Branded slot games are slots with an already known popular theme at the heart of it. This theme varies from bands, musicians, books, TV shows, and movies. Tomb Raider, Titanic, Dracula, Dolly Parton, Guns N Roses, and Vikings are the most famous branded slots.
A branded slot is an officially licensed game based on popular movies, television shows, music, musicians, board games, superheroes, cartoons, and more.
Unlike traditional online slots such as ancient Egypt or Norse mythology, these themes are instantly recognizable and hold a certain appeal.
In today’s world, where we spend a significant amount of time in front of screens and online, brands have become an integral part of popular culture. Slot providers offer visually stunning slots that players instantly recognise and can easily connect with.
Branded slots are at the top of the game and always have the most incredible features and animations. With sound effects and music to help create the most interactive playing experience.
Slot games are the most exciting things to play within a casino, they provide the atmosphere, the lights and the sounds. They’re fast-paced and exhilarating to play when you see the reels spinning and you’re waiting to see what lands.
Slot games started life as classic fruit machines, also referred to as one arm bandits. Then as technology advanced, so did slot games. Eventually in the 90’s with the emergence of the internet online slot games appeared. As technology became more sophisticated slot games benefited from extra reels, animations and interactive bonus rounds.
The first online licensed branded slot game was Tomb Raider. This was released back in 2004 by Microgaming. Then in 2008 Lara Croft: Secret of the Sword was released and is still one of the most played branded slot games online.
For a branded slot to come into existence there’s a lot of work in the background which has to be done first. It’s often a process which takes at least 18 months to just get to the preview stage.
First a license has to be obtained to use the brand within a slot game, which requires lengthy negotiations. The outcome usually being a buyout fee plus a ongoing lifetime percentage of earnings, this is usually in the region of 3%.
Next gameplay, graphics, sounds and animations need to be approved by the licence holder and this comes with strict requirements which the slot provider must abide too.
A preview of gameplay is created and final approval is required, then the final checks are completed.
The biggest branded slot releases of the year are unveiled at the ICE Conference taking place in February. Held in London, these conferences showcase what we can expect and provide exclusive previews.
Branded slots bring your favorite character, musician or band to live in the world of slot games. If you love playing slot games anyway, then there’s nothing better than seeing your favorite character within the theme.
You can also be sure that the slot provider has added something special to the branded slot, such as a unique bonus round or special feature, NetEnts Dracula Slot is a good example of this.
Branded Slots can also follow trends such as popular TV shows such as Nachos and Vikings.
There are a few subtle differences between branded and non-branded slot games. As mentioned above there is usually a unique special feature of bonus round but the general gameplay remains the same. The RTP can vary from slot to slot and branded slots tend to have a slightly lower RTP, anywhere from 0.5 -3% difference. But as with all slot games wins and are completely random, there’s never any guarantees.
