An Introduction to Barcrest Slots
A classic British company with a history to be proud of, Barcrest has had a place on the gaming and arcade scene in the UK for over 50 years. Many of the classic fruit machines in amusement arcades and roadside entertainment complexes will have been created by the team at Barcrest. The company has roots in Manchester and quickly developed as one of the country’s top providers of fruit machines and similar gaming terminals.
Manchester-Born Fruit Machines and Classic Arcade Systems
Barcrest was founded in Manchester in 1968, with the aim of providing fruit machines to bingo clubs, pubs and amusement arcades around the United Kingdom. They were officially the country’s biggest provider and manufacturer of fruit machines within a few years. They grew consistently throughout the 1980s and soon became a leading provider of machines across Europe, especially as they developed the more advanced MPU machines. Utilising motherboard cards allowed machines to have more skill-based and boardgame-inspired features, helping them stand out from the more classic, “lever-style” fruit machines on the market. Trail bonuses and special features mimicking classic board games and similar became a hallmark of Barcrest’s style and quickly became popular with other designers and games machine manufacturers too.
Since its inception Barcrest has been subject to a number of acquisitions by other brands within the company. It remained the market leader in offline and physical machines into the 1990s but as gaming moved online, big players in this sector saw their value too. The company was first bought out by larger firm in 1998, when International Game Technology (IGT) took on the brand to push themselves forward in the European market. Barcrest continued to develop their own branded games during this time.
The next big change came in 2011 when IGT decided to sell the company onto Scientific Games. The deal, worth approximately £35million, was part of a huge development by Scientific to push forward their digital offering. Barcrest was bought alongside popular slots giant Bally, allowing Scientific to establish themselves as a market leader in slots and game development.
Innovative Games Cabinet Technology
Barcrest continue to offer cabinet technology and online slots option. Their latest developments include stepper cabinets and they’ve ensured that the graphics and visuals offered are in line with the latest you could expect for digital games. Their cabinet styling continues to stand out for the right reasons with top glass, backlit button panelling and traditional mechanical arms for authentic stepper experiences. They also utilise the latest technologies within their cabinets, to ensure speed and success of game play. Processors such as the CPU-NXT® 3.2 allow for the fastest gaming experience and quick reel spins.
Beyond games cabinet technology, the company became known for innovation in new ways. They are responsible for one of the world’s most popular slots, Rainbow Riches, and they also launched the first ever community game in 2009, with the launch of Rainbow Riches Party. It is one of the biggest names in the video slots sector and has remained so for over 10 years since its launch.
Scientific Digital Developments
Scientific Games launched their dedicated digital division incorporating Barcrest and a range of other leading and innovative brands. Barcrest have remained central to the SG Gaming UK brand in particular and as part of SG Digital, their slots are available and designed alongside those from other well-known brands such as WMS Gaming and OpenBet. Their parent company has nine in-house development studios altogether, allowing for some of the most exciting games in the industry to be developed and distributed.
What’s next for Barcrest?
Manchester’s most famous slots and gaming company has benefitted from their latest move, with more scope to launch exciting new games and machines as part of the SG brand. New slots launched include titles such as Burn ‘Em Up and Pyramids of Giza, and the consistent stream of quality games shows no sign of stopping.
With over 50 years in the industry, the company has continued to innovate and keep both their land-based and digital offerings at the forefront of technology and design. This is a company that players can expect to see much more of as they keep launching new games and utilising their combination of experience and commitment to the latest developments in each new launch.