Fans of Relax Gaming cannot relax any longer, because the game provider just announced a huge development for their games.
On September 9th, the game provider posted a sneak peek to their LinkedIn page of a new betting option targeted at slots fans.
They said in a post, “Get ready for a brand-new bet option that lets slot fanatics significantly boost their chances of triggering their favourite bonus rounds.”
The gaming giant continued, “High-stakes spins, more excitement, and extra ways to win… all in one feature!⚡💰”.
Their post concluded with a sneak peek at their new feature, which they call Bonus Reels.
What Is Bonus Reels?
In the sneak peek attached to their post, the gaming giant describes the new feature as the place where ‘chance meets choice’. Essentially, Bonus Reels are an in-game purchasable betting option where slot fans can try to increase the chances of triggering the Bonus and Super Bonus symbols by removing all of the existing symbols in-game.
Various symbols with the word Bonus appear in-game to highlight that one of the two bonus options was triggered.
When Will Bonus Reels Be Released?
While they did provide a revealing sneak peek into the new feature, Relax Gaming remained tight-lipped about a release date, only teasing that Bonus Reels is “coming soon”.
Why was it made?
The ‘why’ of Bonus Reels is subjective. Could Relax Gaming be trying to keep gameplay fresh, or are they trying to appeal to customers demanding more bonuses? Who knows! Bonus rounds in slot games are entirely popular because of winning potential, so by designing a feature that increases the chance of triggering them, Relax Gaming is saying to their slot fans, “Hey, look what we’ve done”.
And no, we aren’t complaining.
Could Relax Gaming Be Targetting UK Users?
One theory on why the Bonus Reels feature could have been made is to target UK users. There’s no confirmation yet on whether the feature will be available to UK players, but it’s possible it was designed to work around the difficulties players in restricted countries face when trying to buy a bonus.
Indeed, bonus reels existed before the creation of this feature. They were first in the game provider’s Money Cart game series. However, the big difference is that these were built as standalone games, rather than a feature included in the game which players can opt-in for.
So what does the UK have to do with this? Well, the Money Cart games were made to target UK audiences who could not access bonuses in their predecessor series, Money Train. In Money Train, the Bonus Buy feature was banned from the UK market.
Interestingly, their LinkedIn post about Bonus Reels implies this kind of feature is an entirely new thing, even though it is built on the existing feature seen in the Money Cart series.
In Money Cart, there are no base game wins or paylines. Instead, the reels reveal tumbleweeds or purple bonus symbols to be with the chance of triggering the free spins bonus round.
Bonus Reels: Why This Is Important
While it may seem like this is just another bonus feature added to slots, it is more than that. Online slots are constantly changing and are built on interactive and innovative mechanics. You have free spins with modifiers, cascading reels, and even the explosion of Megaways mechanics that take slot gameplay to a whole new level.
A betting option that is designed to target bonus-triggering features puts the choice back in the player’s hands. Slot providers are moving towards this trend by providing new options to allow players to customise their gameplay.
Look at Pragmatic Play’s Ante Bet feature, a feature that allows players to double their bet, also to double the chance of the free spins bonus. Or the general bonus buy feature in a lot of slots, which lets players buy their way into the bonus round, such as Money Train 2, also by Relax Gaming, and Fruit Duel by Hacksaw Gaming.
Takeaways
Whether Bonus Reels will just be another way to trigger bonus symbols with a betting option, we don’t know. Relax Gaming hasn’t released the specifics on how the feature will work yet. However, it is a good thing. Many studios have been experimenting with allowing players more choice in slot games recently. We hope we get more information on Bonus Reels soon!
