Licensed games continue to resonate among casino players and operators, and major slot manufacturers are responding with new content based on popular movies
Gaming machine manufacturers are in a constant search for ways to make their products pop on an increasingly chaotic casino slot floor.
Lately, improved signage packages have been the go-to product to provide this distinction. Developing a unique play mechanic is another method that is often used to make a game gain notice among both players and casino operators.
In addition to these approaches, the old standby for slot differentiation is still going strong as well—third-party licensed content. Indeed, new slot games themed on popular movies, television shows, board games, pop music personalities and so on continue to find their way into for-sale, leased, linked and many other types of gaming machine categories.
To help keep track of all these licensed content additions, Casino Journal once again offers its company-by-company recap of popular licensed slots, including a look at new licensed games showcased at recent trade shows that are in the pipeline for 2020 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, Billions, Britney Spears, Candy Land, Downton Abbey, Dumb & Dumber, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Farmville, Flashdance, Game of Thrones, Jaws, Let’s Make a Deal, Mad Max: Fury Road, 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 2020 AND BEYOND: Crazy Rich Asians, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Game of Thrones—Winter is Here.
The big news on the licensing front for Aristocrat is its ongoing partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, which has led to the creation of numerous slot games based on the studio’s rich library of movies and television shows.
At G2E, Aristocrat and Warner Brothers premiered the latest creation from this arrangement: the Crazy Rich Asians Slot Game. The Crazy Rich Asians slot will be a heavily-themed game featuring sights and sounds from and inspired by the contemporary romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, the 2018 blockbuster hit from Warner Bros. Pictures, directed by Jon M. Chu from the acclaimed bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan and featuring an international, all-Asian ensemble cast, according to a press release.
The Warner Brothers contract is not the only licensing agreement bearing fruit for Aristocrat. The company recently debuted a slot based on the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series from CBS Consumer Products. Aristocrat’s ties with HBO also continue to spur new slot game content, as evidenced by the company’s latest Game of Thrones-themed concept: Game of Thrones—Winter is Here.
EVERI HOLDINGS
LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Casablanca, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, Felix the Cat,Fruit Ninja, Knight Rider, Penn & Teller, Press Your Luck, Richie Rich, Singin’ in the Rain, Snoop Dogg Presents The Joker’s Wild, South Park, The Brady Bunch, The Mask, The Karate Kid, Underdog, Willie Nelson.
NEW LICENSED GAMES FOR 2020 AND BEYOND: Monsterverse featuring Kong and Godzilla, Little Shop of Horrors, Zoltar 5X Pay and Zoltar Triple Jackpot.
A relative newcomer to the licensed slot machine game, Everi continue to impress with its growing lineup of slot games themed on popular moves, plays, personalities and television game shows.
At G2E, new licensed content from Everi included Monsterverse featuring Kong and Godzilla on its Empire DCX cabinet. Based on the shared fictional blockbuster, cinematic universe from Legendary Entertainment, Monsterverse offers the Monster Bet that dares players to bet big and play four arrays at once. The Empire DCX cabinet includes dual curved 43-inch horizontal monitors with integrated edge lighting and enhanced game-controlled lighting, a 4K display that provides an immersive player experience, and premium 4.1 surround sound.
Also showcased at G2E was Little Shop of Horrors, based on the popular movie featuring the unusual plant named Audrey II. The game was housed on Everi’s Empire MPX cabinet and features wilds in the base game that feed Audrey II and trigger the game’s biggest bonus—Mean Green Mother free spins.
Another new license for Everi is Zoltar, the all-knowing animatronic fortune-telling machine from Characters Unlimited that has made several appearances in television commercials and been seen in hundreds of locations around the world and in the homes of many collectors. The company has developed two banked mechanical slot concepts around this theme—Zoltar 5X Pay and Zoltar Triple Jackpot premium mechanical bank is based on the all-knowing animatronic fortune-telling machine from Characters Unlimited, Inc., and features the iconic and recognizable voice of Zoltar, the great gypsy himself. Zoltar has made several appearances in television commercials and been seen in hundreds of locations around the world and in the homes of many collectors. Both games feature a free spin bonus where Zoltar predicts a multiplier between 2X and 10X with each free spin on the next reel stop.
IGT
LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Adam Levine, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, American Gods, 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, 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 Price is Right, The Voice, TMZ Video Slots, True Blood, Wheel of Fortune, Wyland, Zuma.
NEW LICENSED GAMES FOR 2020 AND BEYOND: $25,000 Pyramid, Jeopardy!, Jumanji TRUE 4D, Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin Deluxe, Wheel of Fortune 4D More Money, Wheel of Fortune 4D Wheelmobile.
When it comes to licensed products, IGT continues to concentrate on its highly successful line of slot machines based on popular television game shows.
At G2E, IGT showed that it will continue to evolve its most successful slot theme—Wheel of Fortune. New innovative Wheel of Fortune titles included Wheel of Fortune 4D More Money and Wheel of Fortune 4D Wheelmobile. Both titles leverage IGT’s TRUE 4D technology to give players an immersive gaming experience unlike any other, according to press materials.
Building on the success of Wheel of Fortune Cash Link, the company also debuted two new base games including Ruby Riches and Shimmering Sapphires. Attendees also experienced the latest Wheel of Fortune title on the CrystalWheel Stepper cabinet with Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin Deluxe.
In addition to the latest Wheel of Fortune slot iterations, IGT also gave G2E booth visitors a first-hand look at new TV gameshow titles including Jeopardy! and $25,000 Pyramid, both housed on the large-format Megatower Universal cabinet. These games join a growing family of gameshow-themed IGT titles such as The Price is Right Showcase Showdown, The Price is Right Video Slots on the CrystalCurve ULTRA cabinet, and The Price is Right Plinko Slots on the CrystalDual+Stepper.
IGT’s TRUE 4D slot concept also houses a number of the company’s most important licensed concepts, the latest being the Jumanji TRUE 4D game on the CrystalCurve TRUE 4D gaming machine. The thrilling title leverages fan-favorite components of the iconic movie to create an exciting multi-sensory gaming experience, according to press material.
KONAMI GAMING
LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Beat Square, Castlevania, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Frogger, Hot Press Winnings.
NEW LICENSED PRODUCTS FOR 2020 AND BEYOND: Silent Hill, Silent Hill Escape, Silent Hill Return.
Konami Gaming continues to concentrate on producing licensed slot concepts based on popular video games of the recent past. Its latest product along these lines is Silent Hill, one of the most popular video game thrillers since the turn of the millennium, which is taking on a new form as a video slot. Players can experience a rich 3D world with characters, scenes, and encounters from the hit video game, which takes place in a fictional ghost town called Silent Hill, abandoned due to a terrifying catastrophe. This debut series includes linked progressive jackpots, multiple bonus adventures, and an unforgettable Stay & Spin feature, according to press materials.
Showcased at G2E on Konami’s new Horizon 49J cabinet was Silent Hill Escape, which follows prisoner-turned-protagonist Murphy Pendleton as he seeks to navigate the haunted streets of Silent Hill. Over the course of his journey, players encounter zombies and battle towering monsters for the chance at instant credit awards. During the Stay & Spin Bonus Game, players can fill the screen with credit prize symbols to win one of five jackpot awards.
Silent Hill Return is led by a young heroine figure named Heather Mason, who takes on the haunted city to avenge the death of her adopted father. As she tries to find her way through the fog, strange spirits randomly meander across the primary reels, awakening symbol-driven bonus opportunities whenever they fall upon the Silent Hill symbol. When players bet up the button panel, red spirits can manifest themselves and offer the chance to enter progressive jackpot bonuses.
SCIENTIFIC GAMES
LICENSED PRODUCTS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT: Animal House, 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, Jackpot Party, 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 2020AND BEYOND: BEETLEJUICE, JAMES BOND DIE ANOTHER DAY, JAMES BOND GOLDFINGER, JAMES BOND TOMORROW NEVER DIES, JAMES BOND LIVE AND LET DIE, MONOPOLY Big Wheel Railroads, MONOPOLY Money Grab, MONOPOLY Hotel Tycoon, MONOPOLY Hot Shot. The Hobbit, WILLY WONKA Everlasting Gobstopper.
Scientific Games is another slot supplier that can boast a very successful licensing concept based on a popular game—in this case, Monopoly, which celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2020. The company continues to add to this line whenever it can, announcing MONOPOLY Big Wheel Railroads and MONOPOLY Money Grab at G2E, and showcasing MONOPOLY Hotel Tycoon and MONOPOLY Hot Shot at this month’s ICE London convention and tradeshow.
The James Bond movie franchise is also proving rich ground for Scientific Games, and the last year has seen it introduce JAMES BOND DIE ANOTHER DAY, JAMES BOND GOLDFINGER, JAMES BOND TOMORROW NEVER DIES and JAMES BOND LIVE AND LET DIE. The company’s long-term contract arrangement with the Willie Wonka license continues with the introduction of the line’s latest themed game, WILLY WONKA Everlasting Gobstopper.
Scientific Games is also forging new agreements to feed its licensing product lineup. The company has created a new slot game based on the movie series The Hobbit. At ICE London, Scientific Games is also bringing to life the 1980s film Beetlejuice, across slots and iGaming experiences. This game will delight players who are nostalgic for the hit film in a jackpot game for arcade, bingo, LBO and casino sectors.