When you think of online gaming, a few geographical hotspots might spring to mind. There are the hundreds, if not thousands of casino operators based in places like Malta, Gibraltar and Curacao. Then there are the hubbubs for software developers and game studios, we're thinking of North America, London, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. But rarely, in the world of internet e-gaming, does China factor in to the equation - that is except for the software company Yoyougaming.
Established in 2009, this team of game creators from China is has emerged during a surge of interest in the Asian betting markets, offering a growing catalogue of video slots and 3-reel slot machines. There are currently dozens of titles credited to Yoyougaming, many of which present interesting themes and bonus gameplay features. However, the company does appear to have a limited online presence with no functioning website and they have been absent from their social media pages since 2014, which hardly suggests that this is a thriving games studio with aspirations to make it to the top of the business.
This software company came onto the scene back in 2009, a time in which the online gaming industry was beginning to make way for smaller, independent game studios from outside of the established order. Ostensibly, Yoyougaming were one of those outfits. Hailing from China – a country in which non state-regulated gambling is illegal – this team of game-makers enjoyed a booming couple of years as it grew an impressive games catalogue, including casino games, slot machines and lottery games, some of which held progressive jackpot gameplay and mobile optimised interfaces.
For all of the promise of those initial years, it appears as if Yoyougaming has disappeared off the face of the internet. Their website is, for lack of a better word, inaccessible. Meanwhile, the company's Facebook and Twitter pages haven't shown any signs of activity since July 2014. Therefore, it would seem as if all is not well at the Chinese software company. However, after doing a bit of digging, we discovered that the CEO of the company, Mr. Kevin Li, began a new e-gaming business under the name of Inteplay in 2014. So, for the time being at least, Yoyougaming is on the back burner.
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Despite all of that, it is possible to find a selection of games by this Chinese software company on the web. Most notably, there are a select few games from Yoyougaming hosted by the up and coming Odobo platform – a third party software service which allows game studios to build and distribute their game concepts with full mobile compatibility. Furthermore, spinners who are interested in playing some of this game studio's games for real money will find a full range slot machines listed in the lobby of Casino440 – a small scale online casino which doesn't exactly have the same stellar reputation as some of the bigger names in the trade.
As for the games themselves, Yoyougaming throw up a very mixed bag in terms of themes and styles. And that's not necessarily in a good way. For a start, the three slots that are available to be spun on the Odobo platform – Fire Dragon, Gold Dice and Lucky Dice – all take on simple themes with dice based symbols and minimal use of animation or bonus features. Admittedly, the 5-reel game Fire Dragon does boast an impressively designed dragon image upon the arcade style gameplay interface and like their games, it's a slot machine with an automatic spins feature. But other than that, there is nothing particularly spectacular to report back on.
It does get better, though. That is because spinners can find selection of more extravagant slots with some interesting themes and unique bonus play. There is Dragon Ball, for example, which on the surface may appear to be just as simple as some of the games mentioned above with its 3x3 grid filled with minimalistic Chinese character symbols. However, the game is quite intricately conceived from a gameplay point of view, with 8 paylines that go horizontally, diagonally and vertically across the reels. Plus, players can unleash a bonus prize as well as some free spins if they play the game right.
Despite what you might think, there aren't too many other slot machines which take on a distinctively Asian theme. That is expect for the 5-reel video slot Mid-Autumn Festival, which honours the annual Chinese and Vietnamese celebrations in which traditional Chinese lanterns are lit while mooncakes and cassia wine are consumed. This game helps to get players into the party mood with some free spins and 4 classes of progressive jackpots to be won. Naturally, it's a popular slot with casino players in Vietnam as well as China.
Other than that, the only game left with a specifically oriental vibe is Mahjong 13, which is based on the popular Chinese pastime. Likewise to Dragon Ball, this game has 8 paylines laid out in all directions across the 3x3 grid with a chance to win free spins and bonus prizes.
So, quite ironically, you'd probably find more Chinese themed games from other software companies than in the Yoyougaming repertoire. Nonetheless, the China based company has taken on plenty of other themes from around the geographical and historical world. There are titles such as North Pole, the Lost in Africa online slot, and Penguin Adventure for players who like to spin up some wildlife based action. Or if you're more of a history buff, then there are some oft-visited ancient civilisations in video slots such as Anubis, Mayan Code and Age of Discovery. If you want to go even further back in time, then you can skip over ancient civilisations altogether and try out some prehistoric spins in Last Dinosaurs.
One thing that could be said about Yoyougaming, is that they definitely don't take themselves too seriously when it comes to designing their games. That is because there are plenty of weird and wonderful offerings from the Chinese game developer. First of all, there is a whole spate of feel-good themes such as the 3-reel fruit machine slot game Lucky Cheery. And then there is Lovely Smile, a somewhat inexplicably conceived slot machine theme which is centred on a gang of little mushroom characters. Who knows what the game designers were thinking when they came up with that one?
It's not all happy-go-lucky in the novelty department, however, because there are some games with a decidedly devilish twist, such as Satan's Treasure, Halloween Night and Ghost House. Other notable themes include the racing games Hurricane Speed and Underground – both of which are 5-reel slots with 20 paylines and progressive jackpots.
It can't be denied that Yoyougaming serve up all sorts of interesting themes which will surely satisfy every spinning taste. However, there are some recurring trends in the company's catalogue of slots, chiefly when it comes down to gameplay and bonus features. In fact, pretty much every 5-reel game that the developer offers has the same set-up of special symbols; a scatter which pays bonus prizes, a scatter which awards free spins, a wild symbol, and a progressive jackpot paying scatter. Not that we're complaining, it just might become a bit repetitive playing the same bonus features in each and every game.
If it's inventive bonus features and innovative gameplay you're after, may we suggest you try the free Nolimit City slots, or Quickspin slots across the pages of VegasSlotsOnline?
As far as software companies go, this one is hardly going to be challenging for the top spot in any award categories anytime soon. In fact, the company may have missed its chance altogether, since after an early flourish of activity, the outfit appears to have been inactive, making way for the CEO to focus on another software project. Nonetheless, there are some Yoyougaming games out there to be spun and, even though they may not offer the most spectacular graphics in the gaming world, they sure do exhibit some feel-good themes and big win potentials with progressive jackpots.