WMG Slots
WMG is an online casino software provider that specializes in the Italian market. Formed as a partnership between two other gaming industry firms, they have been an important player in the national video lottery terminal market, and have more recently made a move into the world of Internet slot machines.
So far, the company has produced a small collection of slots content – some of which is based on previous games they produced for VLTs – that has been released exclusively to Italian iGaming sites. Their creations have almost a childish look to them, giving them very much a casual games feel that might make them ideal for attracting non-traditional players.
The studio has not only developed their own games, but also a platform on which to provide them. This means that WMG can help operators integrate a wide variety of games into their websites. While this is hardly one of the major household names in the gaming industry, this is a firm that can definitely add a solid amount of value to any Italian site.
WMG began in 2009 when members of MAG Elettronica wanted to begin working on VLT games and systems. Formed in 1994, MAG Elettronica is a company that focused on manufacturing and designing entertainment and gaming machines. They partnered with CMS Gaming, another group that had decades of experience in developing the hardware and software behind amusement machines. The two suppliers agreed that they had an interest in getting into Italy’s VLT market, and so combined their skills to create a joint venture: the developer that is now known as WMG.
Since it was founded, this studio has produced not only slots-like games for these terminals, but has created a couple of different cabinet designs themselves: the iLeo and the Galileo, both of which feature touch screen functionality and high-quality construction. The company has become the only one to be certified by SOGEI through the government agency’s laboratories. In addition, they have developed two different apps that provide play for free versions of two of their slots (Criss Cross and Cash Bunny) that are available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play for Android.
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So far, WMG has worked exclusively in video slots since starting to develop games for online casinos, a move that they only began to prepare for in 2016. Many of their titles are ported versions of games that they had already released on terminals, meaning there’s something of a built in audience of fans for these popular titles that now appear at some Italian online gambling sites.
The most obvious thing about these games is that they mostly share the same basic, cartoonish graphical style between them. This is not the slick, modern art style that has become so pervasive throughout the industry these days; instead, you’ll see a lot of plain, bright colors and easy to distinguish characters that look like they might have come right out of a Sunday morning cartoon. It’s not the most beautiful sight to behold, but it is certainly distinctive and creates a very inviting atmosphere that never feels too serious or overwhelming.
The gameplay elements share this simplistic approach. In all cases, these machines utilize a five tumbling reels layout with just five paylines, giving players a minimum of action that they have to pay attention to on each spin. Most machines also include at least one bonus round, usually in the “pick ‘em” style that has players choose from a grid of objects to unveil instant prizes.
Perhaps the most notable of these titles is Fowl Play Gold. The Fowl Play series, which stars a number of hens who are being stalked by what we think is a fox (but might also be a wolf – again, the art could be a bit more detailed), is one of the signature creations of WMG dating back to their VLT days. Players are set with matching symbols that combine some classic icons like sevens, bars, and money bags with the titular animals, while a bonus round features hens laying eggs of various types in order to earn players instant rewards. There’s even a version called 4 Fowl Play that allows players to enjoy four sets of reels at once.
Some of the other slots worth taking a look at include the not-so-scary Halloween themed slot, Haunted House, the fairy tale-inspired Pigs & Bricks, and Witch Hunter, one of the few times in which the art style is changed up a bit to better fit the low fantasy theme of this game.
Along with creating their own games, WMG has also developed a platform on which to deliver these products to their clients. This is known as WMGear, and is a stable tool for operators who want to integrate this developer’s games in with existing products on their websites. It means that players can enjoy the WGS range at the same sites as games from other developers, such as ELK Studios slots, or EGT slots, plus many more. This delivery system allows for games to be played not only on desktop computers, but also on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
WMG isn’t exactly a household name in the worldwide gaming industry, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. The firm’s creations aren’t particularly innovative or advanced, nor do they have the kind of large portfolio that can serve as the basis for an entire casino site. Instead, this is a provider that is entirely designed to appeal to the Italian online gambling market alone, at least for now. Many of their games already have quite a fan base in the country thanks to their inclusion in lottery terminals, which should make them popular additions to Internet gambling sites as well.
Given that these games are pretty basic, they’re most likely to attract casual gamblers who are going to make an occasional bet here and there, as they don’t really have the replay value to keep players engaged day after day. That said, their inviting nature makes them a perfect addition for just about any site that wants to appeal to a broader section of potential players, and we’re sure that many Italian websites will want to include this collection to take advantage of the built-in popularity that the WMG portfolio enjoys.
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