Those who have never played casino games before are unlikely to have heard of Microgaming. Indeed, those who do play casino games may not have heard of the software giant. When someone plays casino games online, it’s normal not to think about the team of developers who have come together to create the game.
But developers matter in this industry; much in the same way as a game from Blizzard Entertainment or a set of headphones from Beats might be seen as a mark of quality, a top casino games developer should instill confidence in a player – that they are getting a quality product.
Saying that one developer is better than the other is a subjective opinion, of course. So, we can’t definitively call Microgaming the best. However, it is the company that led the way in shaping the online casino industry like a few others. It is now 25 years since Microgaming launched the world’s first “true” online casino software, and 15 years since it launched the first mobile casino software.
All Developers Have Signature Styles
The company has rivals, of course. Developers like IGT, Playtech, NetEnt, Merkur, and many others will dominate the landscape of online casinos. Some of particular characteristics; Playtech, for example, is known for its branded games, based on Hollywood movies; NetEnt is acclaimed for its many original animations and 3D technology.
Microgaming has its signature traits too. You can see some of the games at a top-notch Microgaming casino like Casino.com, which also hosts rival developers like Playtech and NetEnt. There you will find games like Breakaway and Thunderstruck II, which uses Microgaming’s 243 “All-Ways” payline structure, and Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs, which is a good example of creating a game with crossover appeal, i.e. to lovers of video games.
Microgaming’s 25 years in the business has also added one other intriguing aspect to its vast library of games – a massive progressive jackpot network. The progressive network is recorded to have paid out more than £1 billion, and it vies with Playtech as the world’s biggest. At the very top of the list comes Mega Moolah, the game that entered Guinness World Records as having the biggest ever online jackpot award.
Microgaming In Vanguard of Future Gaming
Yet, what is misunderstood about casino software developers is that they are not simply sitting in a room coming up with bigger and better slot games. They are boundary-pushing, looking at ways of bringing gaming – all types of gaming – into a new era. Things like immersive technology, VR, and MR (mixed reality) are all being worked on by these casino software companies because they are seen as the future of entertainment.
What does the future of online casinos look like? Anything that you can imagine, really. But there is an argument that mixed reality will be at the forefront. That could mean playing casino games with interactive gameboards, where you have your own personal avatar. It could also mean skill games, which could finally put to bed the old saying “The house always wins”.
At the moment, Microgaming looks to be in the vanguard of this, along with Playtech, Evolution Gaming, NetEnt, and a couple of others. The company has grown to become a behemoth in its 25 years, operating in over 120 different countries. Will Microgaming be leading the field 25 years from now? If it stays on the same trajectory, there is no reason why that shouldn’t be the case.
