Well it’s going to be a hot summer of slot releases with yet more Megaways games due, including the long-awaited Raging Rhino. Before then we will see even more manifestations of Megaways, licensed by various developers from Big Time Gaming. Blueprint Gaming will revive the famous Kong theme with Return of Kong Megaways and then Tiki Treasures Megaways so given the total as I type this is 26 Megaways slots to date, is the formula getting a bit tired?
Flat Turnover
It has been reported that all the Megaways games being developed and introduced don’t actually take much play from other slots, but rather one new Megaways game introduced simply means the rest make less which suggests the mechanic may have peaked in regard to the amount of players willing to spend on them. Personally I am always drawn towards their first really big Megaways hit, Bonanza and it still excites me even now when I play it. The fact that Big Time Gaming themselves will not be using the model on their next major release does raise some eyebrows – are they passing it up and letting the other developers using the license flog it to death because they’ve something better up their sleeve?
Opal Fruits
The next Big Time Gaming slot is to be titled Opal Fruits and of course you will see the details and a review here on Gamingslots when we are availed of the demo. It’s not a Megaways but promises a brand new formula and the name is very interesting too! If you are aware of Netent’s Starburst slot which as a slot player you surely must be, then you’ll also know that the game in the UK shares its name with a popular brand of candy sweets. If you are a slot player aged over 35 you may recall these Starburst sweets were previously called Opal Fruits, so is there a connection there? Given that Big Time Gaming aren’t renowned for their use of fruits as slot themes and that opals are a precious stone from Australia where BTG hail from, there is likely a different explanation although the two theories both sound plausible!
Long Hot Summer?
So as an avid high-variance game player it looks like we are embarking on a golden period beginning with Netent’s much vaunted Dead or Alive 2, then the ensuing Rhino Megaways (some details about this release here) should be an eye-opener as long as it doesn’t have the sadly low line pays that Scientific Gaming tend to favour of late. Will Opal Fruits though be the one we favour the most by the end of 2019? Only time will tell…