Operators pull Amaya-supplied Marvel slots
Amaya's licence with comic book owner Disney expires causing 888 and others to withdraw games
Operators offering Amaya-supplied Marvel-themed slots games have been forced to withdraw the products after the supplier’s licensing deal with rights owner Disney came to an end, eGaming Review understands.
The withdrawal of the games follows Disney’s decision to distance itself from the gambling industry with the studio having last year confirmed it would honour but not renew existing licensing deals.
Disney inherited a number of licensing contracts, which include agreements with the likes of Playtech and Amaya-owned Cryptologic, as part of its US$4.6bn buyout of Marvel in 2009.
And it is the recently expired licensing arrangement with the Amaya subsidiary which has forced a raft of operators to pull the plug on popular games such as Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Thor and Incredible Hulk.
Last week Amaya licensee 888 informed its customers that it would be withdrawing its Marvel games collection in the “near future”, with the operator understood to have gained a slight extension to its deal.
The operator revealed it would fill the void left by the Marvel games in the coming months with plans to launch another series of comic book-themed slots already underway.
The remainder of Disney’s Marvel contracts are expected to expire in the next two years with Playtech one supplier with some time left on the clock.
Playtech has been one of the main suppliers of Marvel slots since 2009 when it launched its first Iron Man and Incredible Hulk-themed games. Last autumn the company unveiled Spiderman: Attack of the Green Goblin as the latest addition to its Marvel collection.
Amaya was unavaiable for comment at time of publication.