Disney announced last year that they would be phasing out the Star Wars and Marvel casino slots in the USA, but more and more movie franchises are licensing slot games. We consider what the motivations for this increase could be and where slots fans could look for alternatives.
Plenty of other Movie-Themed Slots Available
When Disney bought the rights to Star Wars from production company LucasFilm in October 2012 and Marvel three years earlier, few fans would have expected it to have an impact on the availability of their favourite slots. Just over a year ago, however, the entertainment giant made public their plan to pull the plug on licences to use their movies as slot themes in the USA. Now, with licenses expiring and not being renewed by Disney, favourite casino games featuring Spider Man, Green Goblin, Iron Man and The Avengers are being phased out. But fear not, there are still plenty of exceptional movie-themed real money games available to enjoy in Microgaming Online Casinos. In the next section we will give you a flavour of some of the best games available and you can play all these casino games here.
What are the Alternatives?
In no particular order, our favourite movie-themed online slots that fall outside of the Disney family are:
- Aliens
- The Dark Knight Rises
- The Godfather “My Daughter’s Wedding”
- Grease
- Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Image by: alvarezperea
From Aliens to Bill and Ted
There are hundreds of online slots available but we appreciate that many punters enjoy playing a game that uses their favourite film characters to create a story. In this respect the Aliens slot is amongst the best available, combining outstanding 3D graphics and presentation with the ability for players to move through levels as they progress in completing their mission. Aliens only offers 15 paylines, however, so for those looking for increased chances to win, we recommend the Dark Knight Rises and the Godfather “My Daughter’s Wedding” slots which both offer a staggering 243 ways to win. For musical fans, the Grease-themed slot created by Bally is a must, offering an impressive reported overall hit frequency of over 54%. Lastly, perhaps our favourite, is the Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure slot which, is ideal for beginners and provides a great reflection of the film’s main characters in being simple but lovable and great fun.
Image by: Patrick McEvoy-Halston
Advantages for Producers
Given the nature of the majority of the films produced by Disney over the years, it is perhaps unsurprising that they should seek to maintain their family-friendly image but, in taking the decision to phase out the Star Wars and Marvel slots, they could potentially be missing out on huge opportunities. If online slot games are well designed, fun to play and show a direct translation from the movie to the game, they can be an invaluable marketing tool for producers, drawing new fans into their movies, as well as attracting significant licensing revenue from developers.
Why Online Slots?
Players enjoy the convenience of online slots, the possibility of sign-up slot bonuses, the knowledge that they are in with a shout of hitting a big jackpot and of course the ever-developing themes of the games. For these reasons more and more players are being attracted to online slots; it can only become a more lucrative market for movie producers to be associated with.