I would imagine having a "branded" game gives a developer some problems to deal with. The licensing issues are one - I know with LOTR that every single image they created had to be approved for use by the rights holders - even down to banners and advertising literature. And a percentage from each spin probably goes back to the rights owners on most games.
Also, the rights holders aren't going to be very happy if forums start lighting up with threads like "Game Of Thrones is s**t" every 2 minutes so the game has to achieve an objective without causing large scale consternation. Thus, I would imagine these games are effectively more often regarded as acquisition tools to bring in new players who recognise the name more than they are "serious" slots.
That would explain why so many are low/medium variance - with the odd exception. Lots of "immersion" but not necessarily a lot of big pay-outs. I rarely get excited when I see a branded game coming online... I was much more excited by the announcements of Thunderstruck 2 and Immortal Romance because I knew they didn't have to pander to a 3rd party. OK TS2 disappointed me a little but it's still better than most branded slots. Look at games like 6 Million Dollar Man and Cowboys & Aliens. No-one likes them but no-one goes mad moaning about them because they bleed you slowly.
Plus, at a guess, the fact that a portion of the proceeds go to a 3rd party probably also means a modest compromise in either variance or RTP - or both.
That's not to say we haven't seen some good branded games though: one or two of the Marvel slots are superb, Jurassic Park is decent, Tombraider back in it's day was OK. But only the odd one or two would end up in your Top 10 slot lists I bet.
Also, the rights holders aren't going to be very happy if forums start lighting up with threads like "Game Of Thrones is s**t" every 2 minutes so the game has to achieve an objective without causing large scale consternation. Thus, I would imagine these games are effectively more often regarded as acquisition tools to bring in new players who recognise the name more than they are "serious" slots.
That would explain why so many are low/medium variance - with the odd exception. Lots of "immersion" but not necessarily a lot of big pay-outs. I rarely get excited when I see a branded game coming online... I was much more excited by the announcements of Thunderstruck 2 and Immortal Romance because I knew they didn't have to pander to a 3rd party. OK TS2 disappointed me a little but it's still better than most branded slots. Look at games like 6 Million Dollar Man and Cowboys & Aliens. No-one likes them but no-one goes mad moaning about them because they bleed you slowly.
Plus, at a guess, the fact that a portion of the proceeds go to a 3rd party probably also means a modest compromise in either variance or RTP - or both.
That's not to say we haven't seen some good branded games though: one or two of the Marvel slots are superb, Jurassic Park is decent, Tombraider back in it's day was OK. But only the odd one or two would end up in your Top 10 slot lists I bet.
:notworthy
