An Overview of Eyecon the Company and Their Titles
This iconic gaming software company was founded more than twenty years ago, in 1997. Eyecon must therefore count as a veteran in this fast moving industry. This was, after all, right at the very dawn of online gaming. Its first steps into the fledgling world of the online casino came in the dying embers of the 20th Century, in 1999. Ever since then, the company has been at the forefront of the industry, producing many classic games which have truly stood the test of time, becoming seemingly everlasting player favourites.
Online casinos, like many other fast moving industries, tend to be slaves to the latest trends. Games go in out of fashion very quickly: from the latest craze to yesterday’s games in what can seem like the blink of an eye. But this is something which rarely seems to happen with Eyecon games: they seem to have a knack for producing timeless classics which even the biggest names in the business would die for…
Their very first online slot remains a popular favourite to this day, and forged the way for countless imitators. Indeed it could be argued that Eyecon created an entire genre rather than just a single game. Temple of Isis was released way back in 2013, and was the first major Egyptian themed game, leading the way for dozens of pharaonic follow-ups from copycat rivals. Yet it remains, in the eyes of many of the genres devoted followers, the original and the best.
But this was not a one-off. Many subsequent games are equally long lived and remain mainstays on many of today’s Jumpman casinos. These include iconic titles like Fluffy Favourites, released in 2006 and other long lasting titles of this era, such as Shaman’s Dream and Sugar Train.
One of the hallmarks of the success of this outfit has been their ability to develop excellent follow up games too. A bit like some of the Hollywood movie franchises, some work better than others. For every Godfather or Alien style success story, there is always a Police Academy Umpteen cash-in to spoil the sequence, but Eyecon sequels more often hit the spot than not. Secret Garden 2 was preferred to its already excellent predecessor by many, and the many spin-offs from Eyecon’s perennial favourite Piggy Payout have kept the “franchise” alive. The recently released Puggy Payout must take the prize for humorous but appropriate re-jigs. I’m lees sure about Kitty Payout, but then I’ve always been a more keen on canines than cats.
More than two decades, and it is clear that the company have concentrated more on quality than quantity. Nevertheless, there are still more than seventy games on the Eyecon roster. Most are compatible with play on any kind of device. Even the early classics have been remastered for play on smartphones and tablets, so more youthful players can also enjoy these games as their predecessors did in decades gone by.
Eyecon is no ordinary company, and it certainly does not have a run of the mill history either. It was formed in the glamorous location of Brisbane in Queensland. Australia is the birthplace of many of the world’s leading games studios, and the company retains a major development office there to this day. But it has since become a truly international company, having set up a new office across the other side of the globe. In 2013, the company decided to branch out from their modern, glitzy tower filled homeland of Brisbane to the golden beaches and more home-spun charm of the UK Channel Island of Guernsey!
In fact, they liked it so much that they are now headquartered there. Personally I would have thought that the weather is better in Queensland, but clearly there are other advantages to being situated in the more temperate climate of the English Channel. But its European based workforce need not fear the chilly aspect of their new location: a further office has been also set up on the more amenable Mediterranean island of Malta. The company employs a total of around fifty employees across its three offices.
February 2017 saw a further major development in the Eyecon story, as it was acquired by its bigger rival Playtech. The total cost of the takeover saw Eyecon valued at around £50 million. This arrival under the umbrella of a major international player will hopefully see further investment in Eyecon’s talented games development team, without affecting their innovative creative abilities.
Eyecon games are licenced via the UK Channel Island of Alderney’s Gambling Control Commission. This means that their games are fully regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, and can therefore be regarded as safe to play for United Kingdom based players.