The Lord of the Rings needs absolutely no introduction, neither as a trilology of bestselling books by J.R.R. Tolkien, nor as a blockbuster movie trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson and winner of 17 Academy Awards. And so I found it super that Microgaming, one of the most original and innovative online casino game software groups out there, decided to adapt the Lord of the Rings to a video slot game.
I doubt very much that Tolkien imagined Frodo the Hobbit spinning insanely on slot reels when he wrote the books during the 1940s, but the fact that the characters of the books and movies have become virtually household names and are considered popular enough to have video slot games based on them, should prove to be a compliment for the late Oxford professor.
Microgaming went all out in its marketing campaign in the gambling world before the game was actually introduced at its partner sites, such as Ladbrokes Casino, sending out tantalizing press releases, providing peak sneaks of the game and building the release up to quite a climax. Fortunately, the game has proven to be exactly what the software giant promised – a slot game of massive proportions, with amazing entertainment features and the potential to pay out big time.
What everyone seems to love about the first video slot games in a planned series, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, is the fact that Microgaming has managed to make it look so mainstream. Through its newly developed Cinematic Spins software, Microgaming showcases background cinematic film clips throughout the game playing session, so that the excitement of the original movie can be enjoyed from the first spin of the reels.
There is something to be said for adapting popular titles and characters to casino games. Software groups have long realized that the more familiar players are with their brands, the more they will be attracted to the game. For that reason, software groups such as Microgaming and Cryptologic spend literally millions on licensing deals so that they can create new games out of popular movie characters, comic book personalities and even live singers and actors.
The Lord of the Rings has been part of the industry for over a month already and it is clear that Microgaming’s bet has definitely paid off!
Check out the game over at Ladbrokes by clicking the image below:
Tags: lord of the rings, microgaming, Slots
