Last year was a fantastic one for the online gaming industry. Many new slot titles were released, and new features were developed. Some software providers made an exit, while others were introduced. Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has also been an impressive year, with more still to come.
New Slot Trends in 2020
Each year, a number of new trends come to the fore that take into account player preferences, and any new game engines and mechanics with the potential to make an impact. Here are some of the trends we’ve either already seen in 2020, or are still expected to come.
More Bonuses
We can expect to see providers and online casinos compete on new bonuses and promotions. These can even depend on location, as different countries have different versions of games and bonuses. In Germany for example, the onlinecasino sites tend to give stronger welcome bonus offers on slots.
More High-Volatility Slots
With high-volatility slots gaining ground, and as Megaways is now part of numerous slots, it’s only safe to assume that we’ll see even more. Even software providers that have leaned toward low- and medium-volatility games, such as EntEnt, are now looking to serve more experienced players.
More Top Payouts
This started with the popularity of Megaways, and there are now many other slots with high payouts of at least 10,000x than ever. The volatility increases, but the rewards rise just as fast as the risk. This trend will likely continue, and providers will likely keep trying to outperforming one another through the potential high rewards in their latest slots.
More Megaways Challenges
We’ve seen early efforts made at developing new game engines, typically resembling Megaways variations, with up to 1,000,000 ways to win in a number of them. We’ll likely see plenty of more examples of software providers attempting to come up with something fun and unique, along with huge potential. One provider, in particular, Big Time Gaming, might have something in mind, seeing as they like to innovate with the majority of games they release.
The Phasing Out of Flash Technology
The biggest browser on the market, Google Chrome, announced they won’t support Flash beginning from December 2020. As that date gets closer, we might just see many older slots being given the HTML 5 treatment. At least, the most popular ones. Many others might just disappear out of sight by the end of the year.
Mobile Gambling
Mobile gambling is becoming increasingly popular, as it is in the wider gaming industry. As such, with many more software providers developing their games with a mobile-first mentality, ensuring that the visuals and controls are adapted for mobile devices.
Upcoming Developers
New developers enter the market all the time, and there’s bound to be more new slots making an appearance throughout the remainder of 2020. Some will be released on their own, while others will be in partnership, such as the those Microgaming has with smaller studios like Gameburger Studios that supply MG with new games. As they’re promoted as exclusive Microgaming games, these slots will likely gain a lot of attention from slots fans.
New Slot Features
With so many developers creating online slots, it only makes sense that the major players will innovate, as they try to stand out from the rest. Some will attempt to come up with something better than Megaways. One example is the Million Ways system, which has already been used, along with other similar systems. We can also expect to see variations on the typical bonus games, wilds, and free spins, and sometimes even huge multipliers that will have a huge effect on volatility.