Published on 15th May 2012 by Becky Mosley

Interest in retro arcade games has been quietly but steadily rising for well over a decade now, with a whole new generation discovering the quaint charms of the classics many of us enjoyed in our youth. With less technology to work with, the designers really had to make an effort to get the best from what they were working with, and the effort often shone through, with games like Pac Man, Asteroids andDefender – and, of course, Space Invaders captivating millions worldwide.

And so – as was bound to happen – a Space Invaders-themed slot is coming your way, courtesy of Freemantle Media who’ve signed a deal with Square Enix Ltd to produce the game. Freemantle have previously licenced, branded and developed slots based on other popular commercial themes, like The X-Factor, Family Fortunes and The Price is Right, so it’s a pretty safe bet they’ll get the formula right, though the reality of creating a slot based on an arcade game remains a rather peculiar one as it’s not believed to have been done before and represents a landmark cultural crossover point – and consequently a risk for Freemantle…

Whether or not there will be any skill involved remains unclear, though with the game’s ranks of alien intruders moving in ordered lines it’s easy to imagine the format working well in a 5 row reel structure.