The first so-called "branded" slot machine was developed by Microgaming back in 2004. The slot was called Tomb Raider. The popular heroine immediately attracted new users to the casinos where the original machine appeared. Other manufacturers did not lag behind and began to release various simulators of this type. As a result, about 450 of them have already been developed this year. Today, heroes of comics, blockbusters and even computer games are often found on the reels of slot machines.
Original branded simulators
Any game software manufacturer faces a peculiar choice: to develop a completely new product that will receive the status of intellectual property, or to buy the rights to use existing characters. In the first case, you will have to spend a lot of effort to come up with something truly original. In the second case, everything has already been thought up, all that remains is to buy the rights to use someone else's intellectual property.
One of the brightest representatives of branded slots was the Game Of Thrones machine, which was released by Microgaming in 2015. Fans of one of the best series "Game of Thrones" immediately joined the ranks of gambling users. It was a real success for the provider. The same applies to other branded machines. It is enough to remember the great popularity of Spider-Man, Batman, Hulk and other heroes, as it becomes clear why gambling software manufacturers decide to release slots with famous characters. As already mentioned, today there are quite a lot of such machines. The number of branded simulators released by providers was distributed as follows:
- Playtech – more than 65;
- Blueprint Gaming – about 60;
- IGT – more than 30;
- Microgaming – 23;
- NetEnt and MGA – about 20.
Other companies are also developing similar devices, but in smaller quantities.
Does it make sense to release branded slots?
There is no guarantee that a released simulator with a popular character as the main hero will become incredibly popular with gamers. At the same time, the developer must pay a lot of money for using someone else's intellectual property (approximately 5-15% from the total turnover of the machine). Because of this, not all developers are ready to do this. Such simulators are released in the following cases:
- To increase recognition. Since about 500 devices appear on the market every year, you need to somehow highlight yours, so providers create branded slots.
- By collaborating with well-known corporations like Marvel or Disney, new developers can quickly make a name for themselves. In addition, players trust them more than unknown companies.
- In order to successfully compete with gambling “monsters”, new developers have to brand their products.
To negotiate cooperation with a famous brand, many small companies have to pay a high price. This is not very profitable, so having achieved fame, some manufacturers stop such cooperation. Surely experienced gamers have noticed that a once popular branded slot suddenly disappears from gaming halls. The thing is that some developers, upon expiration of the contract with the brand, decide not to renew cooperation for various reasons. This happened with the very popular slot machine from Microgaming Lord of the Rings. Today, it is not available in licensed clubs. Nevertheless, in 2021, the largest number of branded machines were released - more than 170 pieces based on famous films and 120 based on TV series.
Gamblers should know that branded slots have a lower RTP (return to player), because the manufacturers need to recoup the money invested and the commissions that are deducted for the use of intellectual property. And finally, not everyone knows that in some countries the legislation does not allow placing machines with popular characters in online casinos.
