NetEnt slots are online slot machine games designed by Net Entertainment. NetEnt, as the company is known these days, is a Scandinavian game design firm that transitioned into the online market after beginning life as a land-based game designer.
NetEnt's software is available in twenty world languages, and the company has been publicly traded in the Swedish market since 2007. NetEnt has earned a reputation as a provider of high-quality, graphics-intensive slots, stuffed with bonuses and heavily plot-driven. To date, their gaming library is made up of just over 200 casino games, mostly slot and video poker titles.
With offices in Sweden and Malta, NetEnt has one foot in tradition and one in innovation. Their presence in Malta puts them on solid ground in a part of the world solidly steeped in Web-based gaming. Their offices in Stockholm indicate the company's forward-thinking ways.
NetEnt & US Players
Bad news for US players – NetEnt's top-rated slots, table games, and video poker titles are totally unavailable to you if you live in America. This is due to the 2006 UIGEA bill, still an active law, which limits the ability of known gambling businesses to work with Americans. If you live in the United States, you can't even test out the games in "free play" format. You're literally blocked from their game servers.
There's good news in this front. NetEnt has entered the US gambling market – in a limited way. The company earned the right to offer "simulated gaming" in America through a deal with a virtual gaming provider that exists under a grandfather clause. Americans can't wager real money on these games – instead, they purchase virtual currency. Basically, NetEnt is trying to creep into the US market through the burgeoning social gambling market. This is good news for the future of NetEnt and US player relations.
NetEnt History
NetEnt's roots in gaming go back more than forty years. The company was founded in 1974 as a chain of land-based casinos called Cherry. In 1976, Sweden banned slot machines. This was a huge problem for Cherry, since slots were their primary product. At the time, technology limited the company's options, so they moved to casinos in Eastern Europe for twenty years or so, remaining focused on building land-based slot games for legal markets.
In the early 1990s, Cherry's CEO Pontus Lindwall saw that the Internet might be the perfect market, one in which the legal landscape had yet to be set in stone.
Lindwall and the other executives at Cherry worked out a deal with some European investment banks and put together 8.5 million Euros to launch an online gambling company. In 1996, that company (renamed Net Entertainment) was born.
The first NetEnt-powered casino didn't open until 2002. This is a repeated pattern at NetEnt – they don't do anything too quickly. The company has always been patient. It took them more than a decade, but they would eventually be listed on the NASDAQ (in 2009). NetEnt didn't release a mobile game until 2011, a year or two after their competition. They released their live casino game section in 2013, well after other companies released theirs.
We figure it's this policy of moving slowly and waiting to see how their competition fare that's responsible for NetEnt's "under the radar" status. Whatever the reason, NetEnt doesn't seem to mind playing the part of the boutique game designer.
NetEnt Management
Per Eriksson
Eriksson was added to NetEnt's executive staff in 2012, after a three-decade career in the IT industry. He signed on to helm NetEnt during the company's next transitional period after his success as President and CEO of Dustin Group. Eriksson's resume includes time as the CEO of Dell Nordic, and as the founder of several small IT firms related to the mobile gaming industry. Mr. Eriksson has been an active alumni of the University of Stockholm since graduating with a degree in Business Administration in the 1970s.
Enrico Bradamante
A native of Malta, Mr. Bradamante was brought on board by Per Eriksson in 2012, as part of an effort to prepare the company for a surge in game production. Enrico Bradamante has two decades' experience in the IT industry, working as a General Manager in Document Imaging & Commercial Business at Kodak. Enrico earned his MBA from INSEAD and also holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Trieste.
Maria Hedengren
Maria Hedengren was one of the first additions to the new executive staff when the decision was made to steer NetEnt in a new direction. Hired in 2011, Maria brings with her a variety of experiences from a number of high-profile positions in finance for the IT industry. Prior to joining the NetEnt staff, she worked as an auditor for Arthur Andersen in Sweden and in America, having earned her stripes as CFO of Swedish publishing house Resco AB. She earned three degrees from the University of Gothenburg, excelling in Business, Economics, and Law.
Karin Palmquist
The most recent executive hire at NetEnt is Karin Palmquist, brought on board in June 2015. Her extensive experience in business leadership, management changing tactics, and leadership development made her an obvious addition for a company in transition. She's previously served in executive positions at Gula Tidningen, Dale Carnegie, and for her own private management and leadership development firm. She has a long list of high-profile private clients in Europe, the US, and China.
Simon Hammon
The youngest member of NetEnt's executive staff, Hammon has been a member of the top brass at NetEnt for among the longest of the current staff, since early 2011. Mr. Hammon was hired because of his extensive knowledge of the gaming industry, and for his experience creating platform games, developing games with designers, operating networks, and managing casino affiliate programs.
NetEnt Slot Machines
NetEnt's game library includes exactly 100 slot games. Unlike other big slot designers, NetEnt doesn't categorize their games or produce any classic slots or anything like that. Some of their games include progressive jackpots, others include licensed characters, but they haven't gone so far as to break up their list of games into different sections.
That makes our job a bit easier. We've decided to highlight a dozen of the company's most-popular slot games. Below you'll find brief reviews of twelve of NetEnt's best-known and best-loved slot games.
Made in conjunction with Universal Studios, the Creature from the Black Lagoon video slot was used to promote a major re-release of classic monster movies. All three slots in this series have proven surprisingly-popular. We think it's because they have cool feature, are based on the awesome standard NetEnt slot design, and are based on spooky themes. Slot players love anything spooky.
This entry into the Universal monster series is a five reel and twenty pay line slot. The main story is the rescue of a classic damsel in distress. She's been abducted by the Creature from the game's title, which you do by collecting target symbols. By capturing these symbols, you take potshots at the Creature, depleting his health and earning bonuses like wild symbols and free spins.
NetEnt doesn't use Spreading and Sticky Wild symbols that often, but this title has both. What this means is that spinning wild symbols (represented by the game's animated and flashy logo) either spread and create new wild opportunities on neighboring reels, or they stick to the screen on a specific number of future spins. It's a cool feature that adds to the game's high replay value.
The Invisible Man is another of NetEnt's popular monster video slots. The company is just starting to dip their toes into licensed games – that might explain the relatively-inexpensive subject matter. Even though characters like The Invisible Man aren't exactly buzzwords these days, the designers at NetEnt have managed to make them, well, cool.
The Invisible Man is a five reel and twenty pay line video slot that offers wins in both directions. If you aren't familiar with the source material (which first premiered in 1933, after all) the main character is a scientist who loses his mind in search of an invisibility potion. The Invisible Man slot includes two different bonus rounds, as well as a special feature called Walking Wilds, a free spins round, and a few other goodies.
The first bonus round is called Griffin's Rage. In this game, you're tasked with finding Dr. Griffin (in his invisible form) as he hides in three different spots. Your ability to find him leads to different prizes, most of which are multipliers and free spins. NetEnt doesn't include a lot of skill bonuses, but this is certainly one. The better you are at finding clues, the more you'll win. The other bonus round is a traditional pick'em game in which the prize is anywhere from a few dozen to a few thousand credits.
Frankenstein was NetEnt's first release in the Universal monsters series. The success of this release was what prompted NetEnt to spend more time and effort (and money) on the other two monster games described above. Frankenstein was one of NetEnt's first licensed slots, which is appropriate, since Frankenstein's monster is easily Universal's most famous movie monster.
It uses the now-familiar five reel and twenty pay line system we'e talked about in the other two monster games. The plot is identical to the plot of the old Universal movie – a hideous monster is created, he escapes and attempts to connect with people, they try to destroy him. The burning windmill scene in this game is just beautiful, by the way.
This slot's base game uses NetEnt's only Lightning Wilds feature – each wild ignites a spark that may turn into a bolt of lightning and create two, three, or four more wild symbols. The game's Windmill bonus scene, which depicts the end of the film and the death of the misunderstood giant, rewards a huge amount of free spins and multipliers, but you have to land three Windmill scatter symbols with a max bet in order to trigger it.
Aliens: The Video Slot
It shouldn't surprise anyone that lots of NetEnt's most-popular slots are licensed games. Licensed slots are popular – and why shouldn't they be? They take products and brands we know and love and build an interactive game around them that could actually make us rich. It's a win-win situation.
Aliens: The Video Slot was produced in conjunction with 20th Century Fox, and is based on the James Cameron films. The slot puts you in the boots of a space marine tasked with finding and killing deadly aliens on their creepy home planet. The game finds you doing things like scanning for alien life, blasting attacking critters, and taking out the hive of the alien queen. Because it tells such an immersive story, you move through several different screens. It has huge replay value, and a lot of appeal to sci-fi fans AND fans of horror.
Aliens is a five reel and fifteen pay line video slot with a three-tiered bonus system based on the game's level hierarchy. In other words, this is an awful lot like a video game. Each level leads to a boss scene. All three boss scenes pay out different amounts of free spins, multipliers, and other bonuses. Max bets range from $1.50 to $150 per spin, making it perfect for a variety of bankrolls.
Cosmic Fortune
Cosmic Fortune was the first progressive slot designed by NetEnt. The theme of the game seems to be a reference to the old Space Invaders–style video games of the Atari era. The game reminds us of old alien monster movies with cheesy special effects. Cosmic Fortune was released in November of 2014, with a series of five tiered jackpots, two of which are progressive.
The game's Avalanche bonus rewards instant credit prizes, and the game also uses multiple wild symbols and scatters. But those aren't the most appealing aspect of the game itself. That would be the five jackpots. The first two are worth $1,000 and $2,000, at a fixed rate. Then there are the Midi, Major, and Mega Jackpots, which grow progressively larger. You trigger these jackpots by landing different combinations of wild and scatter symbols on active reels with max bets.
The Midi jackpot tends to hover around the $6,000 mark, while the Major jackpot pays out at around $20,000. The game's Mega jackpot pays out around the $150,000 mark, though at least one lucky winner has earned seven figures in a single payout.
We're not totally sure why NetEnt fans like Dragon Island so much. Maybe it's the Win Both Ways system, not common at NetEnt games. Maybe it's the fantasy theme – dragons are always popular. It could also be because NetEnt produces attractive games with high replay value and cool bonus features, and Dragon Island is appealing just for that reason.
How does Win Both Ways work? Rather than working to form combos from left to right only, this game rewards payouts for symbol combinations from right to left, as well. This game is set up to double all winnings earned for combos made up of five symbols, and it works in both directions. It's a unique feature, one that you won't find on many other NetEnt titles, and it means that big combos pay out way more than on an average NetEnt machine.
This is a typical NetEnt video slot, with five reels and fifteen pay lines. Unlike most of the other titles on this list, there's no real plot or involved story to this game. It's one of NetEnt's few classic-style games with video scenes, so the replay value is a bit limited compared to other games with more complex themes. The symbols themselves are gorgeous, as are all the animations of dragons soaring around and breathing fire. Throw in a free spins feature, multiple wild and scatter symbols, and great audio effects, and maybe it's not so odd that a game without much plot would be one of the company's most popular titles.
Steamtower
This video slot tells the classic "genie in a bottle" story. The game's major appealing feature is called the Wish Master Feature, in which the game's titular genie escapes from his bottle when the player spins enough scatter symbols, activating the bonus pick'em game that leads to huge instant credit prizes. We think the frequency of this and other bonus features, and the simplicity of game play, are mostly responsible for this game's high position in the hearts and minds of NetEnt fans.
This game includes tons of little mini-scenes and bonus features that lead to 2x and 3x multipliers and the addition of new expanding wilds to the screen. This game even occasionally hands out an entire wild reel, which is activate by tallying points on a special spin counter. As an added bonus, all of this game's features are eligible for re-trigger. That increases the excitement and replay value.
This game accepts wagers in denominations between $0.01 and $0.50, with wagers of up to 200 coins per spin. That leads to a max bet size of between $2 and $100. That means it's not exactly a low-roller slot, since most of the game's best features require a max wager.
The Wish Master
Based on the animated show of the same name, South Park is as much an institution of the NetEnt library as the show it's based on is for Comedy Central. This is a twenty-five pay line slot and five reel slot featuring all the familiar characters from the original cartoon series.
The game is made interesting by the use of each character for a unique bonus round. You can help Cartman hunt hippies, gather credits with an exploding Kenny, earn free spins with Kyle, and kick footballs with Stan for a shot at re-spins and expanding sticky wilds. Basically, the name of the game is to play for these bonus rounds, at least one of which (kicking footballs) is a skill game.
During the game, the characters pop up, with quotes from the real show, video and animated clips from the original series, and some pretty foul language that makes this game at least PG-13. These mini features add additional wilds and other goodies to the screen, increasing the replay value of the game and providing more frequent bonus payouts.
NetEnt produced this video slot version of the classic children's fairy tale with the same attention to detail they pay their licensed titles. It's a gorgeous game that no doubt remains popular just because of its graphics.
This is a five reel and twenty pay line slot that follows the classic story of Jack and his pursuit of fortune. It's a typical five reel and twenty pay line NetEnt arrangement, which hands out lots of free spins and uses both Stacked and Walking Wild symbols. Walking Wilds shift over to the left on all re-spins, and they also pay a 3x payout multiplier when they complete winning combos.
The plot of the game is furthered by the collection of keys, which you unlock by spinning wild symbols. Every key you collect also unlocks larger bonus rewards and payouts. The game's main appeal in terms of features is its collection of wild and scatter symbols, which make for a ton of on-screen action and bonuses.
Glow Touch
One of two brand-new releases we included on this list, Glow Touch is a rebranding of a game NetEnt licensed exclusively to a customer a few years ago. The new version of Glow translates the game for mobile customers, and adds a few new design elements. NetEnt is using this game's release to introduce what we hope will be a long series of new mobile titles with mobile-friendly features.
Glow is a five reel and fifteen pay line video slot that accepts wagers between $0.15 and $150 per spin. The theme, such as there is one, is the Northern Lights. Glow (along with other NetEnt titles Spark and Element) is all about pretty visuals, glowing light effects, and haunting melodies. You won't find a bonus game or a progressive jackpot. Instead, Glow is meant to act more like an interactive art piece or a video game. Plus, you can win access to a free spins feature, and the game's wild doubles increase wins and complete winning combos.
What we love about the Touch series is the little details that NetEnt has worked into the games. These new features are optimized for mobile play – you can play in either landscape or portrait mode, you can dim or raise the game's lights, and you can customize everything about the game from an intuitive touchscreen interface. Plus, all the game's features (including wagering) take place on sliders, a feature that should be familiar to mobile gamblers. It's a beautiful game, if a little bit simplistic.
Guns N' Roses is one of NetEnt's newest games, and we included it here because we're sure it's going to be one of their most-popular titles in no time. NetEnt has been releasing new games by the half-dozen on what seems like a monthly basis since 2015, many of them to great fanfare. But none have had as much buzz as this release, the first-ever licensed slot featuring the likenesses of the real band members.
Guns N' Roses is a standard NetEnt design, a five reel and twenty-five pay line video slot stuffed with bonus features. The game's triggering symbols are a series of animated scatters, many of which require a maximum wager in order to trigger a bonus feature. You can set your credits to values between $0.01 and $2 each, and since the game's max wager is 200 credits per spin, your actual max bet ranges between $2 and $200 per spin.
The main feature of the game is the Crowd Pleaser Bonus. This is a glorified pick'em game, but we like it because it provides rewards in a three-tiered system, and because it takes place on a second screen. Basically, you're picking songs that lead pick free credit prizes. Your possible winnings increase as you move up the different tiers.
With awesome video and audio effects, a theme that appeals to men and women of all ages, and licensed material from the real band, we expect big things out of Guns N' Roses. We hope to see more band-themed slots from this company. Who'd you like to see next? The Rolling Stones? The Beatles? We don't think any theme is out of reach of the designers at NetEnt.
NetEnt is not the best-known name in the gambling industry. That may be changing. The company is shuffling its Board of Directors and executive management, making inquiries into mergers and acquisitions, and expanding their mobile gaming catalog – all signs of increased expansion into new markets. At the time of publication, NetEnt's games were available at just over 100 online casinos worldwide, usually as part of a hybrid collection of games from multiple providers.
The fact is, NetEnt produces top-quality games with gorgeous graphics and high replay value. They're starting to produce more licensed games and porting more of their titles to mobile format. In short, we expect a lot more out of this company's library, the best-kept secret in the online game design industry.