The value of the video gaming industry on a global scale surpassed US$173 billion in late 2021. According to the latest projections, the video gaming industry will reach a staggering value of US$545 billion in six years from now if it grows at an expected annual rate of 13.20%. Juniper Research recently published its report on the video gaming industry that suggests its value will increase to US$200 billion by the end of 2023.
In 2021, there were over 3,2 billion gamers in the world, while by the end of 2020, this number was closer to 2,6 billion. As suggested, the video gaming industry has been growing steadily in the last several years at an average annual growth of around 5.6%.
The video gaming industry is constantly introducing new exciting titles. For instance, the number of video games for PlayStation increased to 980 last year from 742 the previous year. In 2020, there were 500 games for Xbox and over 700 releases in 2021.
The iGaming industry is equally lucrative if not more. New online casinos appear on the scene serving players residing in many different jurisdictions. New online casino games are also introduced regularly by excellent brands.
Top-tier software providers usually produce video slots that share similar features but offer different themes and storylines. Further, we take a look at some of the best video slots that take inspiration for legendary video games.
Tomb Raider by Microgaming
One of the most prominent brands in the iGaming industry Microgaming has an amazing selection of video slots, and one of these is Tomb Raider. As suggested, the Tomb Raider slot is inspired by the same-titled video game.
The original Tomb Raider game was introduced by Eidos Interactive in 1996. The game was originally available on Sega Saturn and later on PlayStation, Pocket PC, and iOS and Android mobile devices. The game follows an archaeologist Lara Croft as she fights enemies to uncover a long-lost artifact.
The Tomb Raider slot powered by Microgaming was released in October of 2004. Microgaming was the very first developer to introduce the iconic character of Lara Croft to the online casino gaming industry. The slot features an RTP of 95.22% and a standard gaming grid with 5 reels and 15 paylines.
As expected, the Tomb Raider slot features wild symbols that grant up to 7,500 coins for five-of-a-kind winning combos. Scatters deliver up to 400 coins, and more importantly trigger free spins. Once you trigger the Free Spins round, you benefit from 3x winning multipliers. In addition, collecting three or more bonus symbols on the same spin grants instant-cash prizes.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare by Cryptologic
The very first Call of Duty video game was released in 2003 by Infinity Ward. From 2005 to the present, Call of Duty games were developed by Treyarch, Sledgehammer Games, and Raven Software for all different gaming platforms, including PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, Wii, Xbox, Android, and iOS.
The Call of Duty Modern Warfare game that inspired Cryptologic was released in 2007. Unlike most other games that are set during World War II, Call of Duty Modern Warfare features an interesting plot set in modern times.
Powered by the Cryptologic software, the Call of Duty Modern Warfare slot boasts 5 reels and 25 paylines. As expected, the game’s plot focuses on conflict and war, so the reels are packed with soldier symbols, grenades, assault rifles, ammo clips, and gas masks.
The game’s wild symbols carry 2x winning multipliers, so all winning combos with wilds bring doubled payouts. The game is also packed with special exploding symbols that can randomly at any point in the game become soldier wild symbols.
Landing three or more scatters grants you access to free spins during which you get to benefit from 2x, 3x, 4x, and even 5x winning multipliers. The highest-paying symbol brings a fixed jackpot of 5,000 coins.
Street Fighter by NetEnt
In the video gaming industry, Street Fighter developed by Capcom remains one of the most popular video games of all time. The very first Street Fighter game was released in August of 1987. Street Fighter is an amazing arcade fighting game that takes inspiration from Japanese manga.
The second Street Fighter game was released in 1991. Street Fighter V Champion Edition hit the industry back in December of 2021. The Street Fighter slot powered by NetEnt is mainly inspired by the original game from 1987.
Beautifully rendered, the game combines the well-known feel and look of the iconic game with loads of excellent in-game bonuses. NetEn incorporated an innovative Cluster Pays gaming engine on a simple 5×5 gaming grid. Whenever you land winning clusters of three or more symbols, the game’s Avalanche mode triggers.
The Street Fighter slot features loads of reel modifiers and extras, including free spins, a Car Smash Bonus mode, extra wilds, and much more. Street Fighter II The World Warrior was released by NetEnt in May of 2020. Just like the original slot, it boasts an innovative Cluster Pays gaming engine and loads of extras. Other excellent slots inspired by video games are Hitman by Microgaming, Resident Evil by Skywind Group, and Zuma by Gamesys.