G3 Interview ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES
Aristocrat goes ‘Big’ at G2E
G3 interviews Aristocrat Technologies’ Chief Commercial Officer, Maureen Sweeny, at G2E as the company showed its most comprehensive range of Class II, Class III and systems products in its long gaming history
In an industry currently obsessed with down-sizing, consolidation and cost efficiencies, at G2E Las Vegas, Aristocrat went in the opposite direction - it went BIG! Big game licenses, Behemoth gaming machines and as the third largest slot manufacturer in the world, Aristocrat showed that it has big ambitions too.
Under a booth themed ‘Make the Big Play’ the acquisi- tion of VGT by Aristocrat Technologies has propelled the company beyond its heritage Class III business, firmly into Class II and the Tribal Gaming market in the US. However, more impressive than sheer volume fig- ures was the depth and diversity of the Aristocrat prod- uct portfolio as seen at the recent G2E exhibition in Las Vegas. As operators at G2E clamoured for variety and innovation to appeal to all player demographics, Aristocrat revealed an impressive list of titles, including: Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Ted, Dumb and Dumber, A Christmas Story and Man of Steel. These themes joined the existing line up of Sons of Anarchy, The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead and Britney Spears. Cabinet choice also expanded at G2E, with the Arc Single, Arc Double, Arc Wheel, Behemoth and Helix cabinets, giving players the most interactive, innovative game play on the market today.
Such an impressive and wide-ranging portfolio takes enormous preparation, with Aristocrat having spent the last 12 months polling customers as part of its product planning process, with each region creating specific products for clients. Aristocrat has been assessing global
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“Our focus is upon delivering what the market wants and
investing in local designer talent, which is why we currently have studios all around the world.”
market needs and investing in research and develop- ment right through to delivery. Speaking to Maureen Sweeny, Aristocrat's Chief Commercial Officer at G2E Las Vegas, she explained that such detailed product development demands meticulous forward planning, with Aristocrat currently working upon its fiscal 2017, having already mapped out the company’s 2016 roadmap.
“We thoroughly assess the needs of the market and decide upon the product we need to build for the future, creating a portfolio of products to serve many different types of customer needs across multiple markets,” explained Ms. Sweeney at G2E 2015. “A great example is WonderWheels, which is a fantastic product for Aristocrat that is market leading in the US and most recently in Europe too, with Asia the next focus for us. Our focus is upon delivering what the market wants and investing in local designer talent, which is why we currently have studios all around the world. We allow each studio the space, dollars and freedom to create great games.”
We are looking at skill-based gaming and at systems that can drive online players back into the casino. Skill-based gaming is of great interest, but while we don’t have the technical standards at present, we are showing mock-ups to clients to see if this style of gaming makes sense to the operator and to Aristocrat. I think there will be a lot of ‘try and test and iterate,’ before skill-based really takes off, but it is exciting because it’s trying to offer a different player experience. Ultimately, we’re looking to solve the issues that are worrying operators right now and if skill-base plays a part in that then Aristocrat will be at the forefront of that development.”
Maureen Sweeny, Chief Commercial Officer, Aristocrat
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