It’s really no secret that I’m a really huge comic book nerd. I love them all – superhero comics, graphic novels, superhero movies and cartoons, comic books for kids, comic books for adults, superhero games, just anything and everything that even has remotely to do with comic books and/or superheroes is my jam! What, you don’t believe me? You question my nerd cred? Go back and read the very first post I ever made on this blog – therein lies a “Deadpool” reference, so make what you will of that! Anyway, going back on topic (implying I had a topic to begin with), it goes without saying that I’m also a pretty serious fan of superhero slots. And how could I not be when some of the very best slots ever are based on superheroes? We’re talking “The Dark Knight” and its ridiculously huge jackpot, “Spider-Man” and its myriad of entertaining bonus games, “The Avengers” and its amazing everything, I could go on and on, but the point is most of them are pretty great! But guess what – that well has dried up.
While a wide variety of developers have stepped in to produce slots (“The Dark Knight”, for example, was made by Microgaming), for the most part two companies were responsible for the majority of superhero-themed slot entertainment, namely Playtech and Cryptologic. Cryptologic did several DC slots (“Superman”, “Batman” and “Wonder Woman”, all of which should be available in many popular online casinos such as 888), but for the most part they made a whole ton of Marvel slots. Playtech, on the other hand, were solely famous for their amazing Marvel slots, like the aforementioned “Avengers” and “Spider-Man”, as well as “Iron Man”, “The Incredible Hulk” and many, many more. But if you’re wondering when the “Doctor Strange” slot is coming, don’t hold your breath. As you know, back in 2009 Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion (a fantastic deal, given that this is how much an average Marvel movie makes from box office, merchandise and DVD/Blu-Ray sales these days), and Disney have a notoriously anti-gambling stance. As such, they let all existing deals for Marvel slots expire without renewing them, and chances are they’ll never make new ones ever again.
So, to make a long story very short, if you’re waiting for new Marvel slots, you’re going to be rather disappointed because those are probably not happening, ever. But while DC is currently lagging behind in the movie department, they’re most certainly willing to pick up Marvel’s slack when it comes to slots! As a matter of fact, they already have, releasing three new superhero slots this year (“Flash”, “Batman” and “Green Lantern”) by NextGen Gaming. Playtech were also snatched up by DC and are currently developing several slots based on THEIR movies, basically doing what they used to do while they were working with Marvel. And who knows, maybe other comic book properties, like “Hellboy”, “Sin City” or “Spawn” might also make an appearance on the reels! One can only hope!