Review G2E LAS VEGAS 2016
Building on the foundations of its stunning Concerto cabinet launch last year, Konami Gaming brought the entire family to G2E 2016, with six cabinets completing the Concerto Collection, plus unique concept EGTs and killer back-catalogue brands
In September 2015, Konami Gaming opened its expanded Las Vegas headquarters, a facility that doubled its footprint in the US and provided its development team with 150,000sq.ft of dedicated manufacturing space. Fast-forward 12 months to September 2016 and the fruits of that investment were borne at the G2E show in Las Vegas. Konami Gaming debuted a milestone line-up of emerging game technology, including never-before seen skill-based, multi-station, core, and premium slots.
“With everything including skill-based, multi- station, premium IP, horse racing, and top-performing core, Konami is supporting the industry with an unprecedented diversity of gaming technology to advance both the immediate and long-term casino landscape ” said Steve Walther, Senior Director, Product Management at Konami. “Industry response to the expanding Concerto collection and these incredible new concepts has been outstanding. Our casino customers have expressed interest in an expanded lineup of core products as well as innovative next generation products, and our R&D team has brought these latest developments to life with the quality and creativity that Konami is known for in the industry.”
SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT Not only did Konami leverage its expanded
footprint, but the company delved deep into its almost 50 year video gaming back catalogue for the G2E show. Having previously launched Frogger as a slots title in 2015, Konami brought a skill game version of the title alongside a mega- brand from its console gaming business, Castlevania. Te original game launched on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1983, and the new slot version includes original 8-bit graphic styles in a slick modern re- interpretation that also features original sound effects from the NES-era game. While the title may be nostalgic, everything else about this Concerto Crescent debut game is state-of-the- art, including the KP3+ engine.
Te premium lease Castlevania includes free games and a stunning bonus game that takes advantage of the huge crystal clear 4K screen, which will take players back to the golden-age of home console video gaming from their youth. Interestingly, the new cabinet sits on a standard base unit, as opposed to a slant base that’s being adopted by other manufacturers of tall curved
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Konami Gaming’s Tashina Wortham
Maestro on the floor - Konami Gaming releases the Concerto Collection to rapturous reception
screen units, meaning that the Crescent can fit into a standard slot base space as it occupies no additional depth.
Subtle additions to the Konami booth at G2E included lit pod inserts that harmoniously tie- together banks of games into what looks like one continuous unit. One of the titles displayed in such a pod at the show was Hoppin’ Fish, tipped as a sleeper hit at G2E. Featuring a massive amount of wilds, agonisingly cute characters and a syrupy smooth Treasure Honeycomb progressive, it’s a demographic crushing title that’s going to win over a mass of players this year. Te game was presented in the Concerto Stack with 43ins. screen cabinet, presenting yet another contrast for the operator looking to clearly define zones within their locations, and which ties neatly into Konami’s marketing message of “leave no space unplayed.”
ATTUNED TO THE MARKET Diversity was the overall theme of the Konami
stand, with the Concerto having launched in 2015 now boasting iterations that encompass the Concerto, Concerto Slant, Concerto Selexion Slant and Concerto Selexion Upright, Concerto
Stack and Concerto Crescent. “We’ve concentrated our R&D efforts upon ensuring the vast degree of diversity witnessed on the show floor at G2E,” stated Mr. Walther in Las Vegas. “Our games have always been strong performers and player favourites, but the uplift of 25 per cent of all the KP3 games in our Concerto cabinets justifies the investment in creating a stunning Concerto Collection of hardware options that we’ve unveiled at G2E 2016.”
Launched at last year’s G2E show, Concerto is the starting point for the whole family. Featuring dual 27ins. HD cinematic displays, sporting the KP3+ platform and KP3 backwards compatibility, the cabinet further includes subtle LED illumination, a matte black frame and Konami’s DynamicDash digital button deck with haptic feedback. Te first iteration of the Concerto design is the Concerto Slant, with a lower profile and relaxed-angle design, which uniquely pairs a touchscreen button panel with traditional side and center spin buttons. Te Concerto Selexion multi-game iterations are the same as the regular Concerto and Concerto Slant, but feature up to 10 game themes and the option to add a standalone progressive. Finally, there’s the Concerto Stack, which features a
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