When it comes to licensed game concepts, slot manufacturers continue to push the innovation envelope, as this recap of recent introductions shows.

It’s no secret that in an ideal world, gaming properties would prefer to buy and own all slot machines displayed on the casino floor. After all, it’s simple math—buy the slot upfront, and all the proceeds from that time forward go directly to the game’s operator. For this reason, slot areas are dominated by “for sale” or “owned” slot machines, as evidenced by a recent Central Game Performance Databasereport from the firms Eilers & Krejcik Gaming and Fantini Research, in which 92 percent of the 84,450 slot machines tracked were defined as owned games by participating casinos.

The remaining gaming machine space within most casinos is largely devoted to leased slot concepts—games so popular with consumers that manufacturers demand a percentage of its revenue for the right to offer it to players. Though smaller in number than owned games, leased games generate substantial revenue to gaming operators as well as provide the eye candy for a slot floor, since most third-party licensed concepts based on popular movies, television shows, board games, personalities, etc., tend to fall into this category.

Not surprisingly when it comes to licensed game content, the biggest players in this space are large slot manufacturers such as Aristocrat Technologies, International Game Technology (IGT) and Scientific Games with the backing and resources to procure licenses and create unique playing experiences for the customer; although many mid-size and small slot producers also offer some licensed content. And since licensed games often produce a revenue stream for manufacturers, each year sees a plethora of new concepts to entice operators and players.

To help keep track of all these licensed content additions, Slot Management & Marketingonce again offers its company-by-company recap of popular licensed slots including a look of what new licensed games are in the pipeline for 2019 and beyond, which you will find below:

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES

LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: A Christmas Story, Batman The Classic TV Series, Big Bang Theory, Britney Spears, Candy Land, Downton Abbey, Dumb & Dumber, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Flashdance, Game of Thrones, Jaws, Let’s Make a Deal, Madonna, Magic Mike, Mariah Carey, Mission Impossible, My Cousin Vinny, Rolling Stones, Sharknado, Sons of Anarchy, Superman The Movie, Tarzan, Ted, The Big Lebowski, The Mummy, The Walking Dead, The X Files, Tim McGraw, WESTWORLD.

NEW LICENSED GAMES FOR 2019 AND BEYOND: Britney Spears: One More Time, Game of Thrones: Fire & Blood, Billions, Mad Max: Fury Road, FarmVille, Walking Dead III.

Aristocrat Technologies’ ongoing licensing arrangement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products continues to bear fruit with the introduction of the Mad Max: Fury Road slot game at last October’s G2E. According to press materials, the Mad Max: Fury Road game will appear on Aristocrat’s new Edge X cabinet, with dual 43-inch landscape curved LCD’s displaying panoramic views and stereo symphonic surround sound, making it the perfect setting for the high-octane Mad Max theme. The game will feature the fan-favorite characters from the film, including Mad Max, Imperator Furiosa, Immortan Joe, Nux and more.

“Warner Bros. Consumer Products has been a longtime partner and our customers have been big fans of all the game themes we’ve collaborated on to create,” said Siobhan Lane, senior vice president of marketing and gaming operations for Aristocrat at the time of the game’s release. “Now we’re very pleased to announce the newest game inspired by the thrill and excitement of Mad Max: Fury Road for our customers and their players.”

Previous collaborations between Aristocrat and Warner Bros. include slot machine games based on movies and TV series such as The Big Bang Theory, Batman Classic TV Series, Dumb & DumberandA Christmas Story.

The two entities also worked together to create a recently released slot game based on HBO’s WESTWORLDseries. The WESTWORLD slot game offers a unique gaming experience in which fans can play in two different worlds. The top symbol set represents the Delos corporate world, and the bottom symbol set depicts the WESTWORLD park theme. Players can make a 50 cent wager to play the two separate games. A wager of 80 cents or more merges the two game sets for a full game immersion,where base games become even more exciting with increased ways to win, and additional chances of triggering a feature, as well as showcasing a unique reel set of 6x6x7x7x7x7. WESTWORLD also features a unique math model that is completely new to the gaming industry, according to a press release.

The WESTWORLD slot game debuts on Aristocrat’s new and flame55 cabinet.

EVERI HOLDINGS

LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Casablanca, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Fruit Ninja, Knight Rider, Penn & Teller, Richie Rich, Shark Week, Singin’ in the Rain, The Brady Bunch, Underdog, Willie Nelson.

NEW LICENSED GAMES FOR 2019 AND BEYOND: Discovery Channel Shark Week, Felix the Cat, Karate Kid, Press Your Luck, Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild, South Park, The Mask, Willie Nelson: On The Road Again.

Everi continues is foray into the licensed game realm with new concepts based on popular cult movies The Mask and The Karate Kid.Housed on Everi’s Empire DCX cabinet, The Mask slot game is based on New Line Cinema’s 1994 hit comedy that follows the misadventures of bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss, who is transformed into a manic hero when he wears a mysterious mask, and features exciting game play including mask reels with a nudge and pick feature and a free spin bonus, according to press materials. The Karate Kid, also on the Empire DCX cabinet, is based on the popular feature film franchise [and now a Youtube Premium original series, Cobra Kai] that first debuted in 1984 featuring the struggles of Daniel LaRusso to overcome his transition to Southern California and a group of bullies with the help of Mr. Miyagi. The Karate Kid game features Miyagi Multipliers and a Young Hearts Respin that highlights LaRusso and his love interest Ali Mills.

At G2E, Everi also showcased premium, licensed content for its new E43 cabinet based on such popular fare as South Park, the animated sitcom on Comedy Central that is currently in its 22^ndseason. The game incorporates some of the show’s more unforgettable scenes and characters including They Killed Kenny free spins, a Professor Chaos multiplier feature and Cupid Me Wilds features. Meanwhile, the licensed games for the Empire 5527 includes Felix the Cat, a new game based on the iconic character that sprang from the age of silent films and first debuted nearly 100 years ago. Felix the Cat features seven interactive bonuses, progressives available on all bets and easy to understand all scatter pays.

IGT

LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, American Idol, Avatar, Back to the Future, Baywatch, Bejeweled, Betty White, Blake Shelton, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Breaking Bad, Bridesmaids, Charlie’s Angles, Dark Knight, Deal Or No Deal, Dolly Parton, Entourage, Family Guy, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Ghostbusters, Godzilla, Harley Davidson, House of Cards, How to Marry a Millionaire, I Dream of Jeannie, James Cameron’s AVATAR, Jenga, Jeopardy, Judge Judy, Jurassic Park, Megabucks, Money Drop, Orange is the New Black, Plants vs. Zombies, Rubik’s Cube, Sex and the City,  Sherlock Holmes, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Goonies, The Hangover, The Voice, TMZ Video Slots, True Blood, Wheel of Fortune, Wyland, Zuma.

NEW LICENSED GAMES FOR 2019 AND BEYOND: Adam Levine, Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense, American Gods 4D, Ghostbusters 4D, Megabucks: Double Diamond Deluxe, Sex and the City Ultra, The Price is Right Showcase Showdown, The Price is Right Video Slots, The Price is Right Plinko Slots, Wheel of Fortune: Triple Red Hot Bells, Wheel of Fortune: 4D More Money.

IGT has found licensing success with its TRUE 4D family of games, and hopes to continue this string with American Gods 4D. This new game features scenes and characters from the namesake TV series, and ignites player excitement with its gripping graphics and multi-sensory gaming experience on the CrystalCurve TRUE 4D gaming machine, according to press materials. IGT will also adapted its player-favorite Wheel of Fortune theme to TRUE 4D technology with the recent debut of Wheel of Fortune 4D More Money video slots.

The company has also invested heavily in a new licensed game concept based on the popular game show The Price Is Right. The three new The Price is Rightslots games include:

• The Price is Right Showcase Showdown Slots on the MegaTower Universal cabinet. The towering, three-reel, five-line game stands 11 feet tall and places lucky players in the middle of their own “Showcase Showdown” bonus events, where they can spin the Big Wheel for grand prizes.
• The Price is Right video slots on the CrystalCurve ULTRA cabinet. The vibrant three-level progressive features vignettes with game show host Drew Carey and comes to life on the cabinet’s 32-inch, curved lower display and its 50-inch, curved upper display. The highly interactive game features many of the TV game show’s most popular games such as Punch A Bunch, Cliff Hangers and Rat Race.
• The Price is Right Plinko Slots on the CrystalDual+ Stepper cabinet. This three-reel, five-line game gives players the chance to play The Price is Right Plinko game for a chance to win big prizes on a classic, mechanical reel slot.

KONAMI GAMING

LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Beat Square, Castlevania, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Frogger, Hot Press Winnings.

NEW LICENSED PRODUCTS FOR 2019 AND BEYOND: Castlevania: Labyrinth of Fire, Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens.

Konami showcased the next chapter in its licensed Castlevania-themed video slots at G2E 2018, with two new themes for guests to explore. Based on the iconic video game first popularized in the 1980s, Castlevania: Labyrinth of Fire and Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens explore new territories, beasts and monsters across the 43-inch canvas of Konami’s curved Concerto Crescent cabinet, according to a press release.  Authentic art, animation and music from the series are found throughout, with multi-mystery bonus adventures that bring the legend of Castlevania to life.

Castlevania: Labyrinth of Fire takes players through the fiercest trials and biggest fortunes of Dracula’s castle. Whenever a feature wild symbol appears on reels one and five, players enter the Castlevania feature and follow the hero through a trial against the dark forces. Castlevania: Labyrinth of Fire has a standard 3×5 reel base game, expanding to as much as 9×5 reels when players win additional bonus reels packed with more picture symbols.

Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens features a symbol-driven progressive jackpot chance throughout primary play, making every spin an opportunity to confront the ominous entrance to the castle. Throughout primary play, full-reel wilds on reel one trigger streams of extra wilds across the three center reels. This event occurs more frequently during the free games. Castlevania: Ring of the Heavens also includes a built-in incentive for higher jackpot odds at extra bet levels.

NOVOMATIC

LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: From Dusk Till Dawn.

NEW LICENSED PRODUCTS FOR 2018 AND BEYOND: MacGyver.

Novomatic found success with its first licensed product, From Dusk Till Dawn, so much so the company decided to expand its licensing line with a game based on the popular 1980s TV show MacGyver. Presented on the towering NOVOSTAR V.I.P. 3.50 and compact V.I.P. Lounge 2.32 cabinets, NOVOMATIC’s latest IP title proved a major attraction at G2E, according to company press materials. Appealing to a wide audience, this retro-style game joins Angus “Mac” MacGyver on a mission to unlock safes and defuse bombs for the chance to win prizes at three progressive levels.

SCIENTIFIC GAMES

LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Austin Powers,  Battleship, Betty Boop, Caddyshack, Cher, Cirque du Soleil, Clue, David Copperfield, Duck Dynasty, Elton John, Elvis, Friends, Game of Life, Gremlins, Grease, I Love Lucy, Ironman, James Bond, Johnny Cash, KISS, Margaritaville, Michael Jackson, Mad Men, Monopoly, NASCAR, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pawn Stars, Playboy, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Seinfeld, Space Invaders, Star Trek,  Tetris, The Bachelor, The Beach Boys, The Flintstones, The Godfather, The Jetsons, The Lord of the Rings, The Simpsons, Titanic, Top Gun, Willie Wonka, Wizard of Oz, Wonder Woman, ZZ Top.

NEW LICENSED GAMES FOR 2019 AND BEYOND: Animal House, Jackpot Party Ultimate Party Spin Far Out Orange, Jackpot Party Ultimate Party Spin Groovy Grape, James Bond: DIE ANOTHER DAY, James Bond: GOLDENEYE, James Bond: LIVE AND LET DIE, James Bond: DIE ANOTHER DAY, Monopoly: Millionaire, Monopoly: Top Hat Roulette, Star Trek: The Final Frontier, Willie Wonka: LOOMPALAND, Wizard of Oz: MUNCHKINLAND.

As is usually the case, Scientific Games is launching a number of new licensed games over 2019. According to a press release, this list of games includes New James Bond and Monopoly concept as well as additions to the company’s popular Willie Wonka and Wizard of Oz franchises.

When it comes to innovation, no series demonstrates Scientific Games’ cutting edge-approach like the JAMES BOND series. The company plans to introduce platforms and innovative game mechanics through new titles that evoke the adrenaline and intrigue synonymous with the most famous British Secret Service agent ever, such as DIE ANOTHER DAY, GOLDENEYE and LIVE AND LET DIE. The DIE ANOTHER DAY cabinet uses an illusion technique called Pepper’s Ghost that created much buzz when the game was displayed at last October’s G2E.

The next era of casino gaming is on the way with the new MONOPOLY Top Hat Roulette. This twist on this classic theme features a circular construction which creates a thrilling social experience for players. Scientific Games recently extended its licensing arrangement with Hasbro International, so expect more Monopoly-themed games going forward.