The History of Microgaming and What Makes This Provider Great
Microgaming is probably the most recognized name in the online casino world when it comes to software and games development, and it's for a good reason - they have been shipping out high-quality slots and casino games, in large numbers, for well over two decades now. The company has been running since 1994, and the history of Microgaming is replete with quality products, industry-changing innovations, life-changing payouts to players, and consistent company awards in various categories. When it comes to understanding the best features of the company, it is important to know the history of Microgaming, where they came from, and the philosophy which has helped push the company to the forefront in its niche.
About Microgaming
At its core, Microgaming is simply a company that focuses on developing slots and games for online casinos the world over. The company started operations all the way back in 1994 and is currently based in the offshore location of Isle of Man. It has been developing games since the mid-'90s of the 20th century, and also kept pace with the times by coming out with the first mobile casino software in 2004. The company makes its revenue by partnering with leading online casinos around the world who host games built, tested, and deployed by Microgaming. The company is also a founding member of e-COGRA (or e-Commerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance) which works to audit entities to ensure game integrity and fairness in casinos and casino games. They have also been rated as a great place to work and they also do their CSR bit for the local community by focussing on education, sport, and health via its charitable initiative "PlayItForward".
Microgaming - A Brief History
The history of Microgaming starts in South Africa when company founders, including Martin Moshal, entered the software development space back in 1994 (when even the internet was in its infancy, never mind online casinos!). It started off in a small way, initially launching very few titles as there weren't too many takers in an industry that still very much hadn't taken off yet. However, it wasn't until 1998 when the company launched the game Cash Splash (the world's first progressive jackpot) that players took a shine for casino games online. The fact that a huge sum of money was potentially available at the click of a button may have had something to do with it, but there's no doubt that Microgaming's quality, development, and marketing of the game propelled it to get popular. The next roadblock was getting people's trust to put their money online, and the history of Microgaming has a proud achievement in setting up the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) which helped regulate the industry. This aspect of building trust for customers and providing them with a safe and secure platform to play on was further enhanced when Microgaming helped found eCOGRA which is now the standard-bearer for online casino fairness and integrity. The early years in the history of Microgaming also saw the company run an online casino (they are now software providers exclusively). While they did not continue with running a casino for too long, Microgaming games have consistently set records for the highest jackpot payouts over the years.
Microgaming Products and Innovations
Microgaming's products include slots, table games, bingo games, poker games, live dealer games, sportsbooks, and a few other B2B solutions for online casinos. Their portfolio consists of well over a thousand individual games and is the envy of every other game developer. While most of their games have superior quality in them, some have stood out and become incredibly popular. One of the best known among them is Mega Moola - simple, easy to play, and has a reputation for paying out several multi-million jackpots over the years - this game is quite simply the most played slot game in the industry today, which is saying something given the number of individual games that are in play. The company also has games with licenses from hit franchises such as Tomb Raider, Game of Thrones, many Marvel-based games, and others. In addition to online slots, Microgaming has also branched out into making other casino games such as bingo and poker (the latter via their own Microgaming Poker Network (MPN))
The company does not only churn out plenty of great games. The history of Microgaming has a reputation for innovation as well - from developing the first slot game with over 100 playlines, to making games where players can upload their own graphics into the game (My Slot), to making more games multi-player, to featuring Virtual Reality in their games in recent years, Microgaming is one trail-blazing provider of online casino games.
The Future of Microgaming
Not one to rest on their laurels, Microgaming continues to push the boundaries and put out some great games (averaging at least 4 new titles every month) and also lead the way in innovating new games. A recent innovation has been their "slots" game called Hold 'Em Poker which combines traditional poker play with all the benefits of a progressive jackpot. In the future, the company will continue to innovate while consistently giving out great games, and they also have an eye on the greater good by increasing their stake in the Responsible Gambling section of the industry. All that one case say is, thank God for Microgaming - the online casino industry would have been much poorer and much behind in its evolution without them.