The iGaming industry has seen more than its fair share of technological innovations and breakthroughs in the last couple of decades, but few have had such a transformative impact as the Megaways slot game engine.
Released onto the online casino scene in 2016, the Megaways mechanic reimagined the way we look at how online slot games work. Instead of adopting fixed paylines on the reel grid, which is the traditional approach to designing a slot game, Megaways slots dispensed with tradition and opted for games where no paylines were needed whatsoever.
How on earth is this possible?, we hear you ask. Well, instead of creating symbol combinations on paylines, Megaways slots require players to create “clusters” of matching base game symbols instead. These groupings of matching symbols can be made on adjacent rows and reels, with most Megaways slots requiring a minimum of five or six symbols in a cluster to succeed.
Megaways’ Arrival Onto the Slot Gaming Landscape
Australian iGaming software studio, Big Time Gaming (BTG), conceived the Megaways game engine in 2016. Dragon Born was the inaugural BTG slot to be powered by the Megaways mechanic, but it was Bonanza Megaways, unveiled soon afterwards, that catapulted the concept into the slot spotlight.
Bonanza Megaways was the first slot to demonstrate the fluidity of this innovative mechanic, with dynamic reels altering the number of rows per reel. That’s the beauty of the Megaways game engine, as every spin has a different number of active Megaways.
The amount is determined entirely at random using decentralised and independently certified random number generators (RNGs). The amount of available Megaways is dynamic because the number of active rows on each reel changes with every spin, as determined by decentralised RNGs. One reel may have three rows, the next may have six rows and the next may have four rows and so on. The variability of its gameplay allows for all kinds of potential symbol combinations, creating a whole new wave of unpredictability in slot game sessions.
The Licensing Boom for Megaways Slots
It didn’t take long for iGaming developers to acknowledge the true potential of the Megaways game engine. Software studios were quite literally falling over themselves to try and secure a deal with BTG which would enable them to design and build their own Megaways slots under license. This move has been a commercial masterstroke for BTG. Soon, some of the biggest slot developer heavyweights like NetEnt, Red Tiger and Blueprint Gaming were building slots powered by the inherent Megaways game mechanic.
BTG’s decision to license the technology to a multitude of slot studios didn’t just expand the Megaways slot portfolio but it also enabled a more diverse suite of slot themes and bonus features. Today, the leading online casino platforms dedicate their own online slots categories to Megaways slot titles, alongside other popular slot categories, including progressive jackpot slots and slots released exclusively for specific sites.
The Megaways Slots in Vogue in 2024
The enduring nature of Megaways slot titles is what makes the technology such a big deal in the iGaming industry. Even the original Bonanza Megaways slot title remains one of the most played Megaways slots worldwide. It’s an all-action mining-themed slot, with explosive bonus features including free spins and progressive multipliers.
Extra Chilli Megaways is another red-hot slot that’s been given the Megaways treatment. With a definite Latin American flair, there’s the same reel dynamic as the likes of Bonanza, as well as free spins and pick’ em bonus screens.
BTG’s decision to license out the Megaways technology has also enabled it to collaborate with other slot developers to add a fresh dimension to timeless slot classics. NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest was one of the first mobile-first slots released in the 2010s, as the full potential of smartphones began to be realised by interacting with online spaces. Its dynamic Megaways version has successfully kept this intrepid explorer front and centre with online casino game libraries.
Megaways’ unpredictable slot gameplay is what keeps players on the edge of their seats almost a decade on from its initial launch to market. It helped to raise the benchmark for online slot standards which can only be a good thing for any iGaming enthusiast.
