Leaked: NetEnt Pulls Street Fighter II Slot Amidst Responsible Gambling Concerns
Sweden's top online gaming supplier NetEnt suspended the newly launched Street Fighter II slot machine nearly right one week after the launch.
As reported by eGaming Review on Friday, May 29, the decision follows "internal concerns" related to responsible gambling issues and the players' staking behaviour.
These would appear to be connected to the particular staking mechanics NetEnt included in the game, with bet sizes changing as players get close to bonus rounds.
At the time of publishing the article, the new Street Fighter online game is still available on the NetEnt official website, where players can try it in a free demo version.
As of Friday morning, however, the game is no longer listed at any of the top online casino sites that offer NetEnt slots.
The leaked internal e-mail message posted below, and a statement from NetEnt's Head of Communication Victor Melander confirm the decision to take the game temporarily offline. The next steps — which include the possibility of a new release — will be announced after the conclusion of an internal investigation.
Dear Customer,
We have identified a potential situation whereby player staking behavior could impact the intended gameplay experience on our recent release Street Fighter™️ II: The World Warrior Slot.
Please be assured that to date the game has been performing within the expected parameters in respect to the certified math model and RTP on a network level.
We have taken the decision to implement the following steps:
1: In the coming hours, we will temporarily disable Street Fighter™️ II: The World Warrior Slot in production.
2: Our teams have already identified a fix that will prevent this issue from occurring, and we are in the process of implementing this. Once this game is certified by our test house, we will make it available to you.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused, and rest assured we are working hard to get this game back up and running for you as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding, and should you require any further information please reach out to your Account Manager.
The Best New Slots is Now…Pink Elephants 2!
Right after its release, the Street Fighter slot machine climbed to the top of PokerNews's curated list of the best new slots to play online.
The NetEnt game combined elements of gambling games with all the most distinctive traits of the beat 'em up game launched by Capcom in 1991.
From the roster of fighters that iconic characters like Ryu and Chun Li, to all the moves that made Street Fighter II one of the most played video games in history — the gambling iteration of the franchise turned out to be an exciting and superbly crafted one.
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