Jadestone

Jadestone Group is a company that seems to have started operating in 2002. Whilst the company homepage remains registered today, it doesn’t function nor does it have any content. Not much else beyond a LinkedIn page can be found about this company, so it’s safe to say they have stopped operating.

The company originally focused on mobile casino gaming, together with producing slots for all audiences. They seem to also have been actively producing computer games, though having switched their attention to casinos entirely around 2010. Some table games were also part of the selection.

The end of the road game in 2012, when the company was acquired by WMS. This company in turn was bought by Scientific Games, which eventually became Light&Wonder. It’s safe to say that with so much time having passed, and the technology having changed hands many times, nothing really remains of the original company or their products. No games are available anywhere anymore as far as we know.

Make note that these dates differ a little bit depending on which source is used. For example, according to some the company has been around since 1999. Ultimately, this makes little difference as they are definitely out of business at this point.

Software Solutions

Whilst originally starting as a computer game manufacturer, and then moving on to casino gaming, the final product for Jadestone Group seems to have been a casino software platform.

The platform was called Casino Matrix, and its main selling point seems to have been offering the ability to play up to four games at the same time. The software even allowed integration into social media. Ultimately, the idea seems to have been to offer a content solution where players could basically do everything they wanted to do in an online casino via one window or tab.

As we now know, this sort of application was quite popular a decade or two ago. But today it seems to have given way to simple user interfaces where players do one thing at a time. Apart from bingo sites and such that still occasionally offer side games.

Casino Games

The company produced online slots and table games. The latter covered the basics, like roulette and blackjack. We wouldn’t say they brought anything new into the latter category, but then hardly any software producer ever does.

The company also developed a handful of slots. Curiously enough, they seem to have been partnered with Play’n Go in many different areas. Some of the games seem to have been transferred this way, so that slots like Jolly Roger, Photo Safari, Lucky Diamonds, Wild Melon, and Fortune Teller are still distributed by Play’n Go.

Most of these games are over a decade old, and it does show. Not quite so much in graphics, which are excellent even in today’s standard, but rather in features and general gameplay. These games bring back the era when everything was about paylines and paytable, and the most daring of specials were pretty much bonus spins.

Other Games

As mentioned, the company was quite active with other computer games too. Most notably, Championship Manager Online. Perhaps one of the most notable series of football management games, with dozens of titles. This was done in cooperation with Eidos Interactive, a company that used to be a very high-class game producer.

Other games included a variety of mobile-oriented products, such as games for Nokia’s N-gage. Online games also followed, such as Dirtbike. We wouldn’t say any of these games gained a following or fame. Perhaps that is why the company switched over to casino gaming.

Interpretation

Drawing all the threads together, it’s rather easy to see what happened to this company. They started out in the pioneer era of online casino gaming. Though obviously first dipping their toes in other areas too, like internet gaming.

After producing a handful of slots and their own platform for multiplay, the company was acquired by bigger players. And that is pretty much where the story ends. The games and technology were incorporated into the existing system, and a decade or so later has been largely replaced. Most likely the purchase was also done because Jadestone was partnered with many big casinos like Betsson, Unibet, and Paf. And of course, they were partnered on a rather deep level with Play’n Go.

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