iGaming is now among the most popular entertainment markets, at least online. However, it wasn’t always like this. Over the past three decades, online casinos have done their best to market themselves as respectable, reputable, and safe. On top of that, they’ve done their best to include diverse and interesting games in their rosters.
Of course, online casinos would be nowhere without the incredible minds behind the large number of games featured on these sites. We are, of course, referring to the numerous online slot developers, who do their best to create an engaging industry. In this article, we are going to look at some of the most successful slot developers in iGaming history.
NetEnt
As things stand right now, NetEnt are the top provider of high-quality slot games in the world. The company frequently scoops up some of the most talented people in different categories, which leads to excellent products without fail. The company is dedicated to innovation and quality, which is why they have created some of the most popular games in the world.
Among them is the Mega Fortune slot, which has gone down in online gambling history. A Finnish player who has remained anonymous was playing Mega Fortunes, when he unexpectedly hit the jackpot, and won over $20 million. Ever since then, it has been hard not to find the game at most online casino websites in Finland.
Microgaming
When speaking about the most successful online slot developers, we would be remiss if we did not start the article with one of the pioneers of online gambling, Microgaming. Established in 1994, Microgaming may not have been the first slot developer to ever exist, but they were the first to achieve international success. To this day, their games are popular at websites from all over the world.
Microgaming is also responsible for some of the biggest wins in online slot history. In fact, the game Mega Moolah holds the record for delivering the biggest payout online. The win happened just recently, in fact, in 2021 when an anonymous person from Belgium won a jackpot of close to $24 million. The Mega Moolah slot has a long history of hefty jackpot payouts, apart from this one too.
Play’n GO
The one thing that we have to mention when discussing iGaming is the connection to video game culture. Not only do online slots take heavy inspiration from some classic games, but the iGaming industry has some tie ins to eSports. From CS: GO players interested in major playoffs to the various LoL tournament attendees, a lot of amateur and pro gamers have expressed their love of online slots.
And there is no slot provider that takes the gaming connection more seriously than Play’n Go. It seems that the people over at Play’n Go understand that gambling does not exist in a vacuum. All entertainment markets interact in some way. To that end, they’ve done their best to ensure that slot games borrow inspiration from all walks of life.
Certainly, you will find Play’n Go spots with obvious inspiration from classic and modern video games. However, there are also slots that draw from mythology, history, literature, and more. Though other slot developer studios take these kinds of inspirations as well, most will agree that Play’n Go do them best. That is why they’ve gone down in history as one of the best of the best.
Yggdrasil Gaming
Named after the mythical world tree from Nordic myths, some of you will certainly be able to tell where Yggdrasil Gaming draws most of their inspiration. A careful inspection of their website will reveal a true fascination with Norse legends and folklore, and a fun twist on the gods and goddesses of Asgard. But, what about the actual games?
Well, of course, a lot of Yggdrasil’s games do tackle Norse mythology. However, don’t make the mistake of pigeonholing the studio into just that. Certainly, their most popular game does relate to the Vikings, but they’ve also created slots inspired by Sherlock Holmes, zombie fiction, Disney princesses, and ancient civilizations apart from those of the European north.
However, where Yggdrasil truly shines is not the themes they give their slots, but rather the innovative mechanics that they’ve incorporated into their games. Examples of these mechanics include some staples of modern slots, like Splitz, MultiMAX, and Gigablox, as well as the infamous Golden Bet. With such an incredible background, we can’t justify not placing them on the list.
Betsoft
The last developer studio we are going to take a look at is Betsoft. Founded in 2006, the company employs over 200 people, and has managed to produce over 200 games in the past 18 years. But, what most will find impressive is that the 200 games that they’ve created have garnered a following of over 500k players.
Since we are on the topic of Betsoft’s games, we should bring up what makes them so fascinating to people. That would of course be the unique 3D graphics and slick gameplay that is instantly recognizable to fans of Betsoft products. Not only that, but the studio is well-known for some of the most incredibly rendered, almost cinematic-quality graphics. To say they have the best visuals in the industry would be an understatement.
As for the games themselves, Betsoft has certainly created a lot of classics. Inspired by film, television, fantasy, and even real life, Betsoft has released some of the most beautiful slot games, that remain staples of most slot casinos online. Any fan of slots will find a Betsoft slot satisfying, not just visually, but mechanically.
Closing Statements
Online casinos are the hit new thing in the gambling industry. Though they still do not generate the same revenue as their land-based predecessors, they’ve come to a point where they can compete with them. In large part, we have online slot providers to thank for this fact. The five companies listed in this article are easily among the best online slot providers in the world, and their games will remain as staples of the industry for years to come.
