This is the first in a series of weekly updates from SlotCatalog‘s SlotRank leaderboard, which highlights the popularity of online slots based on casino lobby position. This week, the focus is on the UK market and NetEnt‘s latest blockbuster
The last week saw NetEnt’s latest blockbuster video slot Narcos holding its early position in the SlotRank leaderboard, only falling slightly as the game continues to slug it out with big names such as Play’n Go’s Book of Dead and Big Time Gaming’s Bonanza.
The positions in the SlotRank leaderboard are calculated on a daily basis by scanning the lobby positions of hundreds of online slot titles across hundreds of online casinos in a wide range of markets.
The table above shows that NetEnt continues to dominate the high positions on the leaderboard, with its 2012 release Starburst yet to be toppled from the number-one position. (It is worth noting that this week, however, Bonanza has ousted Starburst from the pole position in the Netherlands!)
With Narcos having been released only a matter of weeks ago, it will be interesting to see whether its early surge in popularity will sustain – fuelled by its association with the as Netflix series of the same name – or if it will fall away.
Bryan Upton, Director of Games at NetEnt, celebrated the games success: “Narcos has been very successful since launch, exceeding our expectations. As always, there is huge pressure when creating a branded slot to do the original content justice, and to please the legions of fans attached to the brand.
“We are confident that Narcos has lived up to the anticipation from fans, and it has been fantastic seeing the feedback from players.
“In particular, we have experienced considerable success in the United Kingdom, where the original TV series was also such a hit. With its gripping gameplay and exciting story, Narcos has experienced an exceptional launch and we look forward to its prolonged success.”
Bonanza, one of the most recent releases in the top five – albeit still launched three years ago, back in 2016 – has consistently maintained a spot in the top five in the UK, and appears to be striking the right balance with players.
In fact, it is a feature of the SlotRank leaderboard just how many older games remain firm fixtures in casino lobbies across the UK. This can be demonstrated by the graph below which shows recent lobby positions for each of the top five slots.
The graph above shows the recent dramatic rise in the NetEnt title following its release last month, with Narcos hitting some early heights and keeping pace with the established heavy-hitters.
Elsewhere in the table, new releases Beavis & Butt-Head from Blueprint and Stormcraft Studio’s Dragon Shard have climbed the table well, coming in at number 7 and 8 respectively. Immortal Romance from Microgaming is still holding on to a top 12 spot, while Extra Chilli from Big Time Gaming just missed out on a top 5 slot.
CasinoBeats‘ weekly SlotRank report is delivered in collaboration with SlotCatalog
