**Rising Trends: Gaming Charts and IP Battles**
Big Bass Halloween 2 continues to impress, having jumped from leading the Halloween charts to making an impact on the general charts last month. Meanwhile, Hacksaw Gaming’s Wanted Dead Or A Wild, although not recent, has also found its way into this month’s rankings. The ascent of these titles not only highlights their popularity but also their creators’ growing presence in the market. Play’n GO’s Legion Gold and The Sphinx Of Dead made a fleeting appearance mid-month, though most other games retained their standings.
### Top 20 Games by Distribution
Take a look at the latest trends and see the top 20 games by distribution in the interactive analytics from October.
### Spotlight on Game IP
Recent Intellectual Property (IP) lawsuits suggest a potential increase in legal disputes within the gaming industry. We’re providing a quick overview of notable cases and some high-level insights into game similarities.
In September, Light & Wonder pulled their game Dragon Train after a lawsuit from Aristocrat Gaming, which alleged violation of game mechanics and copyrights of their Dragon Link title. Additionally, Evolution Gaming is suing Light & Wonder, claiming RouletteX is a replica of their game Lightning Roulette.
In a counteraction, Light & Wonder filed a lawsuit in California against Zeroo Gravity, accusing 3 Stuffed Swine of imitating their Rich Little Piggies game. The controversy cooled when the alleged game copy was removed, leading to the claim’s withdrawal.
In Georgia, a monumental $330 million in damages was awarded to Aviator LLC, the previous Adjarabet owners, against its new proprietors, Flutter plc, and the game studio Spribe. The successful title, Aviator, is at the center of the dispute, with Flutter appealing the decision, dismissing claims as unfounded.
Legal disputes are a significant diversion from creating and distributing successful content, though protecting creative investments can be justified. Our expertise may not include IP, but recapping some of the notable game similarities from our database can be insightful.
Among the 70,000 casino games we track across 3,500 operators, over 15% share identical names with other games. Popular titles such as Gold Rush and Cleopatra are prime examples. Our [casino review of 2022](https://igamingbusiness.com/casino-games/casino-review-of-2022/) delves deeper into this topic.
There are 2,200 roulette games, half of which are live dealer versions. Approximately 40 different takes on the classic live roulette exist, with over 20 mimicking Lightning Roulette in their use of multipliers or bonus rounds from extra lucky numbers.
Many ‘multiplier roulette’ games adjust paytables similarly, often lowering the 35:1 payout to 29:1, redistributing the difference to the multiplier prize pool. With rewards up to 500 times the stake and RTPs targeting the traditional 97.3% of European Roulette, these variants are intriguing.
Pig-themed games are also prevalent, with 265 games featuring pigs, of which 46 have identical titles like Golden Pigs or Piggy Banks. Imagery and game mechanics draw legal attention more than duplication itself; Light & Wonder’s complaint includes detailed comparisons of graphics and features typical in pig-themed games.
While copying is rampant across industries, the uniqueness of original concepts, graphics, names, and mechanics often determine the severity of imitation issues. Non-productive legal battles should not overshadow genuine game innovations in the future.
Game name duplication creates challenges for databases like egamingmonitor.com, complicating accurate assignments of games to their studios. Over 10% of all tracked games lack original names, adding to these technical issues.
Such cases may involve underlying personal disputes, but innovation in game engines remains crucial. Whether it’s Megaways or innovative mechanics like ‘Roulette Up’, these differences are worth safeguarding, as imitation doesn’t guarantee success.
### Game Distribution and Partnerships
TaDa Gaming, Bgaming, and 1Spin4Win remain leaders in securing new aggregator partnerships. Everymatrix continues as the top aggregator over the past six months, but Hub88 and Slotegrator are catching up fast in new studio deals.
### The Busiest Studio Dealmakers
Stay updated for our Q3 review, which includes comprehensive data on studio performances, game metrics, and more.
Finally, please remember that these charts update monthly. Ensure the November 2024 dropdown selections match this analysis. The interactive charts exclude live and table games. Game rankings are calculated based on appearances on over 3,500 casino homepage sites. For more charts, game rankings, and filtering options, reach out to our partner, egamingmonitor.com, covering 70,000 games and 1,700 suppliers.