Everyone knows that the slots world is all about the next big name in the sky.

Once a game becomes truly popular, it’s on its way back to the pack as another new name surges to the top. Well, December will see two big  releases that should both light up the night and rise to the top rated slots, and maybe, just maybe, manage to stay atop their lofty perches long enough to buck the recent trend of short stays atop the leaderboard.

Virtue Fusion Alderney, a Playtech subsidiary and one of the industry’s leading developers of new and popular games, is releasing a new slots game for its network of clients, which includes some big names. Landbrokes, the aptly named Sky, MeccaBingo, Boylesports, Paddy Power, Crown Bingo, Virgin, William Hill, and Bet365 will all have the opportunity to debut Virtue’s new five-reel slots game on their interfaces, to be known as “Zodiac Supernova.”

The Zodiac signs will be well represented in Zodiac Supernova, which utilizes a horoscope theme and offers up to a whopping 25,000 British Pounds as a max payout. That’s nearly a safe-busting $40,000. The Supernova will explode onto the scene on December 7th in a whopping eight different countries and seven separate currencies, so there’s plenty of optimism as far as the commercial success of the game is concerned.

Bob McCulloch, chief executive at Virtue Fusion, is excited about the new release, which he believes will be a bit hit. McCulloch, a bit of a horoscope junkie himself, believes the nature of the game’s display and interface will attract gamers immediately because of interests they already have.

“Zodiac Supernova is a highly enjoyable game with very rich animations,” said McCulloch in a statement released to the press prior to the release of the game. “I’m sure it will prove a successful addition to our network as, even if they don’t admit it, just about everyone checks their horoscopes!”

Virtue Fusion isn’t alone in releasing a new game in December, however. One of its rivals in the production field, Rival Gaming, is offering a new game of its own called “Cream of the Crop.” With such an ambitious name, Rival expects big things from its new release. The new game features a garden theme, perfect to capture the ground as Zodiac Supernova takes over the sky.

Cream of the Crop will offer a 20-payline slot with five reels, and a nice $22,000 maximum jackpot. While its max bonus is a bit more modest than Zodiac Supernova’s, Cream of the Crop offers many beloved options that have driven the slots gaming market in recent years. Cream of the Crop will also utilize popular crowd favorites such as free games, a bonus round, and expanding wilds.

So, as December takes over with cold winter and the holiday season, gamers should be ready for two early gifts from Santa, because Zodiac Supernova and Cream of the Crop are slated for crowd-pleaser status right away. Both offer big payouts, interesting interfaces and game play, as well as the industry standard five-reel slots play that gamers demand.