The 2022 Bigwinboard Awards Winners: Here are the Results!
The ballot boxes are closed, the votes have been tallied, and the results are in for The 2022 Bigwinboard Awards. Before getting to the winners, let’s build up a bit of suspense by saying 2022 was another cracking year for online slots with a stack of top releases from a wide range of software providers. Judging by the results, the competition was a lot more even this year compared to the one-sided dominance on show in 2021. This year, a number of developers of varying levels of experience have stepped up to stand out in a hugely competitive industry.
The online slot market is packed with choices, and the list gets larger with each passing year. Creativity blossoms, new ideas are explored, graphics improve, audio sharpens, and winning potential mushrooms as the online gambling experience progresses. Through it all, Bigwinboard has been here reviewing the year’s stand-out slots, as well as some of the lesser desirable ones, to help players navigate the crowded market to find the right game.
Whilst we have had a ton of fun doing so, we also take the review process completely seriously and strive to convey honest opinions as straight up as possible. This attitude extends to The Bigwinboard Awards, which have grown to become the most influential and highly anticipated awards in iGaming. This is partly due to Bigwinboard’s hard-earned reputation and partly because winners are chosen by players rather than industry execs. To ensure fairness, each vote is strenuously assessed and checked, both manually and automatically, using things like IP, timestamp, posting history, and user agent, to filter out abnormal voting methods.
This year, there were two award categories – Game of the Year and Provider of the Year. Nominees were selected through a mix of player input plus statistical research from in-house and third-party sources. The result saw 15 games developers and 25 games battle it out for the top spot in their respective categories. So with that said, let’s take a look at who you picked as your champions for 2022.
Game of the Year
Taking out the top spot was the third instalment in Relax Gaming‘s mega-hit series of locomotive-themed slots – Money Train 3. From the moment Money Train 3 was announced, the hype was phenomenal, and after the success of Money Train 2, there were big boots to fill. Through a freight train of incredible audio-visuals, finely tuned features, and double part two’s potential, Money Train 3 filled those boots and then some.
Coming in at number two was Nolimit City‘s Western extravaganza Tombstone RIP – a follow-up to the studio’s breakthrough release Tombstone – which plumbed new depths of grim despair. And boy did players lap it up. Well, a certain type of player, perhaps, since Tombstone RIP’s ruthless brand of entertainment can feel like a spur to the shins at times. However, its cinematic quality, fiery features, and colossal 300,000x max win clearly proved irresistible to many.
Hitting the number three spot was Push Gaming‘s hugely popular release Big Bamboo. It was one of those games that might not have been as visually striking as the two games previously covered, but it had a way of burrowing itself under the skin through its compelling gaming. Big Bamboo rolled together recognizable Push Gaming elements with new parts to create one of the studio’s most highly polished slots.
Creeping its way into the number four spot was Hand of Anubis from Hacksaw Gaming which had the sort of graphics that commanded attention – whether viewed on full screen or glimpsed in a screenshot. Once attention was grabbed, the game did not let up, pouring on some of the heaviest atmosphere experienced in a slot while delivering equally absorbing gameplay on the side. Egyptian slots might be one of the most common kinds out there, but none are like Hand of Anubis.
Rounding out the top five is Folsom Prison from Nolimit City. Not exactly a strict sequel, Folsom Prison was a jail-based game that followed in the footsteps of San Quentin xWays, which incidentally was Game of the Year at The 2021 Bigwinboard Awards. Folsom Prison was a classic Nolimit City style of release – heavy, grim, brutal, potentially rewarding, and rife with cockroaches.
Game Provider of the Year
Drum roll, please, while we announce Game Provider of the Year, which is none other than… Nolimit City! After getting more than 18% of the vote to take out the title last year, the studio carved out even more this year, with an astonishing 20.66% of voters judging Nolimit City to be the best of the bunch. What can we say that hasn’t been said before? Nolimit City continues to be unafraid to go where others dare not while dragging players, kicking, screaming, and holding on for dear life along the way.
Up next, perennial favourites Relax Gaming managed to pip the second spot on the list. The studio’s reputation would probably have been secured if it had just released Money Train 3. However, Relax Gaming proved to be consistently good in 2022, dropping one original playable release after another while setting up a brand new progressive jackpot network called Dream Drop on the side. Taking out the next three places, in respective order, was Hacksaw Gaming which has come along in leaps and bounds from its scratch card origins, ELK Studios, again consistently dropping solid releases, and Pragmatic Play rolling in to take out the number five spot, after a hugely productive year.
Wrap Up
So, there you have the best of the best of 2022, as voted by our esteemed readers. Let us extend a warm thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the awards and for sharing the journey through 2022 with us. We’re looking forward to joining you as we see out the rest of the year and ring in 2023!
