Of course, when you visit an online casino, you are immediately spellbound with fantastic attention to detail and UX design. With the stage set, online casino players from all walks of life have a buffet of fascinating casino games. Each game is a visual masterpiece offering a total gaming escape with many rewards.
Just like a blockbuster movie is a well-coordinated orchestration of cinematography and music, the same goes for casino games. The maestros behind these slot and table games are phenomenal casino game developers. Get to know how the top software developers like Evolution and Microgaming are revolutionizing the iGaming world.
The Rise of Casino Gaming Software
Of course, casino games like slot machines have been around since the late 1900s. However, it wasn’t until the mid-90s that the foundation of the modern-day online casino game software immediately took shape.
The first foray was to use software to simulate a realistic and professional experience for prominent table games like blackjack and roulette. Even though the graphics and the UX gameplay aren’t as smooth and sharp as we have today, these steps proved to be pivotal to the rise of legal online casinos.
With the dawn of the dial-up modem, the Internet began entering households. At the same time, it didn’t have the same impact and saturation as today’s broadband Internet. Still, the first wave of legal online casinos began in 1994, setting the stage for the elite casino game developers to begin revolutionizing the casino game process.
Online Casinos Begin to Thrive
As online casinos began gaining traction, it didn’t take long for the powerhouse casino game developers like NetEnt and Microgaming to immediately push the bar forward for today’s casino games. Since launching operations in 1996, Microgaming has innovated casino play by getting a jump on the untouched mobile platform.
Even before mobile devices became a household thing, Microgaming began experimenting with the mobile platform. However, Microgaming wasted no time in developing slot game themes. With the first wave of online casinos, the three-reel slots were formulaic, representing many of the classic three-reel slot machines that you still find at local casinos.
Microgaming starting a string of successful online slots with animated themes. However, Microgaming helped to pioneer the online progressive slot lineup. In 1999, Microgaming released the first online progressive slot, “Cash Explosion.” It didn’t take long for Cash Explosion to become a hit and forever transform the way we play online casino games today.
Not wasting time, Microgaming took advantage of the new emerging technologies, the broadband Internet, and HTML5. To take online progressive slots to the net level, Microgaming combined all of its hallmark traits, innovative themes, animations, and bonuses under one umbrella with the Mega Moolah slot game. Even more than ten years after its release, Mega Moolah is still one of the most high-performing progressive slots with a long history of multi-million dollar winners.
The 2010s – The Golden Age of Casino Gaming Begins
The 2010s continue to be the most transformative of all the decades, and the reverberations are still felt today. The 2010s saw the birth of cryptocurrency. Today, cryptocurrency is traded on Wall Street, even spurring the creation of meme coins led by President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump. Still, crypto has also started a revolution in the development of casino gaming.
With blockchain technology, crypto casinos helped to pioneer a new genre of casino games. Playing these exclusive crypto games sets the stage for the custom gaming experiences we take for granted with today’s fiat and social casinos.
Blockchain technology also pioneered gaming fairness. With provably fair, players can see for themselves the instant game results, wins, and losses. In 2012, the American online casino industry was born.
HTML5 technology has also officially become the standard for today’s amazing online casino games. That means prominent game developers like NetEnt went full boar with developing the video slot industry. With this, NetEnt and Microgaming re-invented the wheel for slot games with fantastic themes and a lot of deep bonuses.
Also, at this time, the mobile revolution was in full swing. With so many mobile devices available, the tone and tenor for today’s casino games were designed to be mobile first. This means they play like a charm without glitches. This also removed the need to have a separate mobile site.
The Dawn of Live Dealer Play
The concept of live dealer play goes back to the late 2000s, but the first wave had some glitches. Thankfully, the ingenuity and technological leaps enabled Evolution Gaming to essentially become the face of today’s fantastic live dealer play.
Today, players take for granted the amazing 4k resolution streamed directly into the browsers, including mobile phones and apps. Chat with the host as you spin the roulette wheel or win a VIP-playing hand with Baccarat and Blackjack.
The Future of Casino Game Development
There’s no question that AI continues to be at the helm of casino game development. With AI tools like behavioral AI, casino game developers are focusing on more personalized gaming experiences for a new level of gaming immersion. Also, leading game developers like Playtech continue incorporating new technologies like augmented reality to enhance gameplay and graphics further.