes with the best slot entertainment available. It is mind-blowing and industry-altering stuff, making Gonzo’s Quest a legend in its own right. Gonzo’s Great Inspiration The excitement created by these features was tangible and the effects linger years later, as the title is still one of the most loved in the industry. Fast-forward to 10 years later and Gonzo is our favourite adventurer who now holds a few titles in the online gambling industry. Its award-winning creators commemorated the Spaniard’s 10th birthday by releasing the Gonzo’s Gold online slot for players to continue the adventure. Evolution Gaming released a live casino game based on Gonzo’s Quest, where players can enjoy a Live Casino Treasure Hunt with the company of a game host. Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt includes a Virtual Reality version of the conquistador and plays out in an Incan Temple. Last year, the slot quest expanded with Red Tiger who released Gonzo’s Quest Megaways in collaboration with NetEnt. As you can see, this adventure slot game caused unthinkable ripple effects in iGaming and inspired software developers from far and wide. Now that we know what Gonzo brought to the world of spinning reels, let us explore what brought Gonzo to us. The Historic Interpretation of Gonzo’s Quest The year was 2010 and spinners enjoyed slot games of the time. Classic 5x3 setups were the order of the day. Click spin and watch the reels roll and stop while you wait for that jackpot sound to trigger. That’s the slot life, right? For developers at NetEnt, there had to be more. The hum-drum features of classic slots simply weren’t enough and, much like the ancient explorers, they set out to discover what technology and imagination can produce under the right circumstances. With the spirit of exploring new worlds, only a Spanish conquistador will be worthy of the main character, and so Gonzo came into being. Very few explorers are as famous as the conquistadors of the 16th century. The Pizarro brothers completed several conquests and conquered the Inca tribes of Southern Peru. Gonzalo Pizarro was one of the adventurers that ventured into the Andes. He had one major objective: Find El Dorado, the legendary city of gold. The kingdom and its rumoured riches motivated Gonzalo to search for it, in vain. We can say with all certainty that Gonzo’s Quest is a lot more fruitful than that of his namesake. Gonzo is a charming little animated character who keeps you company while you spin, hanging out next to the reels. The online slot features an Incan City scene as the backdrop, complete with gold temples from the alluring El Dorado. Ornate stone carvings and masks create an original Incan experience that is rounded off with ambient and immersive sounds. Since its release in 2011, we have come to know Gonzo as the virtual face of NetEnt. Gonzo’s Groupies and Big Winners The fan base for Gonzo’s Quest is impressive, to say the least. The game has its own Wikipedia page and dedicated fan sites. NetEnt considers it to be one of their biggest releases ever with all the best online casinos including it in their portfolio of games. In 2014, one lucky winner bagged a €40,000 jackpot on the original Gonzo’s Quest slot, and when you play it, you will appreciate the payout occurrences. Technically, punters can win much more on Gonzo’s Quest and even more in the new Gonzo’s Gold slot. NetEnt created the Avalanche feature that was way ahead of its time and it gave rise to many popular mechanics we know today. The golden stars align as it meets up with Megaways software and one Finnish player experienced the power of this combination. The Red Tiger collaboration that produced Gonzo’s Quest Megaways married the brilliant Avalanche mechanics with a Megaways pay system. With a €20 bet, the player from Finland walked away with her second Gonzo jackpot worth €230,610. Previously, she won a €70,000 prize on the slot. Now we are looking at the actual games we’ve been discussing and if you haven’t yet, it is time to put on your explorer’s hat and pick where you will spin alongside Gonzo. ✓ Gonzo’s Quest Gonzo, the Spanish conquistador, embarks on the quest of a lifetime to find the golden city hidden in the Amazon. With El Dorado marked with an X on his map, all he needs is for you to place your wager and click spin. Discover Inca temples and forgotten treasures in this beautifully designed slot with 5 reels and 3 rows, where you can win 2,500 times your bet. Watch how the unique stone carvings drop onto the reels and disappear into a crushing avalanche when you win. Set in the lush forest, unique Inca stone carvings fill the slot grid, as the low paying symbols. These create winning combinations that explode to make way for new symbols, creating a cascading effect. This allows for multiple wins in one spin, and with each Avalance the win multiplier increases to a maximum of 5x. The mid to high variance allows for wins often enough to keep players engaged, although Gonzo does a great job of that on his own. Free Fall with Gonzo when three Scatters are in sight on reels 1 to 3, where you will get 10 free spins and the multipliers increase up to 15x. ✓ Gonzo’s Quest Megaways Red Tiger did a stellar job with the sequel to one of the most played slots ever released. Gonzo’s Quest Megaways is all that fans love about the original, with the bonus of the Megaways mechanics. The developers held on to everything that makes this slot so popular. This slot comes with a grid that has 6 reels and can yield 2 – 7 rows in each of these, thanks to Megaways. Win an astonishing potential of 20,000x your stake, with up to 117,649 ways to create winning combinations. The graphics are slightly different, and opinions vary on whether it’s better or not. They introduced some new symbols with the old familiar faces and thanks to the Megaways grid setup, the Avalanche feature is brilliant and more dramatic. Similar to the original, question mark wilds are present, but this time, it’s unbreakable. These stay put during avalanche wins. Free Falls are even more exciting because of the larger grid and in certain areas, players get to gamble for more spins. ✓ Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt Join the Spanish conquistador in this unique live game show, inspired by the slot game. Gonzo is relentless in his search for El Dorado and in this game, players get to hunt for treasure with the bearded adventurer. Gonzo’s Treasure Hunt is a ground-breaking live-streamed game that combines slot-style gameplay with a game show. This Gonzo title is the first live game that players can enjoy in Virtual Reality mode with the use of a VR headset and remote. The live host and Gonzo will accompany the player as they search for riches hidden behind 70 stones positioned in an Incan cave. The giant wall of stones is where the slot mechanism comes in, as six different symbol stones will drop into the wall, almost like a slot spin. Each of the stones pays out different values and you decide on which you will wager. Players get to pick up to 20 positions on the wall, and the amount of picks multiplies their bet. Random multipliers can drop onto the wall in any of the 70 positions once you’ve picked your stones. The computer can make automated picks on behalf of the player. Should your stone selections drop onto the picks you made, you win! It is a straightforward and fun live gaming experience with breathtaking prizes of up to 20,000x per stone. ✓ Gonzo’s Gold The fun quest continues and no one will convince Gonzo that not everything that glitters is gold. This 5x5 slot is the newest release in the Gonzo series of games and NetEnt included fan favourite features like cluster pays to up the ante. The maximum jackpot in Gonzo’s Gold is 6,500x your stake, making it a very attractive game to play. Land clusters of three or more premium symbols and four or more low paying symbols for exciting wins. Plan your bankroll according to high variance and 25.84% hit rate if you want to hit the big wins. Three or more Scatters will trigger the Free Spins that make Gonzo dance and 10 Spins will kick off with a bonus round afterwards. Depending on how many Scatters dropped onto the reel, the bonus prize can be at least x2 and a maximum of x200. Players also get to choose a Golden symbol for the free spins and the chosen symbol will become an expanding one for the duration of the Free Spins Feature.