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In October 2019, the partnership between Bluberi and WWE was announced – marking the entrance of iconic wrestling characters into casino slot games. While brand licensing in the gambling industry goes back into the 70s, WWE hasn't been part of that market at all until earlier this year. New products for wrestling fans will be available at Vegas casinos and online starting October 2020.   

WWE will try to hit the jackpot in Video Slots

Bluberi is the first casino game developers to secure a partnership with WWE. They're known for famous Ancient Egypt, Majestic Phoenix, as well as American Beauties slot series. Mark Starzynski, CEO of Bluberi Gaming Canada, said in a recent interview SoloAzar during the latest G2E Las Vegas show: «The WWE is non-stop content, there are hundreds of special events held by WWE from which we will source content for our games. »

The technology company is already among the top 10 Casino Solution providers. Now on track to expand in the United States and Canada, including a big push on California, Washington, New York, and Florida markets. From a financial standpoint, this partnership allows WWE to create a new line of merchandise and gives Bluberi video slots and edge over other established providers. So far, these games can use the likeness of John Cena, Ronda Rousey, Triple H, Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, and Hulk Hogan.

WWE in Slot Gaming

It's common for slot machine developers to create licensed games. Examples of this go as far as the Wheel of Fortune TV show in the early 1970s – they rely on themes and bonus features to attract players who happen to be casual fans of a property. Libraries of video slots often feature iconic characters, movies, and folk stories on the roster. Lately, customers turn their attention to thaicasinohex.com and no registration. The best part is that online pokies combine the fascinating gameplay and graphics with free spins mechanics. It was the matter of the time when WWE will join the iGaming market and will contribute to thematic slots for fun.

As Senior Vice President of Consumer Products for WWE Sarah Cummins put it, «Partnership [with Bluberi] will allow players to engage with their favorite WWE Superstars and Legends in casinos across the country in new and exciting ways. » 

The iGaming market in the US alone is around $240 billion – it was only a matter of time before WWE started monetizing its license in Vegas casinos. Because the entertainment franchise has many events every year, we can expect multiple games with unique mechanics. Bluberi will likely release a WWE slot machine featuring Championship titles, as well as separate smaller games centered on rivalries, exclusive matches, and stories. 

WWE in Video Gaming

WWE videogames have been around since the SmackDown series started in 2000. Published by THQ and picked up by 2K Sports after their demise in 2013, it had 21 installments to date: 

• 2000-2012 SmackDown / Raw series published by THQ

• 2013-2019 2K Series published by 2K sports. 

They are available cross-platform on PC and consoles. These games feature WWE Legends and allow players to create custom characters. Stories are built around career mode and follow wrestlers into booked matches that will enable players to improve stats and customize appearances. 

All games since Smackdown were created by a Japanese developer Yuke's, except the latest installment, which was handed over to Visual Concepts studio. WWE 2K20 sparked controversy with this sudden studio change and rushed development. It was poorly received by both players and reviewers, holding record low scores compared to other WWE titles. As Ben Wilson from GamesRadar put it, «WWE 2K20 plays like a work-in-progress demo that's yet to be stress-tested - but there's a decent game somewhere under the hot mess. » 

Conclusion

As far as the latest videogame controversy is concerned, that's a separate market entirely unrelated to Bluberi efforts. Slot games don't have the complicated development cycle of videogames – they don't need to integrate 238 wrestlers and a story mode into the game for it to be accepted by the players. 

Expectations and demographics between slots and videogames are different. Slots are more likely to be played by casual WWE fans who also happen to be into gambling, while videogames require more learning, engagement, and investment into the culture. 

The entry of WWE into the casino market isn't going to affect your average fan but means a lot for the brand. Slot games might be just another installment in the long list of WWE merchandise, but it's also one of the few interactive elements of it. This kind of exploration won't stop at real Vegas slots and will also extend to online games.  

And with how integrated the modern online gambling is, it's safe to assume we'll see new ways to bet on wrestling matches and various casino experiments shortly after first Bluberi slot machines in October 2020. In the long run, we're looking at WWE-themed social casino titles as well as mobile games featuring wrestling Legends. 

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