SUMMER ROUND-UP PART TWO QUIXANT
Gaming technology innovation: How the gaming industry can collaborate to deliver the ultimate player experience
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“With global supply chain challenges continuing to impact the whole sector, game
manufacturers are having to think and operate differently to keep production lines running and effectively meet the growing consumer demand”
ith world economies reopening, we are seeing a gradual return to normalcy across all aspects of life. This is
particularly evident in the gaming industry, with venues reopening around the world and experiencing increasing demand from an audience with a pent-up desire to enjoy the thrill of gaming once more. As such, delivering the ultimate player experience is critical to the industry’s successful rebound, and technology has a central role to play. With global supply chain challenges continuing to impact the whole sector, game manufacturers are having to think and operate differently to keep production lines running and effectively meet the growing consumer demand, despite operating on significantly reduced revenues. The gaming industry has proven time and time again to be resilient and versatile, swiftly and effectively adapting to new challenges and circumstances. This is something we are certain will be true over the coming months, and we are seeing a paradigm shift in gaming technology and innovation. History is always a valuable teacher. As the industry continues to adapt to learnings from the recent months, we believe the following considerations will be central to ensuring the successful recovery of the industry, and paving the way for future gaming excellence.
• Standardisation of products across markets to enable cost effective game development.
The quest to deliver the ultimate player experience has often seen a high level of custom product development across the gaming industry, with game manufacturers developing a range of in-house platforms for different geographies and markets. Developing and managing the lifecycle of these products can however be particularly costly and can prevent investment in future gaming technology and innovation. When the sector was thriving, this way of operating was possible, but with gaming venues at reduced capacity and revenues significantly down, this is a perfect opportunity for the industry to put this practice under the microscope. It raises a key question – do manufacturers really need to develop custom solutions
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in-house to deliver the best player experience, or are there effective alternatives? Opting for a standardised but highly configurable gaming platform across markets will enable game manufactures to ensure constant technology excellence and to deliver the ultimate player experience, while streamlining and removing additional cost and complexity from their game development process.
• Enabling speed to market across geographies.
The last two years have opened doors for new opportunities across global gaming avenues, including increased demand for Electronic Table Games and cashless payment technologies, alongside integration of live dealer on land-based solutions. To get ahead, gaming manufacturers and providers need to ensure that they are able to quickly and effectively adapt to the needs of the market and launch new products which enable them to maximise these opportunities. With a need for speed and agility, rather than develop and maintain custom solutions, standardised hardware and software platforms will be critical for speed and ease to launch in new markets, and effectively meet player demand. Manufacturers who leverage the experience and expertise of specialist technology solution providers will have a competitive edge as they can outsource and free up time and resource to focus on key points of differentiation that enhance the player experience.
• Multi-source strategies to mitigate the global supply impact.
Booming consumer demand for products incorporating complex electronic components and challenges with freight initiated a global supply-chain crisis some nine months ago, which has resulted in acute shortages of critical gaming components. With months of closure, little to no revenue and uncertainty around levels of consumer demand, preparing for a new normal post lockdown was always going to be a challenge. Whilst there is now a clear view of increasing consumer demand, these sudden shortages have caught the industry off-guard, creating myriad
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