Slot game developers draw inspiration from all sorts of weird and wonderful ideas. While some have been notable failures and failed to grab an audience, others have proved to be hits.
Today’s focus is on the influence of films on slot gaming. Given that there are so many different examples, both good and bad, we’re going to deep-dive into this influence to see how slot machines have been influenced by films over the last few decades, and how the future of this small but relatively popular area of the slot gaming world might look a decade or two from now.
The longevity of film-based slot ideas
Films provide more scope than other genres. For instance, if a developer designs a classic fruit game with oranges, grapes, and liberty bells as the main symbols, there is only really a certain number of these games that can be made before they start to saturate the market.
With film, this landscape changes each year, and the latest films, especially action films that become hits, are always a target for slot gaming companies looking to cash in on their popularity, so out of all the themes within slot gaming, it could have the most scope for growth over the next decade.
What do the experts say?
Those experts who have been reviewing slot games and exploring the industry for several years have had to deal with all sorts of wild and intriguing design ideas. Although reviewers won’t base their entire review on how creative an idea is, it does play a factor, especially if it’s a game that has been able to find an audience and influence similar games. Online slot reviews factor in the range of a gaming library, the quality of a jackpot, the size of the developer behind it, bonus features, and the ingenuity of the gaming mechanics. It’s a much bigger jigsaw puzzle rather than just one factor being the driving force behind the quality of a game.
Notable film ideas that have crossover appeal
Over the last couple of decades, hundreds of slot games have been influenced by movies and TV. These films often feature fast-paced, high-octane stories, characters, plots, action and thrillers, rather than romcoms and cartoons. However, there have also been attempts to move into those genres, too, although not with great success.
Action and thrillers are the genres of films that have seen the most success. Some films will sell their copyright or partial rights so slot gaming companies can use their image rights. This can range from games simply having the title name, font and a handful of characters to full-blown game designs that include multiple films from the franchise, if applicable, as well as the soundtrack and even image rights for the main character.
The obvious example is the 007 slot game, which has a progressive jackpot and a huge presence in some land-based venues. There’s a crossover here where slot gaming developers want to bring this land-based success into the online world.
While it might not have grabbed the audience in the same way the double-screened 007 slot does, which features cut scenes from Casino Royale, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and several other Bond classics, it shows just how influential film ideas can be in slot gaming, especially when they are correctly implemented.
Casino Royale (EON Productions 2006)
Where does the crossover appeal come from?
Slot gaming companies want to instill the same feeling we get from action films into their slot designs. Something high-octane or fast-paced is more likely to have us sitting up and taking notice.
However, if it’s a film we have seen or a famous character from a group of films we enjoy, such as 007, as we touched on in the last section, then the familiarity also adds extra weight to the interest we show in the slot.
While this might not be true of all TV ideas, James Bond is one of the most recognisable and enduring characters in the history of action films and, arguably, 20th-century fiction. Now that Amazon has bought the rights to the movies, it’ll be intriguing to see the direction in which Ian Fleming’s iconic character moves.
The 007 slot games that have emerged in recent years speak to the commodification of Bond, which has also led to video games, including the iconic GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. So, there is an argument that these film-based ideas have also been influenced by successful video game adaptations that occurred before online slots became such an enormous part of the casino gaming world.
Other notable slot games influenced by film
Some of the biggest films of the last 50 years have been turned into slot gaming ideas. Few have been able to match the popularity and longevity of the 007 slot, but some notable ones include:
- The Godfather
- Jurassic Park
- The Dark Knight
- Gladiator
- Star Wars
- Lord of the Rings
- King Kong
As you will note, although these films span a number of different themes, they are all action-packed. The popularity of movies and the fandom they evoke are the two main reasons why so many slot gaming developers and casino platforms have explored this idea in such depth.
Conclusion
When we combine all of these factors, it becomes clear how influential films have become in slot gaming and the broader gaming industry. Those providers that are able to channel this could have a highly profitable plan on their hands.
Slot gaming developers face challenges when trying to obtain copyright and naming rights. The main issue is funding, and smaller developers do not have the funding or capital to obtain these rights.
This is why you will often see those games influenced by film have also been designed by some of the most prominent names in the slot gaming world. It’s the same in video gaming, though; providers with the capital and presence will get the naming rights to some of the top movies. However, as long as slot games inspired by films continue to find an audience, there will be no shortage of developers and casino platforms looking to explore this genre.
