If you’re even remotely interested in online slots at all, then you’ve certainly heard of the famous Marvel slots. Don’t pretend like you haven’t, I can see straight through you! I mean, come on, “The Avengers” was not only one of the most successful movies of all time, grossing over $1.5 billion at the box office, but it was also one of the most popular and most profitable online slots ever released, in the territories where it was available! Aside from it, there have been over a dozen slots based on Marvel characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Wolverine and more, most of which have actually been really good. What you may not have known is that all of them were developed by Isle of Man-based developed Playtech, who had a long-standing deal with Marvel to develop slots based on its properties (US-based developer Cryptologic also had the license, but Playtech is by far the most prolific and recognizable name in that area, especially in Europe).
Sadly, things just weren’t meant to last. While many of you may not be aware of this fact, Disney has an extremely strict anti-gambling policy, to the point where gambling of any sort is banned on its cruise ships and the corporation is the biggest opponent of gambling being legalized in Florida (where its biggest theme park, Disneyworld, is located). So when Marvel was purchased by Disney in 2009, obviously things weren’t going to last for Playtech. While contracts couldn’t be terminated, Disney simply allowed them to expire, with the aforementioned “The Avengers” being among the last Marvel slots Playtech ever made. For a couple of years, the company was forced to stay away from the world of licensed superhero slots… But earlier this year some developments have allowed it to return.
Just like Disney owns Marvel, their biggest comic book rival, DC, is owned by Warner Bros – except that deal has been going on for a whole lot longer. Warner Bros, unlike their more family-friendly counterpart, has absolutely no qualms about reaping the immense profits from gambling. As such has extended a helpful hand to Playtech by offering to license four of their DC properties to be turned into slot machines, namely the first two “Superman” movies starring Christopher Reeves, the more recent “Man of Steel”, the 2011 mistake known as “Green Lantern”, as well as the 1966 “Batman” TV show with Adam West which you might remember for being extremely hilarious. Honestly, while I’m not a particularly big fan of “Man of Steel”, I do believe that the “Batman” TV show might make for a PERFECT slot, with its beautiful color palette, the huge cast of characters and the inherent silliness… And I guess I’m also quite curious to see how Playtech will honor the legacy of the first two Superman movies, which, way before “The Avengers” or “X-Men”, proved that superheroes can carry a big-budget Hollywood movie on their own.
While there’s no release dates available for this new batch of Playtech slots, the first one is expected to hit sometime within the next few months, and reception and profits from that will likely determine just how quickly the rest get released, and whether other DC movies (like the more recent “Batman V Superman” or the upcoming “Suicide Squad” and “Justice League”) will get their own slots as well. Here’s hoping – if there’s anything “The Avengers” has shown us, it’s that big team-up movies make for excellent slots!