It’s January, the time of year when lists are all the rage. Wherever you look online you’ll see lists of the best and the worst of last year, which was, in case you’re not sure, 2016.
Looking back at the year as far as online slots, one thing is very apparent – this was the year of adventures in far away lands and ancient times. The slot industry has demonstrated a strong fascination with legends, historical figures and events interesting. While Hollywood was all about sci-fi and the future – usually an ominous one – slots’ reels spun in delight of the tales of the past.
The Slot Games of the Ancient World
The one slot game that grabbed all the headlines, so to speak, was Gonzo’s Quest, the story of Eldorado – the lost city of gold. The player is engaged with incredible 3D graphics and an opening sequence that wouldn’t shame the top console games.
As far as specs, Gonzo is a 5-reel, 20-payline game with multipliers of up to X15 and a treasure trove of a jackpot – 1850X bet.
Other “ancients” that shone this year were Zeus, Cleopatra, Book of Ra (ancient-Egypt themed slot) and Dead or Alive (the wild wild west). This list reads almost like a history textbook. Now that’s an idea – how about teaching history at school through games of slot?!? Demo paly of course, no money changing little hands…
Until kids will learn their history spin by spin, the place to get the full slot picture is to check Prime Slots’ Games Page where over 250 slot machines are patiently waiting for you play them, for free or for real money. That’s totally up to you.
Fruit Machines Are Still All The Rage
Another strong trend we saw this year in slots, is reminiscing on the golden age of mechanical slot machines. Think of the iconic “fruit machine” with its cherries, grapes and pears or the historic “liberty bell” slot with card game faces – and you can get a pretty good idea of this year’s golden rush of classic-looking slots.
Among the top performing ones we can mention 40 Super Hot which is all fruits and the number 7; Mega Mulah that features safari animals, letters and numbers; Fruity Friends – don’t need to explain this one, right?
To get all the latest and best-est on slot games you can always turn to SlotSpinners – online casinos review site; these guys know a thing or two about slot machines, of the past, present and future.
Celebrities Are Coming to Slots
The other side of the coin if of course what to expect from 2017. One trend we can put our finger on that will explode in 2017 is the celebrity-driven slot games.
Celebrities are scrambling to find new merchandizing opportunities. Selling T-shirts with your face on it just doesn’t cut it anymore. On the other hand, launching a fashion or cosmetic brand under your name is a risky move that requires substantial investment and can become a logistic nightmare.
So having a branded slot machine game is a relatively simple affair to put together. And slot makers are always happy to have familiar faces on the spinning reels.
Lil Wayne’s slot game is a prime example for the celebrity-driven slot, and its potential. It is now available on iTunes, Google Play and many online casinos. And it’s everything you’d expect from it: diamonds, piles of cash, cars, ladies and of course a kicking soundtrack.
Spin The Reels, Virtually
The other two trends you can expect in 2017 aren’t thematic, but more evolutionary.
One, that’s following in the footsteps of the entire gaming – and computing – industry is VR. This mega trend, that’s on the brink of mass explosion (just need the prices to drop a bit) have slot makers working hard behind the scenes and around the clock.
Some already put out first attempts at VR slots, like the Oculus Rift’s SlotsMillion virtual casino devoted solely to – you guessed it, slot machines!
We can, and should, expect some more innovation coming our way as the SlotsMillion isn’t the most exciting interpretation of what can be achieved with VR technology. It’s basically just a room with lots of slot machines.
The Skill-Based Slots of the Future
Last for 2017 we are looking forward to skill-based slots, again, said to be in the works of the major slot game makers.
It’s the latest attempt to try grabbing the attention of millennials, who are looking for some form of challenge in their gaming. The slot industry isn’t about to forgo with chance entirely, but looking for ways to integrate skill into gameplays. The best prediction now is that the slot games will keep the basic reels where chance leads the way and will develop skill-based bonus rounds, where completely different interface will take over.
Sounds good, combining the two worlds of chance and skill into one experience.
Lots of slot stuff to expect in 2017.
