Published on 5th June 2012 by Becky Mosley

Microgaming’s industry-leading Lord of the Ringsbranded slot has been removed from play at all casinos using it until further notice, following a legal dispute.

This will come as a bitter blow for the industry-leading software giant, as the game is regarded by many as their best, and a fitting response to criticism levelled at them to the effect that they are lagging behind rivals like Playtech and Net Entertainment when it comes to branded movie tie-ins.

The game used music from the original score and featured swooping shots of Middle Earth playing behind the reels as they span – which could be reduced in opacity using the trademarked Cinematic Spins feature to afford players a better view of the movie scenes whilst playing if they wished. There was even a link to a pooled progressive jackpot as well, making for a truly epic experience.

The nearest thing to the game in terms of branding, animation and sound was the War of the Worldsslot developed by Ash Gaming, famous for their fine detailing which was used to great effect on that game – though Ash, sadly for Microgaming, are now owned by Playtech, which will make the situation even more painful.

If there’s any consolation it’ll be that the Cinematic Spins idea will work on other games too, so the development costs won’t have been totally wasted. Players can at least expect to see that technology reappearing soon, possibly in Microgaming releases this year such as The Dark Knight…