The Developer That Started the Online Casino Industry – A Microgaming Review

In 1996, the software developing company Microgaming began its journey. They not only became the first business to start offering online gambling software for the Internet, but also kick-started the iGaming industry phenomenon we all know and love. The developer is universally recognised by a number of jurisdictions and legal administrations, and its products and services are desired by both seasoned operators, and the best new casinos online. In today’s complete article, we will take an extended look at the first, and one of the best developers and providers of Internet gambling solutions – Microgaming.

The Games – A Complete Variety

It comes as no surprise that Microgaming boasts quantity, quality, and variety in their portfolio. Their list of games includes the following genres: Bingo, Casual Games, Interactive, Poker, Progressive Slots, Roulettes, Scratch Cards, Slots, Table Games, and Live Casino titles!

One of the unique traits of Microgaming’s portfolio is that the gaming themes themselves are both of original design and based on famous licensed franchises! An interesting fact to know is that in the beginning Microgaming developed their own online casino games; however, when their business grew exponentially in a short time, they acquired another company called Quickfire, which produces Microgaming’s casino titles today.

At the moment of creating this review, our manual count revealed that the entire portfolio of Microgaming contains 696 gaming titles. This number will grow, and we know that for a fact – the developer publishes six games on average per month. The number we mentioned is just for the exclusively offered games by the company; however, Microgaming’s aggregation platform hosts more than several thousand titles by other developers! Below, we have provided further insight on Microgaming’s software sections, as well as an in-depth analysis of the most popular titles in the company’s portfolio.

Everything a Slot Player Would Want

With the regular number of slots currently sitting at approximately 550 titles, this particular roster delivers an extensive variety of features, themes, and of course, reel layout types. Of course, the predominant patterns that will be 5x3, and 3x1; however, there will be “non-standard” layouts such as 3x3, 5x4, etc.. A good majority of the slots offered under the Microgaming brand, have been developed by a number of the company’s development studios. We have highlighted some of the most notable Microgaming slots below.

• “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”

  

  This licensed slot is developed in a standard 5x3 reel layout, but that’s definitely not the only thing here. By default, the game offers 243 winnings ways; however, during free spins mode, the winning ways will increase to 1,024! Players can receive 10 free spins (FS) every time they land three or more scatter symbols. The “T-1,000” terminator symbol will transform into any other character symbol, in order to provide the highest possible win! There is a random chance that a “T-800 Vision” feature will enable during a non-winning spin, which will grant not only cash prizes for any character symbol but will also trigger FS for landing a single scatter symbol!

• “Pollen Party”

  

  When it comes to bee-themed slots, this one stands out among the rest not only because it offers 720 winnings ways, but because it has a 5x3x4x5x4x3 reel layout. The slot has regular, wilds, and scatter symbols. Among the bonus features, are the free spins bonus game, a “Babee” bonus game, and a “Paytable Achievements” feature. The RTP of Pollen Party is 96.82%. Landing three or more “bonus” symbols will trigger the bonus game where players will have the chance to score a significant prize.

• “Halloween”

  

  Based on another popular franchise, this “horror slot” uses a 5x3 reel layout by default, but it changes the number of three random reels during the course of the main game. A random bonus feature can be triggered every time, giving the player access to a “prize wheel” mini-game, that grants either win multipliers or access to a prize-picking feature. This slot has 50 paylines, free spins, and an RTP rate of 96.01%.

• “Playboy Gold”

  

  Modelled after the famous magazine brand, this “raunchy” slot isn’t just visually revealing. Featuring a unique 6x10 pattern, this game has 100 winning lines, and a number of interesting features. The first one is the “giant symbols” that will span in a 4x6 grid. If any of the giant symbols are landed in “full view”, they will grant one of these three extras: an up to x5 win multiplier, a credit prize of up to x30 of the player’s bet, or up to four respins. Playboy Gold has an RTP of 96%, and also features additional bonuses that are triggered throughout the game!

• “Arctic Magic”

  

  This original slot brings polar lights and spirit animals together, in a 5x3 reel pattern. Although it has only nine pay lines, this game does provide a number of interesting features. The first one is the free spins that can be activated by landing three or more scatter symbols, and can be retriggered! The most notable bonus feature, however, is that if a player lands a winning combination that has at least one wild symbol, the winnings will be doubled! The RTP of Arctic Magic is 96.10%.

The Table Games Are Also Exceptional

Featuring approximately 50 table titles, operators and fans interested in this Microgaming section will discover the following genres - craps, poker, roulette, and baccarat. There are many variants for each game type, that are bound to appeal to even the pickiest table game players. Just like with the slots, the table games were developed with the assistance of Microgaming’s proprietary studios. Make no mistake, all of those gaming titles are exclusive for Microgaming’s platform, and cannot be found anywhere else. We have discussed some of the most prominent ones below.

• “Vegas Single Desk Blackjack”

  

  Designed in the “minimalist style”, this game’s interface barely has any visual elements! Its simplicity is also transcribed into its available betting odds. These are the only hand combinations along with their payout odds: Blackjack 3:1, Standard Win 1:1, and Insurance Win 2:1.

• “Baccarat”

  

  Done in the same “less is more” visual style as the previously mentioned game, this Baccarat title has five types of bets – Banker, Player, Tie, Banker Pair, and Player Pair. The classic “banker and player” bets will have a payout of 1:1; however, winning banker bets will deduct a “less than 5%” commission fee. Successful tie bets will payout 8:1, and any of the pair bets – 11:1.

Interactive and Casual Titles

Some of the Microgaming titles found in these sections may remind players of some well-known genres, while others will have a completely new and innovative genre of their own. Among the currently 12 available games, players and operators will discover a multitude of new ways to gamble online. We have described the most impressive examples right here.

• “Triangulation”

  

  Is an interesting take on the scratch-slot-lotto genre. Each “play” draws a new grid of coloured triangles. When four of them match in direct proximity, they will provide a multiplier payout based on their mutual colour. Just like in the slot genre, Triangulation has sort of “free spins” called “triangle swaps”. When a winning combination is landed, it will disappear and be “swapped” for other triangles; if any “special” symbols remain, then the player would receive three “free swaps”. The red coloured triangle is also a wild symbol that will substitute all other colours!

• “Spingo”

  

  A hybrid mix between roulette and bingo, this casual game features almost the same bet layout found in classic roulette; however, it does have a little twist. Players will be able to bet on colours, evens, odds, 1 – 5, 6 – 10, individual number groups and of course single numbers. The interesting factor here is that the wheel itself contains only coloured pockets – the numbers will come from the balls themselves. While the payout odds are somewhat similar to those of real roulette (even bets pay 2:1), single numbered bets would pay 32:1 ( as opposed to the “35:1” in Roulette).

• “Max Damage”

  

  When it comes to successful “genre-hybridisation”, Max Damage is one of Microgaming’s prime examples. This plane-shooter game relies on the player shooting down UFOs to score monetary prizes. A player chooses a bet amount, and starts shooting; every time an object is destroyed, a wager will be resolved. Just like in the spirit of classic aerial shooters, this game also has features such as powerups, upgrades, and boosters, which not only elevate the gameplay itself but also increase the chance for getting bigger payouts.

The Live Games of Microgaming Offer Bespoke Solutions

At the beginning of its lifecycle as a business, Microgaming was better known for its RNG solutions, rather than its live games. This all changed with the company’s partnership with the live studio developer and provider LiveG24. Today, both operators and players can experience four distinctive gaming genres in “live dealer mode” – Roulette, Blackjack, Baccarat, and Magic Card. The most live dealer variations are found within the Roulette section, followed by Baccarat, and all others. You can learn more about the most notable live casino gaming examples below:

• “Chroma Key Roulette”

  

  Considered to be the most customisable game variant in the entire live dealer portfolio of LiveG24, this version of the game offers operators the chance to fully modify the background of the studio set so that it will fit their brand identity better. Chroma Key Roulette adheres to the “European standard” ruleset.

• “Perla Baccarat”

  

  What makes Perla Baccarat stand out from all other versions of the genre, is its land-based casino stream! Directly from the Hit Perla Casino in Slovenia, this Baccarat version allows full functionality, with double the satisfaction experience, as players from home will be able to place bets right alongside those who are present on the actual casino floor.

• “Live Magic Card”

  

  This simple card game is somewhat reminiscent of “casino war”, but it does have a unique feature – a win multiplier. The objective of the game is to guess which one of the two sides will have a higher value card – the left or the right. Players can wager on either one or even place a “tie bet”. The first card that is drawn for either of the sides will be the “magic card”, which will have win multiplier.

Licensed, Certified, and Highly Awarded

Although Microgaming’s software is legally recognised in many jurisdictions, perhaps the two most notable licenses come from the leaders of the regulatory world of gambling – the United Kingdom Gambling Commission and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/B2B/139/2007 | MGA/B2B/124/2006 | MGA/B2B/235/2013). As a business based in the Isle of Man, Microgaming is also an esteemed member of the Manx eGaming Association. Furthermore, Microgaming is also a highly awarded business – some of the industry events that have issued a “first place accolade” to the developer, are the Global Gaming Awards, the EGR B2B Awards, the GA, the HR Excellence Awards, the Malta Gaming Awards, ICE, and others.

How Well Do the Games Run on Smartphones?

Whether it’s a smartphone or a tablet running on iOS or Android, every mobile device will run the bulk of Microgaming’s titles. Although most of the developer’s games are made on HTML5, the majority of titles produced by Microgaming before 2010, are made on the software development platform Flash. Many of you might have heard this, but Flash is highly incompatible with mobile operating systems. On the flip side, however, Microgaming’s proprietary studios are reworking some of the old “player favourites”, and making them into a format that would be supported by all devices.

More Than Reality – VR Online Gambling

2006 was the year that Microgaming decided to step into the future, and incorporate the famous Oculus Rift virtual reality system into their iGaming solutions. Focusing specifically on roulette genre, Microgaming continues to work on the virtual reality niche of iGaming, although for now it is considered to be quite an exclusive one, due to the fact that the hardware itself costs quite a lot.

Some Interesting Facts about Microgaming

Microgaming is probably the only iGaming software developer that is confirmed by the Guinness World Book of Records. In 2015, they were credited by the association for creating the slot game that paid the biggest online casino win ever. The amount was close to €18 million, and it came from Microgaming’s very own slot game Megamoolah!

The company’s successful portfolio is considered to be a “mutual effort” - although we did mention that Microgaming owns the developing studio Quickfire, it isn’t the only one. Other proprietary creators of casino software which are exclusively distributed under the Microgaming brand, are Triple Edge Studios, Crazy Tooth Studio,Gameburger Studios , Snowborn, All41 Studios, Stormcraft Studios, Just for the Win Studios, and others.

News about the Company and Additional Information Portals

As expected, Microgaming has an extensive press release page on their official website, where they detail everything that is going on with them. People can read countless articles regarding the developer’s latest business achievements, their newest gaming releases or most recent partnership deals. The company also upkeeps social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn, where they post interesting information almost daily.

How Does Microgaming Compare to Others in the Industry?

A small company should be compared to others by their biggest strength; however, a large company should always be measured against the competition based on their “weakest link”. With that being said, if we are to compare revenues, Microgaming is among the top six iGaming developers in the industry; however, if we are to compare them by the number of RNG roulette casino games, they can fall short even behind gaming developers that are a thousand times smaller than them. When it comes to competition, Microgaming is definitely one of the leading iGaming software developers.

A Socially Responsible and Charitable Company

Microgaming is an iGaming business that is not only associated with a number of gambling awareness charities, but also hosts its own charity program called “Play It Forward”. It was launched in 2014, with the intention of providing socially challenged communities with either information exposure or financial assistance. Since Microgaming established its charity, they had donated close to €2 million over the course of six years. The company continues its charitable activity to this day.

Renowned Business Partners and Popular Clients

More than 450 brands worldwide are utilising Microgaming’s products and services. Some of the most renowned brands partnered with the company, are Evolution Gaming, EyeCon, Stake Logic, Spin Play Games, Neko Games, GVC Group, Alchemy Gaming, Mansion, 32Red Casino, and so many others. We should note that Microgaming always has a firm grasp on its business relations, and is not afraid to sign up with another company if a specific partner isn’t adhering to the developer’s standards for quality.

Microgaming Is Improving Every Day

The company continues to sign new business deals with numerous companies, and release new online casino games even today. As a developer, publisher, and aggregator that is considered to be “the best”, Microgaming is a business that doesn’t “rest on its laurels”, and continues to re-invent itself. We are looking forward to seeing what new content Microgaming will release, and if they will break more iGaming records in the future!