ELK Studios
ELK Studios is a casino game provider that was founded in 2013 in Sweden. We will first tell you the history of this studio. Then, we will try to understand why some of their games are so popular. Finally, we will introduce you to a selection of our favourite ELK Studios slot machines.
This studio is not the first one we’ve talked about. In fact, this is already the eleventh article introducing you to various game providers. To discover more popular slot machines, feel free to read our previous articles that talk about Play’n GO, Pragmatic Play, Nolimit City, Gamomat, Push Gaming, Quickspin, Thunderkick, Booongo, NetEnt and Relax Gaming.
ELK Studios history
ELK Studios was founded in the Swedish town of Engelbrektsgatan in 2013. The town is located a little up north of Stockholm, the country’s capital. Although still rather young, this studio, which is less than 10 years old, has experienced rapid growth and success.
Barely a year after its creation, ELK released its first online slot machine. This was The Lab, which was released in October 2014. It will be closely followed by Electric Sam which was released in December of the same year. The third slot to complete ELK Studios’ debut offering arrived in May 2015 and was called Champion’s Goal.
It’s in 2015, just two years after its inception that ELK Studios recruits its tenth employee. Like many studios, the company’s main goal is to push the boundaries of the online casino industry and provide the most entertaining gaming experience possible.
At the time of writing, ELK Studios has released a total of 56 slot machines. They release new ones every month to the delight of players who enjoy their creations. These slots are available to be played on a growing number of online casinos around the world. Although 56 machines may not seem like a lot, this studio prefers to prioritise quantity over quality when it comes to producing and releasing new games.
On which casinos are ELK Studios slot machines available?
As mentioned earlier, slots from this game provider are available on many online casinos. Here is a selection of our partner casinos where you can find ELK Studios slot machines. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of these casino’s welcome bonuses when you register.
Tortuga: 120% up to 1 200€ (non-sticky bonus)
Cresus: 200% up to 500€ + 500 free spins for 50€ deposited
Wild Sultan: 100% up to 500€ + 20 free spins
Casino Extra: 100% up to 200€ + 100 free spins
Lucky8: 200% up to 500€ + 500 free spins for 50€ deposited
Celsius: 700€ welcome package
Casinozer: 100% up to 500€ + 50 free spins
Why are ELK Studios so popular among players?
Many online casino players have several ELK Studios machines among their favourites. You can count us among those players. Let’s take a look at what players like so much about these slot machines.
One lead can be found on the ELK Studios website. They say they create their slot machines by focusing on three primordial aspects: the concept, the design, and a strong math model. Let’s analyse these three elements one by one.
First, let’s look at the concept of ELK slot machines. We can see it with several of their creations: this studio really knows how to create original game mechanics. The result? Powerful slots that take online casino players out of their comfort zone. Some of their original machines include Cygnus, Katmandu Gold, Cluster Slide, Nitropolis or even Ice Wolf.
Then comes the game design. We’re not going to lie, the appearance of a slot machine weighs heavily in the balance for players. Indeed, a machine that looks too old-fashioned or even cheap will tend to put off some players who will then turn to other games. At ELK, you won’t find this kind of games. Their machines are all more beautiful than the others.
Now let’s talk about the strong math model ELK Studios says it is implementing. The algorithm behind a slot machine is as important if not more important than its appearance. It is this algorithm that will make a game interesting by defining its RTP, volatility, average payouts and how often bonuses and other special features are triggered.
X-iter™: ELK Studios’ signature feature
The X-iter™ feature is an original creation of game studio. It is actually a very special bonus purchase feature. You have the choice between 5 options: 1 spin that costs 5 times your bet, 3 spins at 25 times your bet each with a guaranteed nitro boost feature, the classic bonus purchase (100 times the bet), a large bonus purchase (200 times the bet), and the super bonus purchase (500 times the bet). The latter is obviously extremely volatile.
See a preview of the X-iter™ feature below:
The latest ELK Studios slot machines
Although it only has released 56 slot machines at the moment, ELK Studios remains an active game provider that produces new games on a regular basis. At the moment their release rhythm is the following: they release a new machine on the 21st of each month.
Look below for the three most recent slot machines from this studio.
Book of Toro (November 21, 2021)
Book of Toro is Elk Studios’ latest slot machine to date. As its name suggests it, Book of Toro is a Hispanic-themed book machine with a bull and a matador. They both want to stop the matador’s evil ancestor from finding the Book of Toro. This machine is quite classic in its form, with 5 reels and 3 rows. Several random features can be triggered in the base game. This machine obviously has a free spins feature that is triggered when three books appear on the reels.
Wild Toro II (October 21, 2021)
Wild Toro II is a fairly recent slot machine from this game studio that was released on October 21, 2021. This machine is actually the sequel to Wild Toro first of the name which was released in 2016 and was widely appreciated by players. This game features 5 reels as well as 5 rows, for a total of 25 symbols present simultaneously on the screen. On this machine the minimum bet is 0.20€ and the maximum bet is 100€. Several random features can be triggered during base game. When a matador and a bull appear at the same time, the latter charges and leaves wild symbols in its path. Even better: when the bull charges a Golden Matador it absorbs its multiplier and becomes a progressive multiplying walking wild.
Zulu Gold (September 21, 2021)
In September 2021, ELK Studios released the Zulu Gold slot machine. This slot is really beautiful and original in its mechanic. It works on the same principle as Katmandu Gold, another ELK Studios slot machine. You start with 6 reel, 4 row and 4096 paylines. The symbols do not have a set size. When symbols connect, they disappear and a new row appears at the top of the machine. When 3 or more bonus symbols appear, the Multiply Free Drops feature activates for boosted wins.
The best ELK Studios slot machines
Now that we’ve told you about this game provider’s latest slots, it’s time for us to introduce you to our favourite ELK Studios games. There are 3 of them and we hope you will enjoy them as much as we do.
Cygnus
It’ s on December 3rd 2019 that ELK releases one of its flagship games called Cygnus. It takes you straight to ancient Egypt and features an original layout. It’s a vertical slot with 6 columns and a total of 4,096 paylines. To activate the free spins, you have to connect until the bonus symbol hits the left pillar. You then receive 7 free spins with 8 active lines. Each connection will of course increase the multiplier on the right side of the machine up to a maximum of 64x. On this machine you can win up to 5,000 times your stake.
Cluster Slide
Cluster Slide is an ELK Studios slot that not only looks great but also perfectly showcases the X-iter™ feature through a thrilling bonus. Released on March 23, 2021, this slot has quickly seduced many online casino players who immediately saw its potential. Indeed this game flaunts a 96% RTP and a potential maximum win of 10,000 times the player’s stake.
The image above is taken from the ‘Super Bonus’ of this slot. You receive 5 free spins, with an increasing number of wilds falling on each spin. In addition to being more numerous, these wilds get bigger and bigger, promising you bigger and better connections. Each of your connections increases a bar above the machine. This bar allows you to increase a win multiplier and unlock random features. If you can get the ‘head’ of this bar to hit the multiplier on the right, it will increase by 5.
Ice Wolf
ELK Studios released its Ice Wolf slot on November 5, 2019. It features 6 reels, 729 paylines, and has a 96.1% RTP. On this slot you can win up to 2,500 times your bet. At the beginning of each spin, only the bottom 3 lines of the slot machine are not frozen. To unfreeze the top lines, you need to have symbols that connect with each other. Your goal is obviously to unfreeze all of the machine’s symbols. If you succeed, the 7th line of the machine and its multipliers, wilds and respin symbols come into play for boosted winnings.
During any spin an Ice Wolf can appear. It triggers the Wolfpack feature which causes a pack of wolves to run to the top of the reel, breaking through the ice covering it in the process. They also leave a trail of Wilds symbols behind them and award you a respin.
