Choosing to become an innovator in any segment of consumer experiences is not for the faint of heart. To venture into the unknown it takes vision, determination, unwavering commitment, the willingness to evolve and, above all, resilience. These attributes are evident with the progress that Next Gaming, LLC has attained with the next generation of their iconic slot titles from Atari and Taito, two of the most prestigious video game creators for decades.
When skill-based or skill-influenced slot machines were first introduced on the gaming floor, the expectations to attract a younger audience was highly anticipated. This transition was necessary due to the decline within certain demographics of the slot player base. To replace this segment, and appeal to a younger demographic, skill-based games were created to attract newer players that were not inclined to play a traditional slot machine. A number of game designers and manufactures did create some very compelling and creative games that were placed in various casinos and multiple jurisdictions. You have to give credit, where credit is due, to the casino operators who were excited and willing to introduce these new games to their players. While the entertainment experience and uniqueness of these games were unquestionable, they could not compete with the revenue derived from a traditional slot machine. The casino operators were generally very patient with hopes for increased acceptance of the games and the attraction of younger players. Ultimately, neither happened to the extent anticipated or necessary to secure a permanent place on the casino floor and the games were removed. At that point, the individual manufactures made adjustments to their game designs and introduced new games, but they did not provide the lift necessary to continue development and they ceased operating. That brings us back to Next Gaming.
Next Gaming continues to be enthusiastic and committed to creating skill-based games that resonate within a variety of demographics. As one of only a few manufacturers still determined enough to continue their development process, they have embraced their learning curve by listening to player feedback, analyzing player behavior and making the necessary modifications to increase customer acceptance. This has resulted in the creation of the next generation of their iconic titles. To better determine what modifications were made to the next gen skill-based games, Mike Darley, CEO of Next Gaming, offered his comments.
“It’s been a very interesting and illuminating process evaluating the outcomes of the skill-based gaming genre and making the necessary modifications to enhance the player experience. First of all, our games do not play like a traditional slot machine and we certainly recognize that. Consequently, we need to make the playing experience as easy, enjoyable and entertaining as possible. To achieve that, we made the necessary modifications to make our games ‘Easier to Play-More Wins.’ The outcome of our analysis showed that most of the play on our games was predominately in the ‘Easy’ and ‘Normal’ skill range. While the ‘Hard’ play was designed to be aspirational for the skilled player, the abundance of play was in the other two ranges. So our goal was to keep the ‘Easy’ and ‘Normal’ player engaged, informed and rewarded more often. We introduced instructions within the
games to communicate to the player, while playing—various prompts to increase the quality of their experience and make the games easier to play. Additionally, we modified our payout distribution schedule to increase the win frequency for those players and increase their playing time, while maintaining a balance between all skill sets. With those changes, we anticipate that the acceptance of our non-traditional slot games with Asteroids, Arkanoid, BUST-A-MOVE and Zforce will appeal to a wide range of players.”
In addition to Next Gaming’s skill-based initiatives, they have also continued their development of traditional video slots with the release of Grumpy Cat, Sunken Fortunes and Mayan Thunder, and have many other titles in the works.
One of their other concurrent initiatives is to enter the iGaming market. For their slot game portfolio, they have teamed up with Probability Gaming in designing two outstanding games—Terracotta Warrior and Katana Warrior—which will be offered for both iGaming and casino play. For the iGaming portion, Next Gaming has partnered with ZULU, a Maltese game studio and platform provider servicing an international market that includes Latin America, Belgium, France, Croatia and Bosnia.
The demand for skill-based iGaming slot games continues to be significant. With the brand recognition of their Atari and Taito portfolio, they are currently engaged in multiple initiatives to bring those popular games to the online space.
