Recently, quite a few sequels to popular slots not on Gamstop have been launched, so we’ve taken a look at which ones have been the best so far.
Since non-GamStop casino is a young industry, it is only in the last few years that sequels have become relevant and the game manufacturers have stepped up with it.
Every month there are now new sequels where some are a clear improvement on the original while others are not and thus disappear among all the thousands of other slots.
Sequels started a few years ago with the most popular slots, but now the game manufacturers have let go a bit and also tried to improve slots that have not been quite so successful.
It is still positive that the trend is now so big that they don’t always have to bother with it. An improvement on slots that players like is an excellent idea in our opinion.
Why Do Non-GamStop Developers Make Sequels?
Every week of the year game makers try to come up with different variations of slots and it’s a tough task. There are thousands of casino games and creativity really has to flow constantly with the different providers to try to be unique and come up with the next hit.
When they make a sequel to a slot, at least they don’t have to come up with a new theme, new characters, and symbols for the game, and that makes the process easier. They don’t need a new angle and a new feature or two that might have been missing from the original.
Piggy Riches & the Sequel Piggy Riches Megaways
A sequel to a previously successful slot will most likely get a good and visible position with non-GamStop casinos and will be played extensively by British players after it has been launched. Then, it’s up to how entertaining it is if it will continue to be played after the first month and thus become a huge success.
Money Train and Money Train 2
It is easier to make a sequel than to invent a completely new concept and in addition, it gets some free marketing at the start so it is very logical that today we see so many sequels being launched.
Which Slots Sequels Have Succeeded?
The sequels that have been received best by non-GamStop casinos’ players are unsurprisingly also the ones that have had the most successful originals.
To be considered a successful sequel, it has managed to remain in the list of “Popular slots” at non-GamStop online casinos even after the first month when most sequels get a good position.
We have chosen to mention four sequels that have been successful and that have been played and, with a strong assumption, will be played extensively in Sweden for a long time.
Gonzo Quest Megaways
The sequel to Netent’s pioneering slot Gonzo’s Quest with the Spanish adventurer Gonzo’s hunt for riches. The original came out in 2011 and takes place in the Inca Empire in the 16th century and Gonzo tries to find the lost city of Eldorado which, according to myth, would be full of treasures.
The slots were the first to come in 3D and the first to use the Avalance feature where winning symbols are blown away and replaced by new ones. This is a feature that has since been used in hundreds of other slots.
The sequel was made with the Megaways feature which meant a bigger playing field, significantly more paylines and a max win that went from almost 2,000x the bet up to over 20,000x the bet. The castles got a little more of everything while the theme with Gonzo remained and it has really hit home with the players.
Gemix from Play ‘N Go was launched in 2015 and became one of the game manufacturer’s great successes. The game is a colorful world of candies, rainbows and tons of features.
You win by matching symbols in clusters and the winning symbols disappear and are replaced by new ones, which means that you can win several times during the same betting round. That is also the goal in Gemix. The more times in a row you win, the more features you trigger.
In April 2021, the sequel Gemix 2 was launched and it can still be found among “Popular slots” at several of the Swedish online casinos. In the sequel, they have of course kept the feeling of fairy tales and Candyland where the colorful is still at the centre, but it is prettier and more modern than the original.
The player’s goal of winning as many times in a row as possible to trigger features has also been retained, but a couple of new features have been added that elevate the game. Again, keeping the concept, but doing a little more of everything, is a recipe for success. The maximum win has gone from 4,500x the bet to 7,500x.
Starburst XXXtreme
Together with Gonzo’s Quest, Starburst is Netent’s two most successful slots. Since 2012, when it was launched, Starburst has had a given position among “Popular slots” at pretty much all non-GamStop casinos, and it doesn’t look like it will be lost from there for quite some time. Starburst shows that the simple can be just as entertaining as a slot with multiple features.
In the game, there are only two features. You win by matching symbols in paylines from both left and right and the Starburst feature which is an expanding wild that gives re-spins. It is very easy to understand and play Starburst which is played out in space as the name reveals.
2021 saw the long-awaited sequel named Starburst XXXtreme. It has kept the same game plan and the same theme, but it has done the unexpected and gone from a simple slot with a modest max win of 500x the bet, which is one of the lowest we find among slots, to the biggest max win we find.
In Starburst XXXtreme you can win 200,000x the bet and that is enough to attract players all by itself.
Dead or Alive 2
This is an example where the sequel has not only lived up to but handily surpassed the original. Dead or Alive was launched by Netent in 2009 and is a real Western slot that was popular with sticky wilds as the main feature and a max win of almost 14,000x the bet which was very impressive at the time. It was a classic slot on the market for the 10 years that passed before the sequel was launched.
Dead or Alive 2 launched in 2019 and has largely taken over the position from its original. A lot has happened with the development in 10 years and it was therefore no surprise that the sequel with the popular Western concept that NetEnt has done so well with Dead or Alive would now get a successful sequel.
It is prettier, it has kept the theme and the increased maximum profit considerably. Starburst sequels have certainly taken over the record since then, but the max win in Dead or Alive is 111,111x the stake.