The Story Behind NextGen Gaming Casinos
Their story is a common one in the gaming industry, where a talented group of games designers sadly get lost in the quagmire of corporate finance. NextGen Gaming were a real force in the early years of the industry. For the first decade of the 21st Century the company were one of the biggest names in gaming design, producing some truly iconic titles.
However, things began to change in 2011 when the company was acquired by its Stockholm based industry rivals NYX Interactive for an undisclosed amount. In the beginning, the Swedes afforded the Aussies a degree of independence, and the two outfits continued to release games under their own brands for some time.
Some companies manage to retain their own character and style despite being taken over by their new corporate masters. The arrangement can work well in some instances. The smaller company can benefit from the increased financial investment and industry influence of its new owners. Meanwhile the larger corporation enjoys the fleet-footed and innovative approach to games design to boost its own brand and profits. This was certainly the case here, where NYX Interactive’s strength in the European market was a perfect match for NextGen Gaming who were looking to expand their international reach.
The unconventional marriage of the Aussies and the Swedes worked well for some time. Indeed, these two quite different corporate cultures blended seamlessly together as the production line of great slot designs continued to roll for both companies. Until…
The beginning of the end came in 2017 when the Las Vegas based industry behemoth Scientific Games came calling. The American giants acquired the NYX Gaming group for well over $600 million and both companies were soon submerged under a mountain of corporate marketing speak and financial mumbo jumbo.
Scientific Games proudly announced that “NYX's worldwide channels, markets and customer base offer new growth opportunities to build on the significant momentum of Scientific Games’ existing interactive gaming business… NYX has significant global stand-alone strategic momentum…” blah blah blah…
You can guess what happened next. The Aussies and their Swedish partners soon disappeared into the corporate black hole and their brands barely register in the contemporary gaming industry.
Today, no doubt the talented NextGen Gaming software designers continue to produce good work from their Sydney studio, but we don’t hear much about them anymore. It’s all yet another story of a sad loss to the money men of the global economy. No doubt Scientific Games’ shareholders are delighted with their acquisition but for ordinary customers – fans and players of Next Gen Gaming’s excellent slot designs, another innovative and creative brand has effectively bitten the dust.
Today, the NextGen Gaming Facebook page remains active, but is only occasionally updated. Meanwhile the company’s YouTube channel has featured nothing new for years and their website has been mothballed.
What of NextGen Games?
On the bright side though, players can still enjoy NextGen Gaming’s legacy of classic titles. These continue to be available to play on many of today’s best casinos, including those which operate on the industry leading Dragonfish platform.
And what a legacy it is. The company has been responsible for some of the most iconic titles in the gaming software industry. These include the colourfully punning 1 Can 2 Can, featuring the distinctive tropical bird in an entertaining game which remains a player favourite to this day.
Perhaps the most well-known NextGen Gaming title features one of the most popular characters in contemporary slots. Indeed, the original incarnation of Foxin’ Wins has spawned several sequels. Unusually, the first follow-up, Foxin’ Wins Again proved even more popular than the original. The first featured the lovable fox enjoying the surroundings of his luxurious country mansion, but in the sequel, the wealthy playboy character got to take his family of playful pups on a trip on his luxury super yacht.
Players today continue to enjoy the adventures of this wonderful Aussie creation. There are now around half a dozen different titles in the Foxin’ range as the most successful fox in gaming continues to spawn additional offspring.
Another very popular series features a more conventional slot format. In these titles though, it is the game’s design and mechanism which is the real innovation. Double Play Super bet was an instant success, soon to be followed by Wild Play Super Bet. Both also remain popular to this day.
The company was also renowned for its excellent slot versions of comic superheroes. Officially licenced from the characters’ creators DC Comics, titles like Batman, Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman were all faithful depictions of the originals and very popular with gamers all over the planet.
Additional player favourites in the NextGen Gaming canon include A Dragon’s Story, Gorilla Go Wild, Pandamania and the beautifully realised graphics of Great Wild Elk.
Whilst it seems unlikely that we are to see further NextGen Gaming slots, we can at least continue to enjoy their existing range of games. Look out for them on your chosen Dragonfish powered casino.