NetEnt — looking at an iGaming software industry leader

What does it really take to become an industry leader in software development for the iGaming world? Hundreds of games? Billions of transactions processed? Number of vendors using your product for decades? We firmly believe that this is the benchmark. So, if these kinds of numbers resonate with you, then we feel positive that you will want to consider using NetEnt games for your online casino enterprise. Read on to learn more about why you should be paying attention to NetEnt and also our seven favorite games that they create.

Who is NetEnt?

NetEnt is an international iGaming software development company headquartered in Europe. Having created around 200 games over the last two decades, NetEnt is no stranger when it comes to creating incredible iGaming slot software. For prospective online casino or iGaming business owners, it would be a wise move indeed to consider using NetEnt’s games for your enterprise. The reasons are simple.

Formed in 1996, NetEnt has thousands of talented employees and multiple offices located around the world. With more than 200 active vendors worldwide already using their famous games, NetEnt is considered to be one of the best iGaming software developers in the industry.

NetEnt’s focus is mainly on creating incredibly-playable slot games, using both original storylines and adapted games. They strike the balance just right and offer a good amount of both styles. It’s well known that NetEnt has produced some truly iconic adaptations such as the “Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot” game, which puts a new spin* on the original arcade smash that many will know and love. Their portfolio includes a lot of other top titles and household names such as Guns n’ Roses, Narcos, Jumanji, and the list goes on and on.

*Pun intended!

With such interesting and original creations, it’s no wonder that in the iGaming world, NetEnt is considered to be one of the best software developers for vendors to partner with. Even just cruising around the company’s website, you can tell that they’re experts at what they do. Each game they have produced has obviously received countless hours of attention during its creation. For these reasons we thoroughly recommend that you consider partnering with them for your iGaming software needs.

Their games are extremely popular across the world and very well recognized once you know their style. Their graphic aesthetic is a mixture of both new and retro arcade styling, something which you will notice once you take a wider look at all their games.

NetEnt focuses its playability on a high Return-to-Player value, a strategy, which is known to increase a player’s lifetime value. When you blend this with hugely popular games, jackpots, tournaments, back office solution, promo features, along with multiple currencies and languages supported; you’re guaranteed success!

Unique features that NetEnt offers

Pooled jackpots

One of the greatest tools in the iGaming industry has to be pooled jackpot games. Every operator knows this. Players just love them.

NetEnt’s pooled jackpot games comprise of four titles: Mega Fortune, Hall of Gods, Arabian Nights, and Mega Fortune Dreams, all of which are extremely popular around the world.

In fact, the pooled jackpot favorite, Mega Fortune, was once featured in the Guinness World Records for breaking the record of an online slot game payout which consisted of €17.86 million! The same game also broke a world record in 2015 with a mobile online slot game payout of €8.6 million.

The best part about offering pooled jackpots is that they come with absolutely no risk whatsoever. The progressive jackpots are built up by player contributions, which are collected from the players’ bets. It’s from across the entire network of casinos running our jackpot games that ensures the big win is always attractive. Our partners don’t need to worry about any jackpot administration — this is taken care of by us.

Branded games

Branded games are typically games that partner with multinational mega-brands in order to increase player interest and trust. In particular, branded games give you a lot more leverage to acquire new players, especially those who may not be so familiar with playing slot games but know the brand on offer.

NetEnt is a developer in particular who has made huge efforts to partner with unique brands and form some incredible collaborations. For example, partnerships with Columbia Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures, have allowed NetEnt to create some really interesting branded games.

Business intelligence

NetEnt collects a lot of data on player usage and demographics. This can be really helpful when deciding to choose, which games you want to offer to specific markets.

NetEnt is known for producing quarterly network benchmark reports, game performance updates, along with demographic and ratio statistics. This is all insightful data that you can use to create a more effective business and marketing strategy for your online casino enterprise.

Business intelligence should always be seen as an integral part of your casino’s operation and the key to building profits through informed decisions. Understanding your players’ needs, their interests, and the jurisdictions, in which you operate, is valuable knowledge that can have a huge impact on your casino’s results and profitability.

One useful KPI metric that NetEnt offers is ‘device detection’ information. With this data you can see how well different games are performing on different devices, as well as location and date. This info can really help with scheduling promotions and offers in accordance with your players’ preferences.

Regulated markets

With so many different jurisdictions and regulated markets in iGaming, it can be helpful to work with a software provider who already has a presence in these markets.

In particular, NetEnt was one of the first casino providers to enter the regulated Italian market in 2011. NetEnt adapted its systems for entry into Denmark in 2012, and went live in Spain on the same day that the regulators granted licenses back in 2015. They also have experience in working in the UK, New Jersey, Romania, Portugal, and The Czech Republic.

Entering new markets is an important growth area for any online casino operator, so it makes sense to use software that has already been approved for use in those specific markets.

NetEnt’s top seven slot games

We have compiled a list of our top seven favorite slot games currently available from NetEnt. So enjoy!

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot

Round one...fight!

Take a nostalgic trip back down memory lane to 1991 and revisit one of the world’s most legendary arcade games! NetEnt’s Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot is not just a “themed slot game” but a real adaptation of an arcade classic. Hidden bonus features built into the game allow you to control the character just like in the original. Remember the part in the game where Ryu smashes up a car? That’s in there too.

For those not in the know, Street Fighter II is considered one of the greatest arcade fighting games of all time. After becoming a sensation in the arcades, the game soon found its way into millions of homes across the world as it was released on both the Nintendo SNES and the Sega Genesis consoles. Now fans can relive the fun and enjoy some slot action with this brilliant adaptation.

Stats:

RTP: 96.06%

Volatility: mid/high

Gonzo’s Quest

Join Spanish explorer, “Gonzo” as you search for the lost golden city of El Dorado and its many hidden treasures. With incredibly rendered graphics, smooth animations, and exciting RTP features firmly position Gonzo’s Quest as one of the world’s favorite online slots!

As a game, Gonzo’s Quest is simple enough to play, and this perhaps is one of the reasons for its popularity. The game is set on a 5×3 grid against the backdrop of an ancient Incan city. As players hit spin, the reels, filled with various colorful stone masks, burst into life. Stone blocks come tumbling down and the grid refreshes, leading to new wins. Twenty fixed paylines are available, and the player will need to land at least three of the matching masks across one of these to pick up a win.

One of the main features of Gonzo’s Quest is the avalanche reels feature. The avalanche consists of symbols that cascade down the screen like tumbling rocks. When there is a winning combination on a payline, the symbols explode and they are replaced by other falling symbols. The more winning bet lines you get, the more avalanches can occur. Each avalanche also increases the multiplier by one. This win multiplier keeps increasing with each successive avalanche up to a maximum of 5x. A non-winning spin will reset the multiplier, and the player will need to land more avalanche wins to increase it again. As you can probably tell, this game is highly immersive and really retains players.

Gaming stats:

RTP: 95.97%

Volatility: mid/high

Twin Spin

Ahhh, good ol’ Twin Spin. There’s something about classics like this that you just can’t beat. Whether it’s that vintage Las Vegas aesthetic, the smooth funky jazz sound effects, or the unique bonus features, Twin Spin really does have it all. We’ve listed it as our third favorite game because it really does tick all the boxes for us when it comes to a classic slot game that works seamlessly on a mobile device.

As a slot, Twin Spin sets itself apart from conventional classics because of its unique reel-synchronizing characteristics. Unlike most five-reel slots, the game has no scatter symbol, separate bonus games, or free spins to unlock. However, the autoplay option favors players in that they can spin between 10 and 1,000 turns.

Before hitting spin, players can choose how much to bet per spin, from as low as Є0.28 to all the way up to Є138.

Featuring twelve symbols in total, the options consist of the typical card royals from A-9 each with their own neo colour. Then there are the higher paying symbols, made up of cherries, bells, BARs, lucky 7s, and diamonds. Finally, there’s the wild that will substitute for any other symbol in the game. As you can imagine, this dramatically multiplies your chances of winning and keeps players entertained for hours and hours.

Gaming stats:

RTP: 96.55%

Volatility: mid/high

Divine Fortune

And coming in at fourth place we have Divine Fortune!

This game really is a fun, playable, classic slot that’s been optimized for both iOS and Android. Divine Fortune transports you back to a mythical era with its Ancient Greek aesthetic and ambient sound effects. This game has a big cult following as a lot of players really appreciate the bonuses and jackpots that are available. Small wins can soon escalate into huge ones, a fact which always keeps players coming back for more.

With 5 reels, 3 rows, and 20 paylines, the game may at first seem pretty standard. However, the secret to Divine Fortune’s success resides in its in-game features, including Wild substitutions, Falling Wilds Re-Spins, a Wild-on-Wild feature, and Free Spins.

In addition to this, there is also a legendary Jackpot Bonus game that offers three different jackpots including a progressive Mega Jackpot! Cascading golden coins, excitement, entertainment, and thrills aplenty. Divine Fortune is an all-time classic and is known for being one of those online slots allowing regular huge wins.

Gaming stats:

RTP: 96.59%

Volatility: mid/high

Dazzle Me

An extremely fun game that provides an unforgettable experience with glittering gems adorning radiant reels. It almost has a Candy Crush vibe to it with its bright, colorful aesthetics.

A high RTP but low volatility fill the niche of players who want to play for a long time and garner incremental winnings. That being said, there’s still plenty of wild reels and free spins. A really fun, smooth game that works seamlessly on mobile devices. One of the first things you’ll notice about the game is that the reels have an unusual shape. Rather than running a standard format, it uses a 3-3-4-4-5 shape to make things more interesting for the player.

Once a player starts spinning, he or she will be looking to land three or more matching symbols from the left to the right. Standard symbols are four different coloured gems and there are also two high paying symbols, the bell and the lucky 7. These two are special in that they’ll both payout for just two on a line.

Dazzle Me slot is one of the most unique looking games you’ll come across. While it may use the symbols of a classic fruit machine slot, there are also plenty of interesting features that set this game apart from others.

Gaming stats:

RTP: 96.9%

Volatility: low

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk. A classic fairytale story that describes the adventures of a young boy named Jack and his quest to become wealthy from climbing a huge beanstalk.

This enchanting slot offers majestic features, mesmerizing audio, and stunningly rendered characters. Like a lot of NetEnt’s creations, the character animations are on point and are reminiscent of something you would see in a Pixar movie.

You start the adventure with a simple 5 reel window and 20 betlines, but that is just the beginning of the story. As Jack moves on and discovers giants, you will, in turn, come across giant-sized features including Walking Wilds, Re-Spins, Free Spins, Win Presentations, and a bonus Treasure Collection game.

As Jack races up the beanstalk, you can pick up keys to discover additional types of Wilds and be rewarded with Free Spin bonus games. The game allows a minimum bet of €0.22 and a maximum bet of €110.

With a high RTP of over 96% and high volatility, players are sure to enjoy an amazing experience and get a good return for their time and money.

Gaming stats:

RTP: 96.28%

Volatility: high

Dead or Alive 2

In seventh place and our final pick, we have the infamous, Dead or Alive 2!

This game is a sequel that absolutely lives up to the original, being known as one of the most iconic slot games ever created. NetEnt have clearly set out to capture the essence of the first game but to also offer something fresh and upgraded.

Part of what makes this game so fun is that the coin value you choose will always be multiplied by nine (because there are nine paylines active at all times) and then multiplied by the bet level you’ve selected, to determine your total bet per spin. Once all the settings have been adjusted to your preference, you’re ready to start spinning the reels. Simply press the play button to spin the reels, or select Autoplay to allow the reels to spin continuously on their own, up to 1,000 times. Once you land a sequence of three or more matching symbols along one of the 9 bet lines you will win!

One of the best things about this game is the free spins which have a seriously amazing win potential as it’s possible to hit over 100,000 times the original bet!

Gaming stats:

RTP: 96.82%

Volatility: high

To summarize, NetEnt is one of our favourite software developers. Their long history, combined with such a wide variety of both pooled jackpot games and household-name branded game collaborations, really does set a high benchmark in the iGaming industry.