It’s a brand new year and Microgaming, together with its ever-expanding network of exclusive studios, have been hard at work ensuring clients can welcome in 2021 with some amazing new content.

Exclusive to Microgaming, the month of January is all about inquisitive leprechaun detectives, enormous gorillas, and anonymous bounty hunters.

January 5

All41studios‘ new title Shamrock Holmes Megaways was the first new game to be released via its studio partnership. The January 5 launch includes a sizeable max payout, while the high volatility 6-reel video slot also features the most famous leprechaun detective in the world! It is the first of two releases this month from the Estonia-based developer that are exclusive to Microgaming. Both of the new games employ the trademarked Megaways mechanic, which was licensed from Aussie innovator Big Time Gaming (BTG) in October 2020, and is for the very first time available on the platform.

During the base game, when a particular combination of symbols and scatters land on the reels a Magic Forest Respin is awarded, complete with a guaranteed number of trigger-based Megaways. Landing triple scatters with Shamrock Holmes and the pixie symbols showing up in the top row, sees the respin feature unleash a minimum of 117,649 ways to win.

The Irish-themed title also includes Microgaming’s Rolling Reels feature, which replaces winning symbols on the reels with new random symbols. Active during the base game, extra spins, and repsins, Rolling Reels triggers until there are no new winning combinations. Meanwhile, players who successfully land four scatter symbols trigger 10 extra spins, which start with an x2 win multiplier. The multiplier is increased by 1x with each Rolling Reels win and the max win multiplier is unlimited.

January 7:

Next up is the Wild West-inspired title, The Bounty, from Stockholm and Helsinki-based iGaming studio Snowborn Games. The reels in this Spaghetti Western adventure are filled with the mugshots of five low-down desperados. The player serves as the nameless bounty hunter, who is challenged with tracking the criminal element and collecting six matching wanted posters to hit the jackpot.

An extra spin feature is triggered when players land a trio of Ambush Bonus symbols, making it possible for them to collect unlimited win multipliers and extra spins. The Ambush Bonus begins with eight extra spins and x2 multiplier, while bullet symbols earn players extra casino spins and dynamite icons aware extra multipliers.

Jan. 12:

Estonian game studio Foxium delivers its latest title, Foxpot. This 3-reel multi-dimensional game only has one active line, as the Fox Wheel dominates the grid and operates as three bonus wheels all in one, including the Money Award, the respin mode, and the multiplier, each of which functions with a separate trigger. If that wasn’t enough, the Money Award Wheel comprises three possible jackpot awards, with the mini, midi, and FoxPot, which offers wins of up to 10x the stake. Classic fruit machine lovers will enjoy the game’s nudge feature, which is an option in both the base game and the Fox Wheel.

Jan. 14:

Independent game studio Northern Lights Gaming launches its new game, Golden Stallion Ultraways, on January 14. The western-themed title is the developer’s very first release in partnership with Microgaming. A high volatility slot, the game features wild horses running through a canyon in the Old West and plenty of extra spins. While in the extra spins mode, landing three scatters triggers the Ultraways mechanic, where reel positions split and offer double and quad symbols. The split can lead to a whopping 196,608 Ultraways.

Another new feature, the Golden Sequence, is also introduced in this game. The sequence consists of a random number of spins between 10 and 20 being chosen and displayed on the spin counter located above the reels. On each of the spins, horses stop and highlight the reels. When it gets down to the final spin of the feature, all of the reels that are highlighted will transform to either higher-paying gold symbols or golden wild symbols.

Jan. 19, 20 and 26:

Microgaming follows up with the scatter-packed Hyper Strike from Gameburger Studios on January 19. The 5×3 reel, 20 payline title pays up to 2,000x the stake and features a gold star wild that can pay up to 125 times the stake on each line. Launching on January 20 is Neko Games‘ latest title, Pachinko. This video bingo game is inspired by Japan’s favorite game, which is a cross between pinball and a slot machine. The Microgaming version captures those dynamics, swapping extra balls for extra spins, while also allowing players to locate prizes hidden behind Maneki Nekos, a Japanese figurine or lucky charm believed to bring good luck to its owner.

It’s the second Megaways release for Microgaming, with All41 Studios’ Forgotten Island Megaways which launches on January 26. The Kong-inspired game 6-reel game is loaded with features including Rolling Reels, extra reels, and Kong Spin. When the gigantic gorilla awakens, a special win multiplier is applied and unlimited during the entire feature.

Jan. 28 & extras:

Wrapping up the month is Animals of Africa from Gold Coin Studios and Roulette x5 out of Golden Rock Studios, both of which launch on January 28. They, along with 1X2gaming‘s, Whisker Jones, Lightning Box Games‘, Bondi Break, and 777 Mega Deluxe from Crazy Tooth Studio, which will be released on January 6, 18, and 21 respectively, are all contributions from just some of the Isle of Man’s industry-leading partners.

According to Microgaming’s press release, Roulette x5 is a twist on a traditional European Roulette game and is “the only one on the market that awards a ‘double your winnings’ multiplier without changing the odds for the customer.”