In March, we saw the release of “Ghost in the Shell” – a live action movie based on one of the most popular anime franchises of all time. Despite some incredibly dumb controversy regarding the main character’s skin color (spoilers: she was white in the comics as well, so everyone calling whitewashing was factually wrong), the movie still managed to make almost $200 million theatrically, making it a pretty decent success, even if it wasn’t anything groundbreaking. Why am I talking about “Ghost in the Shell” on a website about slots, you may ask? Well, did you know that there’s actually a “Ghost in the Shell” slot machine? It’s true – Random Logic developed one a few years ago, alongside several other slots based on popular anime series like “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. With the release of this highly anticipated major Hollywood movie based on the same property, you’d assume that an updated sequel would be the developer’s highest priority, but as far as I can tell, not only is it missing in action, the casinos that feature the old slot, like 888, have done very little to promote it.
This is in stark contrast to the slot environment just a few years ago, when everyone and their mother had a licensed slot whether or not it even made sense. We had slots based on gigantic blockbuster franchises like “Game of Thrones” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we had slots based on smaller, less famous films that the target demographic could still remember fondly, like “Gladiator”, and we also had slots that made absolutely no sense whatsoever on any conceivable level, like “Bridesmaids”. But the point is that every developer in the business wanted a piece of the license pie. And why wouldn’t they? Putting a highly recognizable name on your slot is a lucrative business! Sure, a licensing deal requires you to part with some of your winnings, but more often than not the recognition and advertisement you get from it is more than worth it. For example, if a licensed slot makes £100 and the developers need to give 30% of their winnings to the license holder, that leaves them with £70 – £20 more than a non-licensed slot which only made £50 in winnings because twice as few people played it due to its less recognizable name. Putting a name on the slot is a win no matter how you look at it!
But as we’ve seen, licensed slots are starting to decrease in both quantity and quality – you barely see them around anymore! Why is that, exactly? Well, there might be several reasons for this, honestly. One of the biggest ones, I’m guessing, is licensing issues. A few years ago, Disney famously pulled the license for both Marvel and Star Wars slots, leaving developers like Playtech without access to their most popular properties. Every single licensed slot shares this risk, and so it’s actually way better for creators to merely do their own, original slots and then spend a little extra on advertising rather than spend the same amount on a risky license. By extension, I’m guessing that many of the big corporations aren’t super thrilled about the idea of their properties being associated with casinos. We know loud and clear where Disney stand, but for all we know, other big movie studios like 20th Century Fox might not be particularly fond of the casino business either, which makes acquiring their licenses for slots a bit harder. The only company I know of who are willing and open to work with slot developers today is Warner Bros, who are currently creating a series of DC-themed slots alongside Playtech, but that’s about it.
Truth be told, I don’t know exactly why the licensed slot market is dying. Like I mentioned, these are only my speculations – maybe I’m way off and there’s a completely different reason that I’m unaware of, or hell, maybe the market is fine and it’s more of an advertisement/visibility issue that’s keeping licensed slots away from the front page. But whatever the case, I don’t think anyone’s arguing that licensed slots just don’t have the same presence in online casinos as they once did, for better or for worse. Was their recent success an anomaly, a fluke that was never meant to last? Or are developers merely scared by Disney’s move against Playtech, and will soon return to form? I suppose only time can tell.