Photo credit: Anonymous Crow

Video slot games have become one of the most sought-after games in the UK gambling scene. With their simplicity, crisp graphics, and high RTPs, it’s easy to see why they are so popular. But it’s not as easy to imagine how they are made. 

It requires a long thought process to even come up with a good slot idea, let alone all the work it takes to bring it into reality. And you have to iron out all the bugs and keep all parts well balanced, too. After all, a slot should make casinos money while also being fair to the players. Here, we will look at the main stages involved in slot game development to give you a better idea of the whole process. 

Stages Involved in developing Video Slot games

Before releasing any game, developers go through several processes such as:

Game conception Gameplay details Prototype creation using a slot game development software Developing an alpha version of the slot Developing the final product Final testing Pre-launch and launch Game conception

Online casino gaming development starts with a series of meetings and briefs where creative minds sit to brainstorm ideas. Here, the board determines the outlook of the game, its theme, characters, storyline, graphics, and even colours.

Usually, slot game developers draw some inspiration from movies, video games, and other trendy ideas that would sit well with a slot setting. Slot machine art directors also like to make designs that revolve around mystical themes such as ancient civilizations, mythologies and supernatural niches.

Gameplay details

The next stage in the development process is determining the gameplay details. These include the RTP, variance, paylines, and other features of the slot, namely bonuses. Bonus features shape how juicy an online slot is. As you can guess, features like wilds, scatters, free spins, and others increase the potential wins, and this attracts more players to the final product. 

Developing a prototype

Ideas can seem perfect on paper, but it doesn’t mean that they’ll work out well after implementation. Therefore, developers create prototypes to see whether their concept holds up.

With a prototype, the intended game design assumes the basic form it should after the end of development. It’s a version of the game where developers test playability, mechanics, and all the features in the game. It also helps to identify flaws and lapses in the game, which allows developers to make improvements afterwards.

Developing an alpha version of the slot

The next step is to create an alpha version of the slot. This is a skeletal structure with basic features like graphics, themes, game mechanics, music, and Random Number Generator (RNG). This version is still far from the final product; rather, it is a draft of what the slot should be. 

Developing the final product

After the developers complete all the previous stages, they can go ahead to create the final products that will feature in online casinos. At this stage, the team ensures that there are no flaws or hidden problems as this could put a dent in their trademark.

Final Testing

Even after developing the final product, the slot still has to go through rigorous testing. At this point, playtesters look out for:

Buggy levels, Screen rendition, Features to exploit in the slot, Flawed character renditions.

Playtesters, who are responsible for the final check, try to “break” the game using its mechanics. They basically try to find ways to exploit the game’s economy. Other tests they run include the “Fun factor test”, which determines if a game was worth a player’s time. 

If all the tests go as expected, it means the slot machine is ready for release. However, any flaws missed at this point will badly affect the players’ experience and lead to poor online slot reviews.

Pre-launch and launch

Once the developers are confident that they’ve achieved what they wanted to achieve with their product, they launch it to the world. But most studios run a pre-launch advertising campaign to promote their game.

Some reach out to a handful of influencers and give them pre-access to get players familiar with their slot, while others go with the more traditional marketing strategies. After all is said and done, they kick back and see how their game is received by gamers and critics.

Conclusion

Despite all hardships associated with the art of developing slot machines, if you have the passion and the means to actually create a game from scratch, it can be quite a profitable endeavour indeed. Now you know what it takes to develop a slot game, it’s up to you to decide whether you’re up for the challenge.