The love affair for slot games continues to rise as we close out another stellar year for online casinos. A great reason why slot games continue to grow in promise and popularity is no doubt attributed to the sensational rise of social casinos. By far, 2024 was the golden year for social casinos, with well over a dozen launching.
However, the main reason why slot games continue to take home the bacon is through the strength of the developer. When it comes to strength, Microgaming wins the race. This article chronicles the amazing evolution of Microgaming classic slots to its impressive modern-day marvels.
The Birth of Microgaming: A Revolutionary Gaming Force
Next to IGT, Microgaming is one of the oldest casino game developers. Microgaming was founded on the Isle of Man in 1994, the same year that online casinos became legal. The Isle of Man is a hub for online casino software companies, and where many of them receive licenses.
Even in the Internet’s early days, many people hail Microgaming as developing the first casino game software. Even though the first wave of online casinos was limited because of the now-defunct Adobe Flash technology and the painfully slow dial-up modem, Microgaming immediately went to work creating innovative slot games.
The Rise of Online Progressive Slots
Even with the limitations of the dial-up modem and Flash technology, Microgaming was busy at work pushing the boundaries of slot gameplay. In 1998, Microgaming went down in history by developing and launching the first online progressive slot game, “Cash Splash.”
With the allure of massive jackpots that grow with every player wager, Microgaming almost single-handedly created a new slot game genre that continues to grow today. Even in the progressive slot genre, Microgaming continued innovating with some of the most lucrative progressive slots like “Mega Moolah.” Mega Moolah is so popular that it actually goes into the record books as the progressive slot that has produced the largest amount of jackpot winners.
The Modern Video Slot Revolution: From Classics to Visual Wonders
Of course, when Microgaming first began, like the other casino game developers, it focused on classic clots. Unlike the other developers who followed a uniform three-reel slot game look, Microgaming experimented with the look and the gameplay for the classic slots. The hallmark of the early Microgaming slot games was to sharpen the graphics while displaying traditional retro themes.
As an added bonus, Microgaming jazzed up the classic slots with light animations and even sound effects to help immerse the players. The crown jewel and to close the classic slot game era was the release of Cash Splash. Even with the first online progressive jackpot, Cash Splash represented the apex and glory of classic slots.
Besides the marvelous Cash Splash game, some of Microgaming’s early classic slots still endure in today’s online casinos. Break da Bank has gone on to have two sequels, as well as Fruit Fiesta, another popular progressive slot game.
The Transition to Video Slots
With the rise of the broadband Internet, Microgaming immediately transitioned to graduating the slot genre to the video slot era. While the concept of video slots goes back to the retail casinos in the 70s, Microgaming was truly the first casino game developer to modernize the online video slot genre.
With the video slot genre, Microgaming took the modern-day slot genre to the next level with a brand-new playing experience and sharper graphics. Instead of the formulaic and static classic slot background, the early Microgaming video slots like “Jurassic Jackpot.”
However, it was in 2004, with the release of Thunderstruck Part One, that Microgaming became a household name for exceptional slot gameplay. What made Thunderstruck so exceptional was its impressive storyline and one of the first Norse mythology games. Also, Thunderstruck helped to revolutionize the bonus rounds that we take for granted with today’s slot games.
The first Thunderstruck game was so successful that it spawned two more sequels. However, Thunderstruck 2 is the Microgaming slot that transformed the art of free slots. Besides the much sharper graphics and fantastic soundtrack, Thunderstruck 2 ushered in the golden standard of free spin play.
Instead of having one traditional free spins round, Thunderstruck 2 offered a pantheon of free spin rounds. With each bonus spin round better than the one before, the chance to rack up handsomely playing free slots in the same game off one wager completely transformed how slot games were played and developed.
How Microgaming Slots Continue to Evolve
Adding diverse free spin rounds was only the beginning of Microgaming’s dominance. Today’s Microgaming slots now feature interactive bonus rounds and the ability to win in all directions. In recent years, Microgaming has continued to add branded slots to its impressive game library. The centerpiece remains the Lord of the Rings, which is based on the legendary trilogy and the Hobbit movie series.
Conclusion
As technology continues to skyrocket, so does Microgaming’s influence in the mobile area. Well before the smartphone boom, Microgaming was one of the first game developers to harness and develop the power of mobile gaming, optimizing their slots to be mobile-first. To add another layer of immersion, Microgaming continues to incorporate augmented reality technology for a truly 3D slot-game playing experience.