The online casino market used to be all about standalone games, designed to grab players’ attention through their originality and unique features. Now, the tides have shifted, with players clearly seeking more familiarity than ever before.

As the online casino industry has expanded, it has given rise to the franchise model in the slots market. Now, studios are focusing on expanding their most popular games to give players different ways to connect with a franchise. This could all be inspired by the wider entertainment industry and the streaming era.

Sequels Are All the Rage at Online Casinos

If you look through bustling online slots lists, you’ll notice a common theme that has arisen over the last few years. There are now more sequels and spinoffs than ever before, highlighting players’ desire for new ways to enjoy their favourite themes.

The Paddy Power selection of slot games, for instance, includes various new franchise instalments. These include Big Bass: Return to the Races, Age of the Gods: God of Storms, and Midas Golden Touch 2. In fact, a large proportion of the fresh entries to the market are sequels of spinoffs, showing how studios have figured out that this is the best way to give their games a chance of success.

What’s even more interesting is the fact that a lot of slot game franchises are now spilling over to other categories of online casinos. Age of the Gods now has a live roulette version, meaning that people who enjoy table games can enjoy the series as well.

Could be Inspired by Streaming Era

There’s a strong chance that online casino studios have been inspired by the streaming industry, where the franchise model has come into its own over the last decade. Viewers now have countless ways to connect with their favourite series, which often spread out across other media.

Game of Thrones was a leader in this regard. Along with regular new seasons every year during its run, it was also represented in books and mobile apps. After it finished, it inspired the House of the Dragon spinoff, giving people a new way to enjoy Westeros. Other franchises have followed this model, realising that offering more content can be a good method of bringing audiences in and getting them to check out existing content. The Walking Dead is currently doing this with its three spinoffs that succeeded the flagship show.

Online casino developers could also be gearing up for the rise of new technological advancements with their series expansions. By getting players used to ongoing series that span different game categories, it could prepare them for virtual reality spinoffs when that platform begins to have an influence. That could be on the horizon, as Grand View Research predicts that the VR market will be worth $435.36 billion by 2030.

The series trend in the online slots market could be a result of the growing audience in the industry, with developers realising that familiarity is the best way to attract the masses. It could also be to do with the streaming era, which has brought about a widespread franchise trend.