Microgaming announces its new games for February that will launch simultaneously on mobile and desktop with cross platform free games and in-game achievements.

February 8th sees the arrival of the Chinese New Year, and what better way to celebrate than with a Dragon Dance. A five reel, 243 ways to win game, Dragon Dance boasts rich and colourful imagery, from elaborate lion costumes to dazzling dancing dragons. The dominant use of red and the splash of gold throughout the game is in keeping with the overall theme.

15 free spins are awarded when three or more scatter symbols appear on the reels, during which, the background of the game changes to purple to emphasise positivity. Free spins can be re-triggered, and during the feature, each win is tripled. Meanwhile, the base game features reel respins, whereby the player can choose to respin a reel as many times as they like, at an additional cost, with the chance of completing a win.

Watch the Dragon Dance promotional video:

Also launching in February is the fun and light-hearted Bikini Party. Based on the sandy side-lines of a beach volleyball game, Bikini Party embraces bold graphics with an energetic pop soundtrack, transporting players to the ultimate beach party. The game’s reel respins feature in the base game combines high risk with the potential reward of big wins. In addition, players can win up to 60,000 credits during the retriggerable free spins feature. Bikini Party is a 5×3 reel, 243 ways to win game that is sure to pique the interest of a wide player base.

Watch the Bikini Party game promotional video:

Neill Whyte, Head of Product Channels at Microgaming, comments: "Our February game add-on shows our continued commitment to deliver dual-release games, enabling players to be entertained wherever they decide to play and on whichever device they choose."

Available on the download, Flash and mobile platforms, all games will go live to Microgaming and Quickfire operators on 3rd February 2016.

Hot as Hades, a 5 x 3 reel, 20 line slot, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the popular Greek mythology theme. Hades, with his flaming hair and cheeky grin, takes centre stage as he embarks on an adventure to Mount Olympus with his three-headed sidekick, Cerberus.

Hades presents players with plenty of winning opportunities, including the super mode free spins feature, triggered at random in the base game. Five free spins are delivered with three held wilds at a 2x multiplier.

Bonus games:

Three or more scatter symbols trigger the Quest for the Crystal Helm, a pick-bonus trail offering wins of up to 100,000 coins. During the five-level bonus feature, Hades must outsmart Medusa, Poseidon and Zeus to uncover the Crystal Helm.

Hades’ journey to each destination takes the form of a mini-film. Featuring 3D graphics and cutting-edge animations, the slot showcases Microgaming’s dedication to push the boundaries in game creation. And the game’s soundtrack and varying orchestral scores during the bonus rounds, adds depth to the game and brings the characters to life.

Hot as Hades launches to operators 8th July on the download, Flash and Quickfire platforms.

Mike Hebden, Head of Casino Games at Microgaming, comments: "We’re very proud of our Hot as Hades slot. We’ve combined a popular theme, the highest quality design work and a perfectly balanced slot engine to create what we believe is a flagship game. After months of hard work, we’re incredibly excited for the game’s launch and we hope our operators’ players enjoy playing the game as much as we enjoyed creating it!"

Also launching on the same day is Chainmail HD. The game has been updated to HD quality and had added-features, such as free games and achievements to enhance the players’ experience. In addition, new mobile games for July are Party Island and Supe It Up.

NetEnt, the leading digital entertainment company that provides online gaming solutions to the world’s most successful casino operators, is transporting players back to the ’80s with its slot, Neon Staxx.

This new release, built in HTML5, is a 5-reel, 4-row video slot with 40 fixed bet lines. It includes the SuperStaxx feature, giving players the chance to revel in massive stacks of symbols each time they spin the reels.

Demo:

Neon Staxx has been created with a mobile first mind set ensuring that players have the same superb Staxx wherever they play.

It has 8 regular paying symbols, with extra pay-outs on wilds and the chance to win up to 20 Free Spins, where the random stacked symbol will always be a high paying "Predator Symbol" or a Wild.

A synthesizer inspired sound-track puts the finishing touches on this retro instalment.

Simon Hammon, Chief Product Officer of NetEnt, comments: "Neon Staxx is packed with glistening visuals that are brought to life by a memorable synth soundtrack. Whether playing at home or on-the-go, players will enjoy the same high-quality experience of 80s retro in their search for big wins."

Microgaming is celebrating 10 years of its Lara Croft: Tomb Raider™ online slot.

Having signed an exclusive deal with Eidos for the Tomb Raider brand in 2004, Microgaming has the longest-running brand partnership in the industry. Through this agreement, Microgaming launched the world’s first branded online slot, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider™.

Upon its release the slot was an instant hit. But more importantly, it has remained a highly popular game for an entire decade.

High in demand and in anticipation of the explosion of mobile gaming, in 2006, Microgaming developed the branded game in J2ME for use on mobile. Web App, Android and HTML5 versions followed, extending the game’s reach across mobile and tablet devices. The game was also configured for use in a tournament environment, when Microgaming launched its multi-player software in 2007.

Following the success of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider™ online slot, in 2008 a hotly-anticipated sequel was released, Lara Croft: Secret of the Sword™, sending players on a brand-new mission to track down fragments of a lost sword.

Roger Raatgever, CEO of Microgaming, comments: "The Tomb Raider brand is instantly recognisable, so when we signed the licensing agreement back in 2004, we were incredibly excited. As the industry’s first branded slot, we knew the game would be popular; it has now become a Microgaming classic!"

Sheriff Gaming has long been at the forefront of developing new and ingenious online slots games. They are credited with being the leader of the pack in the development of 3D slots – that is slot machines that rely heavily on 3D animations and witty, humoristic videos to wide appeal. However, their eventual move into the mobile gaming market has long been awaited, and now it finally appears as though it will become a reality.

Sheriff Gaming this week announced that they would be unveiling two brand new mobile casino games at the ICE Total Gaming event in London at the ExCel between the fifth and seventh of February. The two new titles are also believed to have a future in the online casino market also.

Any online games developers move into the mobile casino market would always have been big news, but that it is Sheriff Gaming is remarkable, given the nature of their 3D slot games. Rumours are already rife that the games are just as good graphically and entertaining as much as the original online casino slot releases are, despite rumours that mobile phones won’t be able to handle the graphics and animations required to run Sheriff Gaming slots.

The new titles released by Sheriff Gaming will be run under the SMARTTM brand, which currently offer games via Android, iOS and HTML5 technology platforms already. It is widely thought that the move has been made to further make Sheriff Gaming stand out from already existing developers of mobile casino games. Sheriff Gaming has already gained this reputation due to the uniqueness of their online slot machine games (in regards to the genre they develop).

None of the new mobile slot machine games demos have been revealed at the moment, though reports have surfaced that state that the two slots will be called Spartania and Amsterdam Masterplan. The exact specifics of the way these new 3D mobile gaming slots will run is also being kept closely under wraps, although it is through that Sheriff Gaming will incorporate bonus games of some sort of another into the overall game play of their mobile slots. The latter of the two titles is believed to be based on a heist in Amsterdam, as best as can be understood, which Spartania having a wheel of fortune based bonus game of some kind.

Both of these new online slots are hugely anticipated and Sheriff Gaming’s competitors in the market will be looking on which keen and eager eyes to see what Sheriff Gaming can do in the mobile gaming industry with their first attempt.