Microgaming is an industry-leading provider of online casino gaming software. Having been around for more than twenty years, the software giant is known as pioneers in the online casino world and thrive as a result of their creativity, innovation and entertaining creations. Microgaming casinos have over 500 unique online casino games and provide a fun, safe and user-friendly environment for players.
With a wide variety of games to choose from and more additions every month, players are constantly presented with fresh new gaming titles. Moreover, Microgaming casinos have more options than anyone other contender within the iGaming industry in terms of variety. What has given this software development company its extra edge, is its creation of interesting games, particularly within the licensed video game and film themed games vertical. Interesting developments resulted in slot games such as Batman, Game of Thrones and Jurassic Park and the Lord of the Rings. It is without a doubt that their knack for obtaining film license rights and transforming them into casino games sets them games apart from the rest.
Players enjoy the simplicity and familiarity of these games and creating these themes adds to the overall gameplay experience. Knowing this, Microgaming studios has made agreements with production houses such as Universal and Disney to allow players to experience just that. This allows them to make use of film and video game themes along with authentic content implemented in its games. Using films as themes means players may start off as more engaged in a particularly theme with less convincing needed, perhaps in the case of lesser known titles.
How Does the Film and Video Game Industry Benefit?
While it is highly likely that players enjoy such games, it does make one question why such big brands are ready and willing to sell their names to Microgaming for legal re-use; what’s in it for them?
Over the past ten years, casino gaming has developed on a global scale. According to Forbes, iGaming has become a multi-billion-dollar business in Europe, and the metrics are constantly increasing, including more woman and older demographics entering the market. With more access to markets, certainly more themes come to mind.
When selling the license to a film or video game, companies are agreeing to share their product trademarks with the producers of another non-competitive product. Companies usually do this when they’re assured that there is a strong market for the product or industry they’re selling into. As online casino gaming is such as affluent niche, selling licenses for re-use in the development of casino games is a profitable move for film production and video games ventures.
These companies also exercise complete control in terms of who they wish to sell the license to, thus raising potential cost for brand names. There’s also a limit to risk as they can approve the product on which their names will be used. In most agreements, the licensor, in this case, the film or video game company, receives royalties for brand re-use by Microgaming.
On the flip side of the coin, we can see it in a mutually beneficial light for both Microgaming as well as for these license sellers. An obvious benefit results in the popularity of the game creating hype around the film or video game being used as a theme. In this case, either party creatively sends traffic to each other, resulting in increases in demand and sales revenue.
For older movie or video games as standalone products, the hype around them may have withered, so selling licenses ensures the maintenance of a brand name’s status as a classic or retro product. Selling licenses to Microgaming is also a strategic decision for titles that haven’t performed well at the box office or during initial launches. This provides another chance at promoting the brand and realising ROI over the long run.
What it essentially all boils down to is mutual profit. These games generate extra cash based on increased engagement and the production companies has its brands in the minds of consumers.
