NextGen Gaming

Founded in 1999, by Tony McAuslan, NextGen Gaming began its journey in Sydney, Australia. At the time the company was mainly focused on games for land-based casino operators.

At the turn of the century, the Internet was beginning to boom, and online casino, poker, and betting sites were starting their explosive growth. This presented a new opportunity for NextGen to branch into this high-growth and competitive arena. With a focus on building the highest quality games, the company began to create a name for itself.

In 2006, a deal between NextGen Gaming and the industry titan Microgaming was signed, which would see NextGen games distributed through the Microgaming network. This deal gave NextGen immediate access to a massive audience and put them firmly on the map.

Then, in 2011, Nextgen Gaming saw the fruits of its labor come to fruition when the company was acquired by NYX Interactive, another iGaming industry leader. This deal set the stage for NextGen to expand into more markets and ramp up its growth. In 2018, NYX was bought by Scientific Games. In 2021, Scientific Games Corporation sold off its lottery division and rebranded as Light & Wonder.

By early 2023, NextGen Gaming was integrated with almost 900 online casinos and betting sites, some of which include:

NextGen Gaming is a well-respected brand that is committed to fair, transparent, and responsible gaming. The company is licensed and regulated in multiple jurisdictions including:

• United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC)
• Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
• Alderney Gambling Control Commission
• Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
• New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement

In order to attain these licenses and regulatory approvals, NextGen Gaming has to adhere to strict standards and criteria. This also includes having all their games and RNGs tested and certified by independent auditors like iTech Labs.

NexGen also works with the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) and eCOGRA to further ensure that everything is above board and most importantly that players can have full confidence that NextGen is ensuring a safe and responsible approach toward gambling.

Awards

NextGen Gaming has demonstrated over the years its ability to innovate and develop amazing technologies and games. Their success is not only illustrated by the strong brand and following they have built, but also by the numerous awards they have won over the years.

Some of their key achievements include:

• 2012 eGaming Review B2B Awards – Best Social Gaming Supplier
• 2013 eGaming Review Awards – Best RNG Casino Supplier
• 2014 EGR B2B Awards – Best Mobile Gaming Provider
• 2017 Global Gaming Awards – Digital Gaming Innovation of the Year

NextGen Gaming focuses mainly on classic slots and video slots. They also have a range of progressive jackpot slots, and they have dabbled with table games, scratch cards, and video poker, but it is rather clear that slots are their strength.

As can be expected, all their games have exceptional graphics, stunning animations, unique and innovative features, and captivating storylines that engage players.

From the casino operator’s perspective, they have the ability to tailor certain aspects to meet the demands of their business and players.

Besides supplying their games to operators, NextGen licenses some of their games and technology to casino industry leaders like Bally and Aristocrat, as well as online giants like Playtech and Microgaming.

At the time of writing this review, NextGen Gaming boasted a catalogue of almost 300 games, which is quite impressive. While NextGen is not quite the scale of MGS, they are still a fierce contender.

Best NextGen slots you may have come across:

Foxin’ Wins – Launched in March 2013, this slot has gained iconic status as one of the best NextGen slots. The game was so successful that it led to an entire franchise of Foxin’ Wins games, including:

• Foxin’ Twins
• Foxin’ Wins
• Foxin’ Wins Again
• Foxin’ Wins: A Very Foxin’ Christmas
• Foxin’ Wins: Football Fever

Jackpot Jester – This 3-reel classic slot with fruit symbols, looks exactly like the old-school slots you would have found in Las Vegas 20-30 years ago. There are various progressive jackpots to be won, but the Jester Jackpot pays a whopping 50,000x. The fact that NextGen could capture the essence of playing a classic slot machine in a Las Vegas casino clearly has a large appeal to players, but we’re certain the monster jackpot prize also plays a role.

Medusa – This is another iconic slot in the NextGen stable that sparked a whole franchise of games, including, Medusa II, Medusa II Jackpots, and Medusa Megaways. This Greek mythology-themed slot brought with it a new gaming experience when it was launched back in 2014. With each new Medusa release over the years, they got better and more sophisticated, but in 2019, Medusa Megaways made its debut and took the game to a whole new level.

Gorilla Go Wild – This 5-reel, 25 payline slot is another winner from the NextGen labs. With its cartoonish monkeys and wild jungle imagery, this slot is packed with fun and features. The success of this game led to the sequel, Gorilla Go Wilder.

Shangri La – Set in a mythical Himalayan location with a temple and waterfalls in the background, this slot has a strong fan base. Probably the biggest attraction of this game is the 7 bonus features, including free games, super free games, chest bonus, trail bonus, and more.

Witch Pickings – What kind of sorcery is this? It’s like NextGen was using magic when they created this 5×3 slot. At first glance, when you see the mystical fairytale-style theme with cute witches, cauldrons, and cats, you might be surprised that this slot is such a hit. But, once you start playing, and experiencing the features, it becomes clear why Witch Pickings is so popular.

Xing Guardian – Xing Guardian is a 1,024-ways-to-win slot with a Chinese theme. One of the features that really make this slot game, is the Locked Reels feature that can fuse up to 5 reels together. There is also the Rise of the Dragon feature that randomly transforms 1 or more reels into wilds. With an RTP of 97.01%, this is one hot game, that is loved by players.

Pillars of Asgard – Any avid slots player will have come across this title. NextGen really upped the ante with this slot. Traditionally, Megaways slots have 117,648 ways to win, whereas Pillars of Asgard has a whopping 1,000,000 ways. Yes, one million ways! There are plenty of Norse Mythology-themed slots out there, but with a base game layout of 6×4, that can expand up to 10 rows high, combined with the insane number of ways to win, you start to understand how NextGen got their game to stand out from the crowd.  

300 Shields – Saving one of the best for the last! 300 Shields has consistently remained one of the most popular

NextGen slots of all time. If you ever watched the legendary movie “300”, then you will instantly identify with the Spartan warrior theme behind this one. This action slot has loads of features, and when players are done “crushing it”, there is the sequel 300 Shields Extreme with even more NextGen magic in it.

Mobile Gaming

The fact is we’re living in a mobile-first world now, which means essentially if any gaming company wants to succeed, the user experience on mobile needs to be flawless.

NextGen Gaming is certainly no stranger to using the latest technologies and innovation. All NextGen’s games have been perfectly optimized for mobile and desktop browsers, which also means no need to download and install apps.