THE MAJOR PLAYERS
gaming experiences on the casino floor,” he says. “We’re also very open to criticism and recommendations from players and we staff Brand Ambassadors at the games to collect player comments. It’s been interesting to see players of all ages enjoying Danger Arena – it’s not just about millennials. In an industry and a market in which the median gaming age is generally viewed as 55 or older, the GameCo VGM is clearly attracting a younger, predominantly male audience.” Based on the thousands of players to date, the company reports that 60 percent of players were under 40 and 75 percent were male. Graboyes believes this is likely skewed a bit due to the fact that first-person action games are generally played by males. Future GameCo games will include Match3 (similar to Candy Crush) and Hidden Objects, that skew more toward a female audience. Ultimately, GameCo aims to make games for all gamers from core to casual.
“Slot machines are over 100 years old and
slot designers have had a century to optimize their play and performance,” Graboyes says. “We’re in the very early stages of video game gambling and are using the data and results to quickly iterate and drive new casino revenues and player enjoyment.” GameCo has major plans to expand into all
states allowing casino slot games with goals of operating in key markets by the end of 2017. In the next month or so, GameCo expects to expand to all Atlantic City casinos and then into Connecticut, Florida, and a few other jurisdictions – including Nevada. The company hopes to have games in Las Vegas and Reno in the early part of 2017, and sees VGM games expanding in scope and offering new gambling and competitive opportunities. Also this year, GameCo plans to release a
leaderboard and tournament system that allows players to compete on a common leaderboard for bragging rights and prizes too – hoping to recreate a system that has been popular with social and video games. For GameCo, VGMs seem like a natural fit for casinos hoping to expand their number of slot players and reach those who may not have set foot in that area of the casino floor. “For the casino, a GameCo VGM works
exactly like a slot machine – this is a huge advantage for casinos, as it’s easy for their current staff of slot technicians,” Braboyes says. “Our VGMs utilize the SAS protocol which is standard for slot reporting and accounting and feature the same bill acceptors and ticket printers as standard slot machines. We’ve worked hard to make it easy for casinos to install and implement VGMs on their gaming floors.”
KONAMI
Debuting its first skill-based concepts to the industry last fall at the G2E Las Vegas, Konami Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management Steve Walther says feedback from casino operators has been overwhelmingly positive.
Among the top highlights and reaching back
to a classic arcade game with a wagering twist – Frogger: Get Hoppin’. The game combines piano-style button melodies with the traditional road and river crossing course in a 15-second race to increasing scores and credit prizes. Another skill concept from Konami that the company believes has promise after a nice reception is a music-infused game called Beat Square, which allows players to select song tracks and compete for top scores by tapping synchronized rhythmic patterns across a series of colorful touch buttons. “Both have clear connection to Konami’s video game and arcade legacy, and provide an initial indication of what we can bring to market,” Walther says.
Dance Revolution,” Walther says. “Our leading R&D team here in the U.S. maintains close collaboration with top developers and engineers in Japan to leverage that longstanding infrastructure and innovation for the gambling space and bring that technology to the casino properties around the world.” Like others in the industry, Walther believes his company has an opportunity to tap into a new gaming segment as gaming operators around the world are looking for new audiences and new entertainment channels. “Now with skill-based standards and
regulations adopted in markets like Nevada and New Jersey, we have the legal framework to introduce new gaming technology to the venue,” he says. “The market is hungry for these next generation product types. There is tremendous potential to convert casual and hardcore gamers from the games they enjoy on their phone, console, PC, or tablet, to the for- wager space when you allow them the opportunity to appropriately improve their results through skill-based achievements.”
Konami’s brilliant Beat Square,
inspired by the legendary Dance Dance Revolution
The company, which is the casino gaming division of Konami Holdings in Japan, believes it has a legacy of innovative entertainment and decades-long proven games and products that give it a unique place in the market for these style of games. A deep library of games offer the company a chance to parlay some of those games into skill-based offerings to help casinos reach a younger and different audience. “We have tremendous mechanical, software, and hardware engineering resources available through our parent company, with vast video game and arcade entertainment experiences spanning everything from Metal Gear Solid to
While many believe the segment looks
promising, Walther notes that there are some hurdles to overcome including awareness, adoption, regulation, merchandising, and the development of games that promote a lifecycle of engagement, and retention. However, over time he believes many of these obstacles can be overcome. For Konami, the focus is on the further
development of Frogger: Get Hoppin’ and Beat Square with a planned 2017 market release in New Jersey and Nevada. Developers in Las Vegas and Japan are also continuing to collaborate on future concepts.
FEBRUARY 2017 47
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