Nucleus Gaming

About the Company

Nucleus Gaming (NG) is a bit of a mystery. The company provides no ownership, location, or contact information. Many, if not all of the games are direct copies of Betsoft (BG) games as far as theme, math models, and bonus mechanics. Betsoft doesn't seem to claim the company on their website, but we do find a connection in the NG HTML Meta Descriptions which are read by search engines such as Google.

Here we find: "Zoom Roulette is a Betsoft exclusive created to enhance the Roulette experience..." describing Pontoon and Oasis Poker among other games. This seems to occur because Zoom Roulette is the first game listed on the table games page and that is the leading text. In a nutshell, we only find the connection by reverse engineering the information rather than finding it prominently displayed on an "About Us" or contact page.

While it is still possible that Betsoft has nothing to do with this company, that assumption doesn't bear much weight for several reasons. Looking a little bit deeper we see the site hosted briefly by a company called True B.V.in the Netherlands. The same company also hosts or has hosted www.betsoftgaming.com, which resolves to betsoft.com. Add to this the fact that the 'copycat' company has not be sued for infringing on intellectual property rights (as far we can find) and the fact the games reside nearly side by side at casinos such as Luckybetz and MegaVegas, and it's a pretty good bet we're looking at Betsoft.

Why? We simply don't know. Licensing? Getting two bangs for a buck out of the original game development? Something sinister? Who knows. Transparency is a highly regarded quality in the online gaming industry and it is unclear why this company would design new skins and sleeves for existing games.

Software and Games

All games have been adapted to mobile play. The two companies may be playing a game of leapfrog with Nucleus releasing Soaring Wind on April 10, 2018, while Betsoft doesn't seem to have a corollary in their portfolio. At the same time, we see Reels of Wealth and Tigers Claw released by BG but not NG.

BG: Slotfather II = NG: The Family II. BG: Fire & Steel = NG: Blades of the Abyss, etc. ad nauseum. One game seems to be as good as the other in all cases. If you like BG you'll like NG, simple as.

With the background out of the way, some players absolutely love the games. The artwork, animations, and sound effects are good to great, and the themes can be comical and fun. Personally, I like the spin/stop buttons and the simple, straightforward autoplay menu. I prefer not to play games with a set number of paylines because it locks a player into a certain level of volatility. I would be happier with NG if they ported over more math models and mechanics for advanced play such as that available with Betsoft's Mamma Mia!

The table games are all very well rendered with 3D qualities, and the single deck blackjack has decent rules with BJ paying 3:2, splits and doubles allowed, and insurance for those who lean that way.

The single hand Jacks or Better offers full pay 9/6, the gameplay is fast and clean, and the doubling game seems 50/50 fair.

The Final Analysis

While we don't understand the reasons behind making mutant clones of existing games, the titles all have something to offer and a little bit of variety never hurts. It just seems like an odd, but presumably harmless enough business decision.