ELK Studios

ELK Studios in a few words

ELK Studios started out in 2013 in Engelbrektsgatan in Stockholm, Sweden and since then has helped to push the boundaries of what is possible with online casino gaming. 

Over the years, this provider of slots has released over 100 exciting titles, all of which contain lively animations, cool characters and quirky themes. 

What are the different characteristics of ELK Studios? 

As the studio confidently states itself on its website “We build great casino games”.  

We will be the judge of that. But, actually, it is true. ELK has, in its time, released titles that just don’t feel like they could have come from any other supplier. 

Quality and originality of games  

ELK Studios focuses on quality over quantity. This is why, despite being in operation for more than a decade, it has released just over 100 games. That is not a particularly prolific amount given the rate that rival studios release new slots. 

This first-class software developer combines groundbreaking mathematics with astonishing artwork, in order to deliver high quality products. These products are all custom designed in-house and feature original ideas. 

ELK has also created games that come with brilliant animations and excellent graphics as well as new and exciting features and in game mechanics.  

Variety of themes and features  

The games that have been released by ELK Studios come in all different themes, carrying with them a unique set of features. These features will almost always be free spins and multipliers, but ELK do like to mix it up so expect mini-games and much more besides. 

There is no overloading of Ancient Egyptian slots here as ELK likes to do things differently. Some of the exciting themes that ELK have based their slots on include: 

• Mexican 

• Aliens 

• Circus 

• Camelot 

• Voodoo 

• Animal Characters 

What are ELK Studios’ most popular games?   

ELK pushes the boundaries every day to entertain and maximise the gaming experience for their players. You can see this in its electric back catalogue of games.

Below, we have picked out and highlighted five of its finest and most popular releases. 

Nitropolis 3  

Nitropolis 3 starts with six reels, four rows and 4,096 ways to win. As the title explains, this is the third instalment in ELK Studios’ Nitropolis series and the potentially highest paying one too with a possible max win of 50,000 X your bet.

With a dystopian theme, the story goes that the Nitro gangs fled the city of Nitropolis in a blimp after being overwhelmed by Sergeant Nitro Wolf. They headed south to a beach where they plan to continue their dog-eat-dog lifestyle. 

On the reels you will find low value icons Ace, King, Queen and Jack. Then there are medium value symbols, the Rogue Rats, Pug Thugs, Gritty Kitty and Dirty Dawgs clan emblems. 

At the top of the food chain, there’s the higher value symbols which are the leaders of the four clans, the Rat Boss to the Pug Boss to the Kitty Boss and finally the Dawg Boss.    

Pacific Gold 

Pacific Gold is played on a six reel grid that can have between four and eight rows and between 4096 - 262,144 paylines. The theme is World War II and features Adventurer Kane who we have previously seen in Ecuador and Tahiti among other places. 

Look out for the Pacific Wave Free Drops feature as well as some other bonus rounds and a maximum win of 10,000 X the total bet. The Pacific Wave Free Drops feature will trigger when you catch three, four, five or six bonus symbols. 

Pacific Gold was released by ELK Studios in March 2022 and has an RTP rate of 95%. 

Taco Brothers Derailed 

The Taco Brothers have returned to Mexico in a slot that is played on a six reel, four row grid that features 466 paylines. Taco Brothers Derailed is the third outing in ELK’s Taco Brothers series and has a 10,000 X the bet winning potential as well as an 95% RTP rate. 

Betting options range from 20c to €100 a spin and wins occur when you make a connecting line of three, four, five or six matching symbols across successive reels starting with reel one. 

A neatly animated introduction walks us through the game’s back story which takes place in 1892 in the newly liberated town of Santa Maria. Evil Captain Diaz arrives by train on the new railway, sparking off a gold rush in the process. 

Before the captain can get his hands on the gold, however, three brothers - Pepe, Paso and Pico – turn up to save the day. On the reels the symbols that you will be playing with include lower value maracas, whistles, ram skulls, lanterns and gold safes. The brothers, of course, pay higher.   

Illogicool 

Prepare to blast off into outer space with the Illogicool slot from Elk Studios. Played on a six by six grid, this out of this world game features expanding wilds, sticky wilds, mystery symbols plus a bonus game with a continuing multiplier. 

Watch out for little furry creatures known as Troubles who are lovely when they are alone, but as soon as they get close to each other they go completely bonkers. 

Two adjacent Trouble symbols turns them sticky and each subsequent win sees them spread out across the reels turning all Trouble covered symbols into the same paying symbol. 

Other fun features include the X-iter mechanic which allows players to jump right into the action with five different game modes ranging from a five X bet multiplier. This comes with a guaranteed win of up to a 500 X Super Bonus plus a starting multiplier of at least 10 X. 

Illogicool has an intergalactic RTP rate of 95.0%.   

Bompers 

With Bompers, Elk Studios have delivered a classic fruit machine experience with a modern twist. Bompers is a 6x4 reeler with 4,096 ways to win which can expand to 262,144. The game has plenty more to offer too such as Mystery Bombs, free spins and wilds. 

Wins trigger avalanches where winning symbols disappear allowing new ones to take their place on the reels and form new wins. Each new avalanche can expand the reels with wins possibly being multiplied by up to 5,000x per stake per spin. 

When regular symbols land on these, courtesy of an avalanche, they are collected and added to a metre. When this metre fills, Bomper icons will turn sticky for the rest of the round.

The symbols in play of this high velocity slot are Lucky 7s, Bar logos, horseshoes, clovers, watermelons, oranges, lemons and cherries, while Bompers owns an RTP of 95.80%. 

What types of slots does ELK Studios offer? 

ELK Studios provide more than just the one type of slot machine.

Not only do games come with their own unique set of features, variances and RTP rates, but they also have different styles and categories. 

Video Slots  

The overwhelming majority of online slot games that you will come across will be Video slots. These have proven themselves to be incredibly popular over the years and there are many good reasons for this. 

These games can have any number of differing themes and allow their developers the freedom to come up with and create all manner of crazy and wacky ideas and even back stories for their favourite characters. 

As important as the themes, of course, is the gameplay. Crucially, these games must be fun to play and ultimately rewarding. Essentially, these games are easy to understand and to play, and usually require a minimum of three symbols to line up in a connection. 

This is the case with Book of Toro, the third game in ELK’s ‘Toro’ series which has an RTP rate of 95%. 

Jackpot  

Among the most thrilling categories of slot games are jackpot slots. The reason for this being that huge prizes are potentially up for grabs with every single spin. How much you can win depends on which of the two types of jackpot slots you are playing. 

There are two kinds of jackpot slots. These are the fixed jackpot and its progressive equivalent. As the name suggests, fixed jackpot slots contain a jackpot set to a predetermined amount. With these styles of games, players already know the size of the prize pool they are playing for. 

The other jackpot is known as a progressive jackpot because the size of the pot has no limit. Here, the prize pool continues to swell every time someone, anyone, wagers a spin on the reels and makes a collective contribution to a community connected jackpot. 

DJ WÏLD is a five reel, three row video slot that features Respins, Sticky Wilds, Expanding Wilds and a Jackpot Wild Symbol. This jackpot game has 20 paylines and an RTP of 96.3%. 

3D  Slots

3D slots are simply slot games that are powered by outstanding graphics that have been designed to look like they are being played in three dimensions. These are games that feature more vivid graphics than regular video slots. 

You don’t need to wear special 3D glasses to enjoy these slots. 3D slots are also well known for containing outstanding audio effects. On top of this, this type of slot has the ability to host animations, movie clips and exciting bonus rounds. 

3D casino games are also interactive and can relay stories while the game takes place. The first ever 3D slot from ELK Studios was Valkyrie which was released in 2018. 

Classic Slots  

Classic slots are games that have been based on the original fruit machine variants that were played before online casinos existed. These games are popular for a number of reasons, not least of which is their simplicity. 

They are also a good fit for newcomers to slots, again because they are simple to play and to understand. As you might expect, the symbols of these games are the traditional icons such as cherries, lemons, oranges, grapes and strawberries, BAR and the liberty bell. 

As you know by now, ELK Studios isn’t one for doing things normally. With Bompers, Elk Studios have delivered a classic fruit machine with a modern day twist. Bompers is a 6x4 reeler with 4,096 ways to win which can expand to 262,144. 

Wins trigger avalanches where winning symbols disappear allowing new ones to take their place on the reels and form new wins. Each new avalanche can expand the reels with wins possibly being multiplied by up to 5,000x per stake per spin. Bompers has an RTP of 95.80%. 

What are the special features of ELK Studios games? 

Another great thing about ELK Studios is their commitment to reinventing the industry. By this we mean, creating and integrating exciting new features into their games. 

Expanding Symbols 

The expanding reels feature is where the reels in a slot game expand in order to provide more ways to win on each spin. This is an innovative feature that gives you more opportunities for making winning combinations. 

In short, expanded reels offer an increased set of paylines or a higher amount of ways to win. Features such as this are normally triggered by a particular symbol or a combination of symbols. Reels can expand either during the base game or in a bonus feature such as free spins. 

The Grand Galore slot is all about the Expanding Reels Respins feature. 

Avalanche and cascading symbols  

Thanks to features such as avalanches and cascading symbols, gone are the days of making a money winning combination and simply spinning again. In games that feature avalanche pays, winning symbols are removed and replaced by new ones that drop down to fill their space. 

This pattern repeats until no new wins are formed. The potential for big wins is high as there is no limit to how many combinations can be created after just one spin. You can check the avalanche feature out for yourself in the Tahiti Gold slot. 

X-iter™ features (bonus spin offers)  

ELK Studio’s X-iter feature delivers a completely new and unique way of playing slots by allowing players to play with a selection of predefined modes. Each mode is tailored to fit individual slots giving players the opportunity to experience the core of each slot while choosing its scenario. 

The X-iter modes are specific to each game and can range from guaranteed base game features, spins with growing win multipliers or a straight entry to a number of different bonus games. There are as many as five modes to pick and choose from depending on your own liking. 

In the pirate parrots themed Pirots 2, X-iter lets you play with five alternative modes ranging from a 3 X bet with more than three times the chance to trigger the bonus, to a 500 X bet super bonus where multipliers and instant pay symbols are progressive and sticky. 

Can we play ELK Studios slots on mobile? 

ELK Studios take a mobile first approach to their content. This has played a crucial role in the success it has enjoyed. All of Elk’s games can be played in online casinos operating on either iOS or Android devices. 

Even in the case where the casino in question hasn’t published its own native mobile app, just playing through a mobile browser won't have a negative impact on an Elk slot. This studio has ensured that their titles are all fully optimised for mobile. 

There are no compromises that need to be made when it comes to playing ELK’s games on a smaller screen such as mobile or tablet. ELK games function as brilliantly on mobile as they do on a desktop computer. 

ELK Studios employs the latest in mobile technology, including HTML5, to guarantee that its games can be played on the move. This means that you can play Elk games anytime, anywhere. 

Our opinion on ELK Studios 

We love the look of the overwhelming majority of ELK Studios’ games. This is especially true of their character driven slots such as the Toro series or any of the Nitropolis titles. The unique scenarios and ideas behind these titles is unmatched by any of its rivals. 

The animations are as fun as the gorgeously drawn characters themselves. ELK games also come with a lot of unique features that you cannot find with other studios’ output. 

The only downside, and it is a minor thing, is that this studio is not quite as prolific as other software providers. This is understandable, however, as ELK prioritises quality over quantity. 

It puts a lot of time and effort into each and every one of its titles so we, as consumers, have to be patient when waiting for new releases. 

We believe that you, just as we did when giving them a try, will enjoy playing any of the games in the ELK Studios back catalogue depending on your preferred theme. 

FAQ about ELK Studios  

Does ELK Studios offer demos for its games?   

Yes, you can play ELK slots in demo mode before playing with real money. 

What bonuses do ELK Studios slots offer? 

All ELK Studios slots have bonuses to play for such as expanding reels, free spins, multipliers, bonus games and the X-iter feature. 

Is ELK Studios a reliable and reputable provider?   

Yes it is, as can be evidenced by the fact that ELK Studios is licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission as well as the Malta Gaming Authority. 

What is the RTP of the ELK Studios slots? 

On average ELK Studios games tend to have an RTP rate of just over the 96% mark.