A decade ago, the gambling community went wild with Marvel and Star Wars slot machines. Pokies based on the iconic Marvel comics, featuring such superheroes as Iron Man, Spiderman, and other legendary evil-fighters, won punters’ hearts around the globe. The Star Wars-themed slots were a must-have in all top-tier online and brick-and-mortar venues. In 2017, punters experienced a real shock after their beloved slot machines disappeared from casino lobbies. Most fans still wonder about the reason for Star Wars and Marvel pokies disappearance. Experts from Canadiancasinos-online.com made their own investigation and found out why so well-liked by gamblers slots were removed from the market.
Best Superhero Slot Games
Initially, the popular entertainment company LucasFilm was the sole owner of the Star Wars slot machines brand. In 2012, Disney Corporation bought the rights to LucasFilm and got exclusive ownership of the company’s products, including iconic pokies. Earlier in 2009, Disney did the same thing buying the rights to Marvel.
At that time, the most popular superhero slot games were: Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Spiderman, Wolverine, The Avengers
These and other superhero pokies brought millions to their developers. The fact that these games were based on the hit-movies was one of the primary factors of their popularity among rollers. Other reasons for the games’ success were mind-blowing graphics, groundbreaking music effects, non-trivial characters, high RTPs, and excellent winning chances. It was impossible to find gamers who didn’t go wild with these revelries at that period.
Disney’s Bombshell Announcement
In 2016, it was rumored that Disney planned to withdraw Star Wars and Marvel revelries from the gambling niche. At first, the gamers’ community didn’t take the news seriously. Punters were confident that Disney bosses would never eliminate the top-notch slots, considering their colossal demand among the public. Sadly but rumors were confirmed a year later.
Disney reps explained the company’s decision to remove the pokies from casino lobbies. A spokesman announced that Marvel and Lucasfilm violated licensing policy and integration agreements and didn’t renew machines’ certification. The rep added that games’ certification was one of the key nuances of Disney’s integration with the brands. Soon after the bombshell announcement, Disney bosses made a heart-breaking step and extracted superhero slots from online and physical casinos.
Decent Alternatives to Marvel and Star Wars Slot Games
The disappearance of Marvel and Star Wars revelries is not a reason for gamblers to fall into despair. The online gambling industry doesn’t stand still. There is currently a myriad of decent alternatives, which are not even worse than banned by Disney slots. The sci-fi pokies boost in popularity among rollers worldwide. Below, one can find a list of top-notch slot games related to science-fiction.
Battlestar Galactica
The 5-reel space-themed pokie is a creation of the eminent game-builder, Microgaming. The slot offers 243 paylines to win and may boast its excellent RTP rate of 96.6%. The slot constructors found inspiration in the popular self-titled TV series. The game’s main theme is based on space mysteries. There is a free spins round (punters need to collect at least three scatters to get 15 freebies). Battlestar Galactica is optimized for mobile devices. Though it doesn’t offer a progressive jackpot, players can hit $72,000 on this sci-fi game.
Transformers: Battle for Cybertron
The 5-reel pokie by IGT offers 40 ways to win upon a 96.4% RTP rate. The slot name says for itself: punters will find a lot of symbols featuring robots. There is a freerolls round activated when players land at least three scatter symbols, i.e., Cybertron planets. The game will please all admirers of infamous Transformers movies with Shia LaBeouf and gorgeous Megan Fox. The slot possesses dynamic mechanics, excellent graphics, and powerful sound effects. The IGT’s creation is a good choice for all fans of sci-fi-themed games.
Space Race
This 5-reel video slot machine comes from the Play’n Go vintage collection. The pokie offers 40 paylines with a max winning of 5,000 coins per line. The game symbols relate to the cosmic theme. There are rockets, spacecraft, meteors, astronauts, and other stellar related logos on the reels. The game has an excellent Bonus feature. Punters need to land three bonus symbols to activate a Secret Bonus round. The 3D graphics and catchy soundtrack make Space Race a decent representative of classic slots inspired by science-fiction.
Justice League
It is one of the iconic 5-reel gambling machines by the renowned Playtech developer. The pokie offers 40 pay lines to win and has a 96.3% RTP rate. The game features popular DC superheroes from the famed Justice League movie. Here, rollers will find Aquaman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and other popular evil-fighters from DC comics. The game offers four types of progressive jackpots. There are free game rounds triggered when players land a particular superhero symbol in the feature frame. The mind-blowing graphics, iconic DC characters, and awesome jackpot options make Justice League one of the most demanded sci-fi slot games among millions of punters.
Aliens
The 5-reel 3D pokie by NetEnt offers 15 paylines to win, with an RTP of 96.4%. The slot combines the best features of a horror film and arcade game. All fans of the classic horror movie Aliens, featuring incredible Sigourney Weaver, will definitely appreciate the creepy atmosphere and spine-chilling music background of the NetEnt’s game. There are many symbols with terrifying space monsters. Though it is not a progressive-type pokie, punters still have a chance to hit a $1,000 jackpot. All sci-fi enthusiasts won’t stay indifferent to this spooky slot game.
Of course, the gambling universe missed a lot when legendary Marvel and Star Wars pokies were removed from casinos. The most devoted fans still blame Disney for this controversial decision. Luckily, eminent game-developers came up with decent alternatives, which are not even worse than their iconic ancestors. Nowadays, there is a myriad of top-notch sci-fi-themed slot games about space, aliens, superheroes, etc. These well-crafted and captivating pokies with science-fiction vibes literally send shivers down players’ spines.
