Branded Slots

1How Software Suppliers Acquire Licenses

Casino software suppliers cannot commercially use trademark images, characters, and themes without permission or else the trademark owners would pursue legal action for infringement. Before they build a slot around a specific flick or TV show, they must first acquire licenses from the companies that hold the rights for these products.

There is a legally binding contract between the two parties whereby the software company pays a licensing fee to the trademark owner to receive a permit to use the trademark. Landbased casinos were the first to introduce branded slots to their gaming floors.

You can sometimes find similar branded slots created by different manufacturers as is the case with the Price is Right and Elvis games by IGT and WMS. IGT launched Price is Right branded machines at the beginning of the 1990s after acquiring a license from the owners of the popular TV contest show.

2Expiration of the Licenses and Renewal

After the original license expired, the show owners commenced negotiations for another licensing agreement with manufacturer WMS. The procedure is similar with branded slots inspired by famed musicians like Elvis. Following the expiration of the original licenses, those who own the rights to the musician’s name, songs, and image start negotiating another agreement with a different slot manufacturer.

Such licenses remain valid for a limited number of years. The agreement may contain a clause whereby the licensee has the option for renewal after paying the respective fee again. The licenses are usually exclusive which means no two slot designers are permitted to create games with the same trademark theme simultaneously.

3How Developers Choose the Right Brand

But slot developers cannot simply pick any recognizable name and use it for a theme. The selected brands must appeal to a broader reel-spinning audience or else they would fail to make any impact profit-wise.

The demographics of casino goers must be taken into consideration. For example, it would be pointless to build a game around a franchise like High School Musical when its target audience consists of youngsters age 8 to 14, who are not yet legally old enough to gamble.

Branded slots are not reserved exclusively for landbased casino visitors, however. Software studio Microgaming was among the first companies to launch branded online games, starting with its 2004 release Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Competitor NetEnt followed suit and established valuable partnerships with major film studios like 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, and Universal Pictures. Over the years, the Swedish supplier has brought some of the most iconic franchises and flicks to the slot reels, including games like The Invisible Man, Scarface, and Planet of the Apes.

Playtech also keeps abreast with the increasing competition when it comes to branded games. The company is known for Marvel-based slots like Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and The Avengers. These were hugely popular among spinners several years ago.

After Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in 2009, it refused to renew Playtech’s licensing agreement after its expiration because it was at odds with the value of the family-oriented movie giant.

Playtech was forced to remove its branded Marvel content as of April 2017. Still, the gambling company continues to launch branded slot content after penning licensing partnerships with entertainment giants like Warner Brothers. This gave rise to the launch of branded slots based on iconic franchises like Terminator and The Matrix.