scatter paid nothing

Spun into free spins on a slot I hadn’t tried before, got three scatters, didn’t see a single cent payout. Weird thing is, I was under the impression scatters always pay something - if not money then at least bonus triggers. This was just… nothing. The round kept spinning and the game barely reacted. I double checked the rules but they’re about as clear as a foggy window.

Anyone else see this in newer slots, or is this just a cheap developer trick to make you think you’re hitting something? Older games always seemed to toss some coins your way for scatters, win or not. Getting skunked on all three reels just feels wrong, like a glitch or sneaky update to the math. Maybe I need to recalibrate how I spot value now that these new games are shifting up the features.