New Trends In Slot Development

One of the reasons we love slot games is that the rules almost never change: no matter what game you play, you always have to do the same things to win. Take a look at online slots at VulkanBet: when you line up identical symbols side by side in each game, you are entitled to a payout, and that’s all you need to know to start playing. However, with the change of the generation of players recently, we started to see new slot trends, especially in online slots. While the basic mechanics are still the same, these new trends are effective enough to completely change the gaming experience. If you are wondering what these innovations are, we have listed them all below for you.

The “Megaways” Revolution

No matter what online casino you visit these days, you will see the “Megaways” label on most of the slot games. There are even new Megaways versions of some old but popular games. Netent, for example, recently released a revamped version of the famous Gonzo’s Quest slot that uses this technology. So what exactly is Megaways, and why is it getting so much attention?

This technology was developed by Big Time Gaming, and it allows a maximum of 117,649 paylines in a slot game. The reason we say “maximum” is because this is not a fixed number. The number of pay lines on each spin is randomly determined, and the maximum it can be is 117,649. To reach such a high number, Megaways games use 6 reels, and each reel can contain 7 symbols. It is possible to reach even 586.971 lines by using more reels in bonus rounds. As can be guessed, the higher the number of lines, the higher the chances of winning. Moreover, the payouts are also very satisfying, as the winning combinations contain a large number of symbols.

Despite all these, the spin costs are not very high. You can play Megaways games with very low bet amounts like 0.20 coins. Traditionally, as the number of lines increases, the bet amounts also increase, but since Megaways games do not tie the bets to the number of lines, this is not a problem. In other words, in these games, you bet per spin, not per line, so even low budget players can try their luck. This is why slots using this feature are popular: you can win satisfying prizes without spending a fortune. We can say that the Megaways trend started in mid-2020, and we are sure it will continue in 2021.

The Hold-and-Respin Feature

We can say that this feature is at least as common as Megaways slots, it is even used in some Megaways games. This is actually quite a simple mechanic, and we have seen its simplified examples before. When a jackpot or bonus symbol appears on the screen, the player gets a free respin. In this spin, the jackpot or bonus symbol remains fixed, and only the others are re-spun. In other words, the chances of winning are increasing. Some Netent games already had this feature, but now it is used by almost all developers and triggered much more frequently. You can be sure that you will see the “hold-and-respin” feature on many slots that you will play in 2021.

The Use of AR Technology

We used to think that VR (virtual reality) technology would change the casino industry forever. We’re still thinking the same thing, but it turns out that this revolution is not going to happen as quickly as we anticipated: developers are no longer interested in VR technology. The prices of VR goggles are still very high, and no real solution has been found for physical constraints.

We believe these problems will eventually disappear, and VR technology will become widespread, but until that day, it seems that AR (augmented reality) will be the main focus of the casino industry. This technology can even work on cheap mobile phones and provides a highly immersive experience without the need for additional hardware. Turn on your camera, point it wherever you want, and reels & symbols will appear on the screen, in the real world: literally, the world becomes your playground. AR technology analyzes the image on the screen and ensures that the symbols and reels always appear in the correct positions. It also provides a more impressive image by using special effects. We think that a special category called “AR slots” will be added to online casinos in 2021: this technology is that good.