How a modest town in Nottinghamshire, England, has become a leading hub for iGaming technology
Source: Piqsels
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire, with a modest population of around 30,000. It lays claim to being on the ancient “Great North Road”, which is England’s A1 motorway. Although it often sits in the shadow of its more illustrious neighboring towns and cities like Nottingham and Lincoln, Newark is now firmly on the radar as an industry leading hub.
Just a stone’s throw from Newark’s bustling Lincoln Road high street is the headquarters of Blueprint Gaming, which has rapidly become not just a UK-leading iGaming software developer but one of the most successful studios in Europe. The company initially started out with the ambition of developing innovative new slot games for land-based machines from 2001 onwards. However, they rapidly switched their attentions to the burgeoning online and mobile casino scene following the improvement of broadband connectivity and the emergence of smartphones and tablets.
Source: Piqsels
Early stage success attracted a big-money buyout
The German Gauselmann Group acknowledged the future potential of the Blueprint Gaming team and moved to acquire the studio in 2008. The Gauselmann Group now comprises over 14,000 employees worldwide and continues to acquire some of the sharpest independent iGaming development studios on the planet. In 2020, Gauselmann Group secured a majority stake in another UK-based iGaming studio, Bede Gaming, which has also supplied the biggest iGaming operators since 2011.
The in-house developers at Blueprint Gaming have cemented their place at the top table of the iGaming development scene by keeping their fingers firmly on the pulse of popular culture in their target markets. Earlier this year, the company launched a new take on the hugely popular Deal or No Deal slot franchise, with its “Golden Game” featuring a unique ‘Cashpot’ system during base game spins, as well as a win multiplier trail to enhance the gameshow experience. Some of their other recent slot releases have paid homage to old-school video game franchises like Donkey Kong Country, with the King Kong Cash slot featuring similar animations and branding, as well as the 2D King Kong trail feature that flows like the classic Nintendo platform game.
The iGaming industry is exploding at a rapid rate on a global scale. It’s also becoming part of the conversation stateside as more US states seek to legalize and regulate their own online gambling markets within their own state lines. With compliance an increasingly hot topic of conversation, due to the leading iGaming jurisdictions placing significant importance on the protecting the integrity of consumers, Blueprint Gaming has stolen a march on many other iGaming studios in recent years.
The studio had the foresight to secure licensing for its online slots and table games with the most reputable iGaming jurisdictions on the planet – the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). The latter is considered the European hub of iGaming, while the UKGC is moulding the future of the UK’s iGaming sector which could eventually have significant implications on the US market.
Blueprint recently teased the impending launch of yet another pop culture-inspired slot, The Goonies Return. This 1980s reboot is a sequel to Blueprint’s original The Goonies slot. The team at Blueprint clearly ‘get’ what online slot entertainment is all about in 2021 and The Goonies Return is a prime example of this. With the addition of new voiceovers and character animations, it allows Goonies fans to immerse themselves even more in the cult classic. The future looks bright for Blueprint Gaming.
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