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NetEnt Slots:The Rise and the Fall

Throughout the 2010s NetEnt slots provided the best and richest machines on the planet. The Swedish company could happily claim to be the premier designer of these gaming machines, with many developer awards under their belt. And yet, that all seems so long ago. Though they still offer very large jackpots, the name has been slowly falling in stature to the point that they have all but fallen off the map completely. How can they have gone from being industry favorites to a mere shadow of their former selves? Let's have a deep dive into NetEnt and their ever-shrinking base.

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NetEnt Jackpots Used to be Record Setters

NetEnt are one of the pioneering internet gambling developer companies having started way back in 1996. It took them a while to find their footing, but by the 2000’s they were routinely knocking out online slots that were both game changes and set the benchmark for other developers very high. In fact NetEnt slots games would become almost iconic in stature and included the renowned title, Mega Fortune, which quickly became their signature jackpot game. This was a wealth themed slot that featured three different progressive payouts. But the top prize was the “Mega” jackpot. After triggering the bonus, you’ll have a shot at it. In 2011, it delivered a record payment to an anonymous Norwegian player who managed to hit a €11,735,446 payout. Then in 2013, Mega Fortune hit the headlines again after it paid out a staggering €17,860,868 to an anonymous Finnish gambler.

At the time this amount was yet another record. of course, other developers have also paid out some massive prizes including:

€8,635,872 through Arabian Nights in November 2012
€8,577,104 through Mega Fortune in November 2015
€7,820,888 through Hall of Gods in April 2015

But next to Microgaming, NetEnt has the record for delivering the biggest prizes in the world of progressive jackpots in online gaming. Tough they are bets known for Mega Fortune, we shouldn’t forget their other big titles like Arabian Nights and Hal of Gods.

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What Is the Current State of NetEnt Jackpots?

Cue the sad violin music. NetEnt’s jackpots of today are but mere shadows of their former selves. A of writing, Mega Fortune Dreams is their halo title, yet the jackpot is only worth €1,521,931. Hall of Gods has a top prize of €1,264,903 at this time. And you original Mega Fortune we hear you ask? ell, the top payout has tumbled to just €323,588. The slot Arabian nights isn’t doing much better with it’s biggest payout set at €363,254.

To be fair, if you won any of these prizes you’d be a very happy punter. But the figures don’t lie and it’s impossible to see anything but a fading program of progressive slots.

Reasons Why NetEnt Slots Jackpots Aren’t As Big Now

There’s no one overarching reason for the demise of NetEnt’s fortunes. But rather a catalog of smaller reasons that all have played their part in the companies dwindling progressive fortunes. Let’s break them down one by one…

They’re No Longer the Hottest Developer

In the beginning they were practically untouchable. Just to think that they invented the “cascading reels” system. This allows symbols to be dropped and replaced by other icons. You’ll find them all over the industry today. Along with this they were also pioneers of 3D graphics. But over the years we feel they’ve taken their eye off the ball, so to speak. unfortunately, NetEnt no longer set the gaming world alight as they once did. Don’t get us wrong, we still think that their games are entertaining and have visual appeal. But other developers who were once snapping at their heels, now appear to have overtaken them. New and interesting releases are coming out of Red Tiger, Blueprint Gaming and Big Time Gaming. And they’re certainly drawing attention to themselves.

Many Gamblers Look for Features over Huge Progressive Prizes

We’re not for a minute suggesting that the era of progressive jackpots is over. It’s certainly not, as Microgaming’s Mega Moolah can prove with it’s headlining prize of over €16 million. But the harsh truth is that gamblers are no longer fixated on just the huge prizes. NetEnt’s bread and butter are those five-reel, three-row slots, which are now considered more than a little passe within the industry and certainly with players. The thing is that gamblers want slots to be more like Megaways games, which offer many different ways of winning. The appeal is the sheer number of winning possibilities. The winning prize is still worth 20,000 x their initial stake. But they also have around 117,649 other winning ways open to them with unlimited multipliers.

The modern gambler wants more action to take place within each round. Not just spinning the wheels endlessly hoping to drop the big one.

NetEnt Has Yet to Recapture Their Mega Millions’ Glory

In the fast-moving world of online gaming, most companies will experience a golden age. This is a time when everything was new and fresh. Then other companies come along, and suddenly your spending as much time fighting for your gaming space as you do developing new titles. For NetEnt slots, this was the years from 2011 to 2015. Every new release from them during this period was a huge global event for the gaming industry. Of course they still can draw a crowd with their new releases. But other developers are dropping better and more stimulating efforts.

Does NetEnt Slots Still Have a Bright Future in Gaming?

In truth NetEnt slots have only been out of the top spot since 2015. But that’s an awful lot of development time for their competition. We feel that they have been slowly getting further and further behind. They seemed to have had so many eggs in the one basket of their Mega Fortune slots that when the spotlight moved away, they were left with nothing to impress us with. It’s a shame, but one cannot help but get the impression that their glory days are over. You only have to think back to before the days of NetEnt, when Microgaming was the hot property to see the ebb and flow of gaming favorites. Though Microgaming is still a relevant force within the industry, to take a look at them now is to peek into the future of what awaits NetEnt.

We don’t see NetEnt slots ever regaining the crown of top or even hot producer any time soon, if ever. But that doesn’t mean that they are all washed up and done. Far from it. They still have a number of very popular slots on their books, along with exclusive deals with land-based casinos. In fact you’ll always find a “Gonzo’s Quest” or “Starburst” at any casino you care to name. Being able to get a firm foothold into the American market has helped them. The slot “Divine Fortune” is probably the most played slot in the whole of New Jersey. Having brand approval in the US has helped them, along with their stand out graphics and fun bonuses. Other US approved brands like Ainsworth, International Gaming Technology, and High5 Gaming, are some ways behind at the online jackpot sites.

Conclusion: NetEnt Slots

Once upon a time, NetEnt slots were up in the heady height of the best of the best within the online gaming industry. They could offer the biggest progressive jackpots along with innovative slots and games. But now they have, Icarus like, fallen back down to earth, a mere shell of their former selves. It appears that they were slow to recognize the direction the player market was taking. Players now demand more than just huge prizes. They want an overall better gambling experience. And something similar to the gaming consoles they play on at home. As we don’t see the company changing direction any time soon, we feel that it’s better for everyone to remember them in their glory days, sitting atop of Mount Olympus, when all bowed to their mighty industry ruler.