NetEnt: what makes this developer famous?

NetEnt: Famous for Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Twin Spin and Jack and the Beanstalk among other slots! This developer should be highlighted as it is famous and qualitative. Want to play NetEnt Slots right away? Check out this online casino:

Company history

Net Entertainment first came into being in 1996, but the developments that led to its founding began several decades earlier. It specifically began in Sweden in the late 1960s. The Swedish government decided they were going to make several changes to the laws concerning gambling. These changes allowed gambling operators to expand their enterprise in numerous ways. Some of the largest casino operators in Sweden at the time decided on a merger. They formed the Cherry group in 1984, after merging multiple companies together over the years. The Cherry group would mainly cater its´ services towards customers from Eastern Europe. They catered to these countries until 1992, when Swedish law changed drastically once again. This led to the Cherry group instead focusing its efforts on the Swedish and Scandinavian market instead of the Eastern European one.

Online development

Shortly after the law changed, a new market appeared: the online market. The developments surrounding this new internet did not go unnoticed in the Swedish gambling industry. One of the people who noticed these developments was Pontus Lindwall, son of one of the founding members of the Cherry Group. He decided to start Net Entertainment in 1996, which would later become known as NetEnt. Thanks to investments from a large European investment company, Net Entertainment was able to keep up with the developing internet and take full advantage of the modern technology.

Though Net Entertainment was ready for the advent of the world wide web, it seemed that most regular people were not as prepared. Many consumers did not trust services that allowed them to buy various goods and services on the internet yet. The concept of transferring money to another online entity through the internet and receiving what you paid for in return was not considered to be dependable yet. It took multiple years for public perception to change in this regard. This change only really started once the banks and other financial institutions started to publicly support online stores and payment methods. The banks saw how this new age of technology could lead to increased profits, which convinced them to publicly reassure the people. The banks were right, as the financial growth these methods provided to companies would prove to be greatly beneficial to them as well.

Net Entertainment would continue its growth for multiple years, but this unfortunately did not last without interruption.

The ban on online casino services

An increasing number of countries started to become worried about online casinos, as they were mostly unregulated yet provided fierce competition towards land-based casinos and national lotteries. The countries thought that they could guarantee the income of their lotteries and casinos by banning the online casinos outright. Unfortunately for them, not all countries agreed to take the same measures. One of the notable countries that refused to participate was the Republic of Malta. This led to many online casinos simply moving their operational centres to Malta. Malta was already known to be well-regulated in regard to gambling, which ensured players would not be left unprotected. While Malta allowed online casinos to operate from within its borders, they still needed to meet strict conditions and regulations before they were given their licence. Some other countries, such as Gibraltar and Curacao, decided to follow Malta´s example. These days they are mostly known as the less expensive alternatives to the Maltese licence, but this has led to a less trustworthy reputation as well. Most large casinos are in possession of the Maltese licence.

NetEnt took great advantage of these developments. By moving to Malta, they increased their area of operations considerably. The Maltese department of the company would take care of sales, marketing, customer loyalty, technical support, and technical development. The head-offices in Sweden would manage administrative operations and research and development. This division of responsibilities resulted in further success and economic growth.

2020 would prove to be an important year for NetEnt. They took over game developer Red Tiger Gaming at the beginning of the year and received an offer from Evolution Gaming themselves only a few months later. They offered a considerable sum of money for a 96.80 percent stake in the company. This action served to broaden Evolution Gaming’s area of influence in the market. They were the biggest producer of live casino games, and now controlled the production of slot games as well.

NetEnt features

NetEnt is known for producing and delivering high-quality games with nearly every game they make. Reviewers frequently praise their visual presentation, gameplay mechanics and rewards as well. NetEnt games often have a high Return to Player percentage, as well as relatively high jackpots. These combinations have led to NetEnt being one of the leading developers for years, with some of their games receiving critical acclaim to this day. Some of their most well-known and popular games are Jack and the Beanstalk, Gonzo’s Quest, and Twin Spin. NetEnt is also responsible for Starburst, widely considered to be the single best online slot game on the current market.

NetEnt stays ahead of other developers by their high-quality games and unique game features. Some examples are the following:

The Avalanche feature

The Avalanche feature has blocks falling into place and exploding in the shape of a winning combination. When this happens, the player receives a free respin. An example of a well-known game with this feature would be Gonzo’s Quest. Though this feature is quite well-known, it was considered quite innovative when Gonzo’s Quest was released in 2011.

Megaways feature

Though the Megaways game mechanic was not invented by NetEnt, they popularized it by using it in a substantial number of their games. The mechanic was invented by Big Time Gaming, which can now give out licences to developers who wish to use this feature in their game. The licence is granted to a developer for a set period of time, not to a singular game. That means that the developer is free to develop games using the Megaways feature as long as their licence has not expired. NetEnt has remade many of their older games using the Megaways feature. Some examples of games where the feature was implemented would be Piggy Riches Megaways, Twin Spin Megaways, Divine Fortune Megaways and Gonzo’s Quest Megaways.

Progressive jackpots at NetEnt

NetEnt has developed numerous games that are linked to a shared progressive jackpot. This feature enables a percentage of each bet to go towards the same pot, thus increasing the prize of the jackpot. An example of a famous game using this principle is Mega Fortune, which has previously paid out a record amount of 17.8 million euros. This is not the highest in the industry, which was from Mega Moolah, developed by Microgaming.

Table games NetEnt

Though it has never been their main focus, NetEnt also provides a number of table games to online casinos as well. They provide games such as blackjack (the European, French, and American variants), roulette, baccarat, and poker. Despite the fact that these well-established games have little room for innovation and extra features, NetEnt provides quality products characterized by pleasing designs and smooth gameplay.

Popular NetEnt Videoslots

NetEnt has many different kinds of games, but there are some clear winners when it comes to popularity and public perception.

Starburst

This game has been a classic ever since NetEnt first released it in 2012. Most casinos agree that this is by far one of the most popular games they have on offer. The payout percentage lies relatively high, at 96,1 percent. The game uses five different gems as its basic symbols, along with a seven and a BAR symbol. Starburst uses five rows with three symbols each and has ten line combinations resulting in a win, though these pay out both ways. The minimal bet is one cent per line, which amounts to a minimum of ten cents per spin. The maximum bet is one hundred euros, which can be bet easily by pressing the “Max Bet” button at the bottom of the game. The game has an autoplay feature as well, allowing players to spin automatically from ten to a thousand times. Starburst has low variance, which means players win many smaller payouts quite frequently. The maximum payout lies at a respectable 50.000 euros nevertheless.

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Twin spin

Twin Spin is one of the most popular online slots from NetEnt. The game combines elements from both classic as well as modern slot. The game is played on a field with five reels, three rows and 243 different winning combinations. This slot has a classic theme, with traditional Las Vegas symbols on the reels. There is disco music playing in the background as well, to further emphasize the retro theme of the game. Players play with a minimum of twenty-five and a maximum of 250 coins per spin. The minimum coin value is €0.01, and the maximum is €0.50. This slot machine can be played from twenty-five cents per spin. The maximum bet is 125 euros per spin. The maximum winnings are 1,080 times the bet.

The payout percentage is 96.55 percent, which is slightly above average compared to other online slots. In addition, the slot machine has a number of features such as Wild symbols and Cloning Reels. The variance of the slot machine lies somewhere between medium and high.

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Gonzo’s Quest

One of NetEnts most popular original games. The theme centers around a Spanish conquistador making his way through South America in search of treasure. The game has its payout percentage set at a respectable 96 percent, with five rows and twenty winning combinations. The stake players can play with is relatively low, with a minimum of twenty cents and a maximum of 50 euros. Gonzo’s Quest was the first game to debut the Avalanche Feature. Every win results in the winning row exploding. The other symbols will move down, while the newly opened spaces are filled with new symbols. The Avalanche Feature enables players to multiply their winnings up to five times, which means players can receive respectable payouts even without a jackpot.

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Jack and the Beanstalk

NetEnt released this game in 2011 as one of the first slot games based on a fairy tale, inspiring something of a trend in the rest of the online casino business. As such it is graphically based on the titular story of Jack and the giant beanstalk. The payout percentage lies at a good 96,30 percent. The game itself uses five rows and has twenty winning combinations. The betting amount ranges from twenty cents to two hundred euros, which allows players from many different economic backgrounds to play. Along with the regular symbols, there is the Wild symbol. This symbol replaces all others and grants the Walking Wild bonus. This bonus provides players with a unique respin, where the Wild symbol stays on the screen but moves one row to the left. The player will keep receiving respins so long as there is at least one Wild symbol on the screen. Any wins received with these spins will be multiplied three times as well.

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