Big Time Gaming
Big Time Gaming is a name you have surely come across, even if you’re fairly new to the world of online casinos. Even though Big Time Gaming is still a fairly small game developer in terms of its size and number of games, they have made a massive impact in the industry. Big Time Gaming has pioneered various inventions and innovations when it comes to slots, most notably their MegaWays™ gaming engine which is licensed by many other game developers.
Beyond just their technology, Big Time Gaming produces exceptionally high-quality games that are unique with outstanding graphics and soundtracks to really capture the imagination of the player. All of this attention to detail shows that even the “smaller guys” if they focus on providing the ultimate user experience can become serious contenders amongst the “big boys” like NetEnt, Microgaming, and others.
Introduction to Big Time Gaming
Big Time Gaming was Founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson, who along with Huw McIntosh and Ian Schmidt set out on a journey to disrupt the iGaming space. All three were already industry veterans having been involved with NT Media, OpenBet, and RockStar Games.
After some years of chipping away to become a household name, in 2016 they launched their Bonanza slot which became an instant hit and put BTG firmly on the map. Interestingly, Bonanza has remained a strong favourite amongst players till today.
In 2021, the recognition of their success truly came to light when BTG was acquired by Evolution Group for €450 million. Since then, BTG has continued to grow and innovate, and its games are integrated with more than 850 online casinos. Some of the brands they work with include:
Safety & Regulation
BTG is based out of Australia and has offices in Malta. They are a licensed B2B gaming provider and hold licenses from various regulators including the UK Gambling Commission, Malta Gaming Authority, British Columbia, Gibraltar, and the Alderney Gambling Control Commission.
In order to attain licenses from these various authorities, BTG has to meet strict requirements including that their games and RNGs are tested and certified to be random and fair. Overall, players can rest assured that BTG is a reputable casino game developer.
Awards
Big Time Gaming has also won awards over the years including the Casinomeister Award 2017 for The Best iGaming Software Experience, thanks to its top-performing Bonanza slot and Danger High Voltage.
Megaways Innovation
An integral part of their rise to fame, was when they launched their Megaways™ innovation. This disrupted the market and changed the landscape in many ways. Megaways™ ushered in a new era, where slot games were no longer limited to a low fixed number of patterns or payline structures.
Instead, Megaways is able to generate up to 117,649 ways to win with every spin. Megaways was such a game-changer, that it is licensed and used by industry titans in their games, like Quickspin, MGS, Evolution, and many others.
This was just the beginning for Megaways, and since then BTG has released many innovations based on the Megaways concept including Megaquads™, Megaclusters™, Max Megaways™, Triple Reaction™, Max Megapays™, and Branded Slots™. If you thought 117,649 ways was a lot, in 2021, BTG launched the Gold Megaways slot with 1 million ways to win.
Branded Slots™
Another massive achievement by Big Time Gaming is its Branded Slots™. BTG partnered with strong brands and franchises to create slots around their world-famous games, including titles like:
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Megaways ™ – This legendary TV gameshow has been a global sensation for many years and is considered one of the most popular game shows of all time. BTG’s slot really captures the essence and vibe of Who Wants to be a Millionaire with many smart features that give players the feeling of being a live contestant on the TV show.
- Monopoly Megaways™ – Monopoly is probably the biggest and most well-known board game ever, and once again BTG has crafted a slot that goes beyond just spinning reels and gives players an immersive experience as if they are playing a game of Monopoly but even better.
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Mystery Box™ – Also based on the TV gameshow, this is more of a traditional 243-way slot, that is themed around Who Want to Be a Millionaire. There are random mystery boxes, free game multipliers, and more to keep players engaged for hours.
BTG Games
We’ve covered a little bit of BTG’s history and technological innovations, but now let’s take a look at what games BTG has to offer. You would imagine that after more than a decade, BTG would have hundreds of titles, however, at the time of this review, they only had around 70 games. Their success with such a small catalog of games clearly illustrates the concept of innovation and quality over quantity.
The BTG range of games is predominantly slots that are available in 20+ languages, giving them a massive target audience. While BTG has dabbled with some table games, it seems that their focus on slots is a sure bet.
Let’s explore some BTG games:
Gifts of Fortune™ – This is one of BTG’s most recent releases with a Chinese theme and up to 117,649 ways to win. The slot is filled with ornate Chinese lunar calendar symbols. The features include collection pots, multipliers, free spins, enhanced free spins, Win Exchange™ and Buy Bonus™
Vegas Megaways™ – As the name implies, this slot transports you to the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas. What makes this one unique is the VIP Gamble feature, where players can opt to gamble a prize won for a shot at winning up to 50 free spins. The free spins also have an unlimited Win Multiplier.
Kingmaker Fully Loaded – This 5-reel slot with Megaways™, transports players to a medieval world of Four Kingdoms. To crank up the winnings, there are gem multipliers up to 99x. With the opportunity to win up to 20 free spins with Gem Multipliers, it’s easy to understand why this game is such a big hit.
Bonanza Megapays™ – This wild west-themed video slot stems from the original Bonanza slot, which as briefly mentioned, really planted BTG firmly on the map. And, even after many years, Bonanza is still a big hit with players. Bonanza Megapays™ take the action to the next level with cascading wins, free spins with multipliers, and a progressive jackpot.
Survivor Megaways™ – If you’ve watched the famous TV reality show, Survivor, then you’ll instantly recognize the roots of this video slot. Players should have plenty to survive on thanks to Megaways™, Dual Reaction, Free Spins, 2x unlimited multipliers, and to top it off, Wild Multipliers don’t add together but instead multiply each other for bigger wins.
Star Clusters – Another game-changer from BTG! This game uses Megaclusters™. Cluster-style games became a huge hit, thanks to Candy Crush. BTG merged the concept of their Megaways to fit the cluster wins, resulting in Megaclusters™ that delivers a completely new experience for players.
Danger High Voltage™ Megapays™ – The original Danger High Voltage slot from BTG became iconic with a strong following. BTG took their hit game, gave it a refresh, and added Megapays™ Jackpots and some other great features, so it is no surprise that this slot is also a fan favourite.
Lucky Streak Mk2 – This is another hugely successful slot from Big Time Gaming. What is so interesting is that despite all the fancy themes and adventure-style slots available, somehow players gravitate back to old-school, fruit symbol slots. Lucky Streak Mk2 looks and feels like a retro slot but is packed with bonus features.
Diamond Fruits – Our list of top games from BTG would not be complete without Diamond Fruits. This cluster-style game uses the Megacluster™ game engine. Achieving 3 cluster wins in a row activates the Wild Canon Bonus that adds 5-15 wild symbols, whereas 8 in a row triggers the free spins.
Mobile Gaming
We’re living in the mobile era, so it only makes sense that all of BTG’s games are built with HTML5 to ensure compatibility across all mobile browsers (and desktops too). This means no matter if you have an Android or iOS device, you can enjoy BTG games. Big Time Gaming has also ensured that the mobile user experience is nothing less than perfect.
The Future of Big-Time Gaming
The iGaming market has been flooded with new developers and operators in recent years, and within all of those, there is sure to be the next “Big Time Gaming” that will bring a new dimension. However, until then, BTG can keep its throne as one of the most innovative casino game developers.
The fact that BTG is constantly coming up with new features and unique ideas besides just reskinning old slots (which most other developers do) is a key reason that they will continue to succeed, despite their substantially smaller catalogue of games than most of their competitors.
The one area where we think BTG could make a big impact is when it comes to crypto gambling. While crypto casinos are becoming more popular, the vast majority of the games on offer are the same as a fiat currency casino, including BTG’s games. If BTG could bring some of their inventive talents to the table, such as producing exclusive high-quality, provably fair games, it could really give the crypto games space the jolt it needs.
Overall Big Time Gaming is an exceptional game development company that has not been scared to shake things up and their gamble has paid off. We look forward to seeing what next will emerge from the BTG lab!
