Interactive
GAME DEVELOPMENT PROCESS IGT
Banks, so we redeveloped the art, sound and math where it matters. Test Bank has been a hugely worthwhile programme both for IGT and our customers.
We’re seeing more and more pod layouts on casino floors in Vegas. Is this a trend?
In the US market, where space is not as much of a concern than in years past, offering more privacy and additional legroom is a winning combination. However, it’s not a universal change, as it runs against the idea of Links, where players play with and against their neighbours for jackpots. Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd, and nothing explains a game better than seeing your neighbour winning a big prize. So I think there’s a place for both pods and banks, but I'd also add that we're definitely seeing a switch to smaller banks.
Sizes have fallen from 12 and 10 machines banks down to six, and you regularly see three and four machines back to back. Operators are also experimenting with different shaped configurations, such as football (rugby-ball!) shaped configurations.
One of the new developments on the IGT booth is the creation of links that started life as base games. How did Scarab become Scarab Link?
Ultimately, the strength of the brand helps in the creation of the link. Scarab Link and Fortune Coin Boost have both become links from very successful base games. Fortune Coin enabled players to boost and remove the lowest values or boost them higher, which is a mechanic that’s lent itself very naturally to becoming a Link.
Traditionally, Links were umbrella brands, such as Fort Knox, beneath which we’d feature games such as Cleopatra as a base game. We’re changing things up a bit, having found that the third and fourth game developed to support the umbrella brand were often not fully deployed if the link was not a 'superstar.'
If you are committed in advance to creating six games to support an umbrella brand link, we weren’t always getting a great return on games four, five and six. Scarab launches with three games, all with slight variations and featuring different female characters. Te creation of games four and five will depend on the success of the Link. It’s a strategy that helps us to protect our investment and ensure that we deliver the next greatest link without committing to the number of base games from the outset.
We’re seeing a rise in the number of gameshow / game-based products becoming slots games. Does this resonate more with players?
Yes, with the proviso that you always meet P74 NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE / MARKET DATA
There are technology and regulatory challenges to the provision of all-in-one devices, not least the fact that slot games lend themselves to a second screen experience. We’re excited to offer Scarab on our Peak Bartop, but to fully experience everything that game has to offer, you need the dedicated form-factor of a slot machine. There’s definitely a balance to be struck between convenience and best experience, even on a terminal device.
player expectations. When we internally review branded licences, those with the highest scores are the ones with inherent gaming elements. In this context, gameshows have a huge advantage, as there’s already obvious gamification, but there’s inherent danger in this too.
You need to be careful about what elements you attempt to include within a slots format. If you choose an established video game licence, for example, there’s an expectation that you incorporate play elements directly from the video game within the slot title. Te same is true of movie licenses, as the player has an
expectation that the lead actor and actress will be involved in the gameplay, when perhaps we don’t have those licensing rights. So the answer is yes, they do resonate with players, but only if you can deliver on expectations.
Jeopardy! is a really interesting case in point, since we haven’t created a trivia-based slot game from the trivia-based show. Instead, we’ve taken the board and the sounds and the ‘Take a Risk’ element to help gamify the experience. In regards to the Price is Right, that’s a gameshow with 70 mini-games, so it was a question of which ones do we include and
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