Microgaming is a giant in the casino industry. Not only is it one of the most popular software providers but it has its own casinos. It has the largest progressive jackpot network in the world and holds the record for the biggest payouts in history. Its games range from classic slots to meticulously made live casino games in professional studios.
Microgaming stands out from the rest for many reasons and in this article we will introduce you to all of them, as well as how its games work and which are the most popular slot games by this provider. But how did it come to be? What is its story?
The Story Behind the Name
Everyone who has ever played in an online casino has seen the name Microgaming, be it on a slot’s loading screen, online poker, a wheel of fortune, or countless other instances. But not everyone knows why that is, how it came to be such a giant in the online gambling industry. Well, for starters, Microgaming developed the first true online casino software all the way back in 1994. Since then, it has been a leader in its field. Later on, in 2004, Microgaming developed the first mobile casino software. Furthermore, operators run by the Microgaming software can control the currencies and choose whichever they see fit. Microgaming also comes with a monitoring software which allows operators to study player activity.
But they do not stop there – they also have multiple charity organizations. PlayItForward is only one of them, established in 2014 and builds on the already existing progress of Microgaming Health & Care Trust, which had its beginning in 2002. Microgaming also joined the All-in Diversity Project as a founding member in 2017. They have made many successful attempts to better their community on the Isle of Man through many other charity events as well. They have helped kids get their expensive education, they have helped raise breast cancer awareness and they have held multiple charity events to help local businesses.
Quickfire is another important thing to mention as it is the brainchild of Microgaming. Its development is what helped make Microgaming slots and overall casino games more accessible on both desktop and mobile. It also made its software more customizable and volatile than before and offered new opportunity, with new partners and new horizons.
Distinct Features of Microgaming Slots
To see how Microgaming slots have distinctive features we must first look at what most slots have. For starters, the simplest feature all slots nowadays have is the autoplay one. Usually, this allows you to play 10 or 25 spins with one click, however, some offer a greater number of spins, like 500 for instance, and Microgaming is one of those providers. Another typical feature of any slot game is having fixed paylines, as most providers have the same number for almost all of their products, like 25 for instance. Microgaming, however, has an incredible payline range on its online slot games, having as little as 3 and as many as 1024 winning combinations.
When you play an online slot you usually get some pretty nicely designed symbols but not much more than that, with Microgaming’s slots you get unique animations for every single symbol in almost all of their games. Sometimes there are even whole clips of original animation when you get a winning combination. The graphics of Microgaming games are also quite distinct. In fact, they offer some of the best immersive imagery when it comes to online slots. The Jurassic Park slot they have created is a great example for this. The pop-up animations are a clearly distinctive feature of theirs. In Avalon II, for instance, Merlin pops up and casts a spell, giving you a bonus.
Microgaming slots can be found in pretty much any online casino and you can tell them apart from others, for a few reasons. First and foremost, is that they have the most branded blockbusters adaptations. Some of the names featured on the giant Microgaming adaptation list are giants like Jurassic Park, Game of Thrones, Playboy, and even Terminator.
Another distinct feature of theirs is the complete adaptivity of their software. It does not matter if you are playing on desktop, mobile or on your tablet, Microgaming slots always look amazing. They were one of the first to develop slots based on Hypertext Markup language(HTML) 5 code, which guarantees cross-platform compatibility.
Microgaming Slots on Mobile
So, thanks to the new HTML5 coding Microgaming has started using, the slots they offer look perfect on mobile too. But even before that their software looked superior on mobile than most of their competitors’. They have been known to use C++, .NET, Adobe Flash and Android to develop their software and additionally C# and Java are used to help make their technologies more open for operators to build in their own integrations.
But enough with all the tech talk, are their slots actually playable on mobile or not – yes, they run absolutely smoothly. No lagging, no freezing, in fact, some of their games are specifically designed to look good on mobile. They are more commonly known as ‘Microgaming Go’ games to differentiate them from the standard online slots.
As we already mentioned, Quickfire is what helped make their online slots even more volatile. Quickfire is designed to integrate seamlessly with any third-party gaming system, providing access to an extensive portfolio of games through a single point of integration. It works out of the box on desktop and mobile to provide operators with a powerful set of features that combine to enhance gameplay and increase player engagement.
Types of Microgaming Slots
As a leading developer of slots software, Microgaming offers a massive selection of them and all of their variants. They move with the times and provide players and operators with any and all types of slots they could wish for. It is precisely this that has made them the partner of so many casinos, and the sought out provider for most.
Additionally, you can try any slot of theirs for free, most of which are available directly on their website. You do not even need to register in order to play with demo credits and look through the games’ rules. This way you can decide if it is wise to play with real-money or not for yourself. The fact that you are playing with demo credits does not affect the gameplay in any way, the only difference is the obvious one – if you win your money will be entirely fictional.
On top of all this, Microgaming offers the widest variety of slots, ranging from something as simple as Flower Power to something as exciting as Jurassic World to something as complex and epic as Avalon. So we cannot even fit all of their slots into one category.
Classic Slots
Classic slots, or 3-reels slots, are the oldest ones but they are still sought out by many players. So, naturally, Microgaming has a collection of such games that you can choose from if they are your preferred slots. There is a more modernized variety of classic slots too, which actually has 5-reels just like their modern counterparts.
Despite the fact that there are no bonus rounds or free spins in these games, they have been known to turn people from someone on the brink of poverty into a millionaire. This incredible transformation is, of course, still alluring nowadays, so that along with the old-timey feel of them which come from the design, making you feel like you are playing the very first slot machine ever made makes classic slots attractive to players even today.
5-Reels Slots
So, what makes these new slots different than the classics? Where do we even start – the look, the features, the vibe they give off – it is obvious in every way. Modern slots have a more sophisticated animation, sometimes even featuring whole clips and they feature things like stacked wilds, bonus symbols, which lead to bonus rounds or randomly triggered bonus features. They are known as more immersive nowadays, some of them even have whole original mythologies.
Microgaming has over 600 modern 5-reels slots to offer and they continue to release two new games every month. They are known for their amazing 3D graphics and stunning visuals, as well as having awarded players worldwide with over $400 million. Their astonishing bonus features guarantee a win every time, whether its small or big depends solely on how lucky you are.
Others
Here, you may find 243-ways-to-win slots as well as progressive ones. There are numerous variations of both of these and Microgaming’s collection of slots offers quite a few. Unlike both other categories, these slots do not have fixed paylines but instead winning combinations. Most of these slots are the aforementioned 243-ways-to-win but you can also find 1024-ways-to-win ones.
The difference with progressive slots is quite simple – with them, you have a jackpot that is ever growing and you can hit it and win everything that has been stacked so far, unlike other slots which have a fixed amount you can win. Usually, this is no easy task but you still end up with a solid win – it is not all or nothing.
Another way to categorize Microgaming slots is by theme, and each game of theirs has one. Themed slots have become something of a specialty to Microgaming with over 60 themes available and they are the creators of the most slots inspired by movies and TV shows. They have an unbelievable number of blockbuster names on their list. All of them are incredibly transformed into a slot game, usually with symbols featuring the main characters and a fitting theme all-around.
Popular Microgaming Slots
When a company has so many different slots to offer, favourites vary from person to person as Microgaming can actually satisfy individual needs. Are you into pop-culture? Well, have a taste of all the movie and TV show themed slots. You are not into that at all? Then, how about some myth-inspired slots? No? Would you rather have something more classic? Microgaming has you covered again. However, there are a few names that really stand out in their collection. Below, we have reviewed the most popular Microgaming slots at the moment for you.
Mega Moolah
Who has not heard of the legendary jackpot of Mega Moolah? In October 2015 it set a new world record with a win of £13,209,300! The game itself is from 2006 and keeps making players worldwide millionaires even today. It is a 25-paylines, 5-reels game, and the more you bet, the bigger your chance of hitting the jackpot is. The coin value ranges from 0.01 to 0.05, but you can shortcut that by pressing the ‘max bet’ button and trying your luck for an astonishing win! The game has an African fauna theme, with the lion being the bonus triggering symbol as the king of the jungle should be.
It certainly is not the most beautiful Microgaming slot but hey, looks are not everything, especially when you have a Guinness record jackpot waiting for you. The way you get to it is through getting to the bonus wheel round, where if you are lucky enough you can hit the jackpot. If you are not there are several other types of rewards – Major, Minor and Mini and the actual jackpot is called Mega.
Avalon II
The slot is a 243-ways-to-win one and is derived from the legends of King Arthur. Avalon and Avalon II both present the player with the mystical setting of those myths. As we already said, Merlin may appear throughout the game to give you different rewards, either multipliers or coins. Both of these have a random value. Another neat feature is the expanding Lady of the Lake wild. She holds Excalibur and as the symbol expands there is a beautiful animation. She substitutes for all symbols except for the bonus one and awards additional wins.
In this slot, you have 8 different bonus features as you make your way to The Holy Grail and then Avalon itself. The journey requires you to first reforge Excalibur in the Lake of Legend, then you must go through the Misty Vale where you can pick your extra wild symbol for the next 15 free spins. The next feature is up to you-you can either go through the Whispering Woods, where the Mystical White Knight will present you with five shields, under which hide different rewards. The other option is Forest Falls where you get 20 free spins with trailing wilds. The next location is the Dusky Moors where you must match two of helmets that are hidden under cards, and the longer it takes the bigger the multiplier. Then you reach Morgan’s Keep, where you shall have 20 free spins with rolling reels. And then the time comes for you to battle the Black Knight who guards the Grail. Once you have defeated him, you may move on to the magic land of Avalon. There, you shall receive a great multiplier bonus.
Thunderstruck II
Speaking of myths and legends, the Norse ones certainly are epic enough to make a game out of. It is also a 243-ways-to-win slot. And so, you are introduced to Valkyrie, Loki, Odin, and Thor, who all have a bonus feature to offer. This one has nothing in common with the movie by Marvel, fully reliant on the original myths. It is enough to take a look at the God of Mischief to figure that out. Aside from the character bonus features or the Great Hall of Spins, you may get the random Wildstorm feature, which can turn all 5 reels into wild symbols. Another cool thing about this slot is that you can click on the symbols and the game will display the possible winning combinations with them.
The bonus rounds can be unlocked as follows – first, Valkyrie’s bonus feature is unlocked. It is 10 free spins with an x5 multiplier. Then after the fifth trigger of the bonus feature, you have unlocked Loki. In his bonus round, you get 15 free spins and a magic wild symbol. On the tenth trigger, you will unlock Odin who offers 20 free spins with a wild raven feature. And then finally, on the fifteenth trigger, you unlock Thor who gives you 25 free spins with rolling reels.
Break da Bank Again
Break da Bank Again is a 5-reel and 9-payline slot and a sequel to the popular Break da Bank, a 3-reel, 5-payline classic slot machine that became quite popular among online slots players. Here, the theme is quite simple – you are presented with different riches – cash, sapphires, gold, or the door to a safe. The reason for the popularity of this slot is quite likely its variance, you can pick which paylines to bet on, how much to bet, there are just so many customizable features.
To double or quadruple one’s winnings, players can click on “Gamble”. This leads to a face-down card. Guessing whether the face-down card is red or black correctly leads to the doubling of the sum. If players guess the color correctly, their winnings will be quadrupled. However, wrong guesses lead to the termination of the Gamble round and the loss of the sum earned thus far. Players can also end the feature by themselves using the “Collect” button.
When 3 scatters symbols(vault symbols) appear on the reels, free spins are won. 3 Vaults equal 15 free spins, 4 Vault symbols give 20 free spins and 25 free spins will be awarded when 5 scatters show up. During the free spins round, the wild card comes with a multiplier of x25. The jackpot is won when 5 Diamond symbols emerge on an active payline.
Hot Ink
This Microgaming slot is sure to give you a mega win with an astonishing RTP percentage. It is set in a tattoo studio and you can even hear the typical noises in the background when you are spinning, however, you hear awesome rock music. There are some pretty cool bonus features but what is especially notable is the feature to spin only one reel until you get the combination you wish. Of course, the bet can get higher when you have the chance of hitting a big win or getting to the bonus feature, but it is well worth it.
The bonus features here are first the Tattoo Bonus, which takes you to a girl waiting for matching tattoos on her arm, back and leg. If you manage to get them to match, you get 10 free spins and the awards of these spins will be doubled. The other bonus feature is the purple and blue fish symbol one. Once you get three of these symbols, they reveal their true identity and yin and yang, and you receive 20 free spins, the winnings of which are also doubled.
Immortal Romance
Immortal Romance draws from today’s perception of vampire mythology. Specifically, The Vampire Diaries. The names of the characters are different than in the show but that is pretty much the only thing that does not match. Amber, or Bonnie, is a witch, then you have the arrogant vampire and the more responsible one, refusing to drink human blood, and Sarah, or Elena, who bear a striking resemblance to each other. It is obvious that this TV series was the source of their inspiration along with a few other vampire series as the backstories of the characters are actually different, especially Sarah’s.
The game has a few pretty amazing bonus features, one for each character and an additional Wild Desire feature, which has been responsible for the biggest wins in this slot. The other one is the Wild Vines bonus feature, which can transform all other symbols into itself, so, as you can probably guess, this can get you the maximum win as well. This is Sarah’s bonus feature. The other ones from the Chamber of Spins are of Amber, Troy, and Michael. You unlock these, one by one as Sarah’s is the last one. Amber’s bonus feature gives you 10 free spins with an x5 multiplier to all wins. Troy’s one is 15 free spins with a varying multiplier and random additional wilds. Michael’s bonus round consists of 20 free spins with rolling reels and a varying multiplier.
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