Top 5 Online Casino Game Developers

Online casinos are booming business. Worldwide legislation changes coupled with the corona pandemic have spurred on an already growing industry to a multi-billion dollar industry. While casinos have always been a guarantee for money (on the business end) and entertainment, online casinos have revamped the casino experience. 

Game developers are at the heart of these changes. In a decade or so, they’ve changed roulette into a high risk / high reward game with 500x bet wins. Slots have undergone just as much of a change, with countless features, multi-million dollar jackpots, and sometimes 117,649 win lines. 

In this article, we’ll highlight the five developers behind all these changes and give you the names that brought you a new live casino experience and the world’s best online slots. 

 

NetEnt  

Developer NetEnt will forever be the developer behind some of the most popular slots ever: Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, and Twin Spin are some of the names that revolutionized the industry and normalized features still seen in slots. NetEnt saw its heyday around 2013, when every single slot turned to gold. Increased competition (and a slower publishing pace) means NetEnt is no longer the unchallenged king of the hill, but it still reigns the casinos. 

Evolution

Evolution is the only developer in this list without any slots. Instead, Evolution is market leader in live casino games; classical table games streamed by live video. Live casino games take up around 20% of the total online gambling market, and Evolution is sitting front and center. Its innovations have led to revolutionary new ways of playing roulette, and its competition is scrambling to copy Evolution’s most successful games. 

No Limit City

No Limit City is arguably the most controversial entry in this list, in many regards. If Quentin Tarantino made slots, they’d look like No Limit City’s portfolio. These slots are crass, offensive, and over the top. No Limit City’s most notorious game, San Quentin, features California’s most famous death row. It offers a staggering maximum win of 150,000x bet value and offers players to buy the bonus round for up to 2,000x bet value. These slots aren’t for everyone, but they are shaping the industry for better or worse.  

 

Play ‘n Go

If NetEnt and Microgaming are the big names from days past, Play ‘n Go is the current top contender for the crown. Its Book of Dead (itself a copy) is the most played slot in many countries. Play ‘n Go publishes a new slot every week. Without exception, these slots make it to the top of the charts, even if just for a little while. They’re always designed well, offer a great balance in play, and often have innovative features, too. 

Honorable mention: Microgaming

Microgaming is somewhat related to NetEnt. Its heyday was also nearly a decade ago, but Microgaming rolled further down that royal hill we mentioned. Nowadays, Microgaming uses small studios to churn out an endless stream of copycats. Nevertheless, Microgaming deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. Its progressive jackpot slot Mega Moolah keeps breaking records, regularly paying out wins approaching $20 million. 

Honorable mention: Big Time Gaming

Big Time Gaming is the one developer that both shaped the industry and never really made a mark. Their innovative play mechanism Megaways, which allows for different win lines at every spin, has been copied and licensed by nearly every developer. Big Time Gaming creates its own slots, too, but they’ll forever be remembered for introducing the Megaways. 

 

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