Our first day of G2E 2026 is in the books, and as usual, I have some thoughts. This is my seventh year at the conference, and each year some themes begin to emerge quickly. Here’s a few that caught my eye so far.
Do You Have An Appointment?
Most years, a couple of booths are invitation only, requiring an appointment to be able to enter and see what’s on show. Last year, the number of booths with walls began to expand, and this year it feels like it has exploded. Pretty much all the major manufacturers had some sort of access restrictions and walls hiding much of what was on show.
There’s always some industry worries about too much being shared with competitors too early, and this is understandable. The number of games that leverage mechanics that look familiar hasn’t slowed down in recent years, whether it’s pots, hold and spin or cash collect.
But this feels a bit hostile for a conference that’s supposed to get people excited about what’s next. I hope this trend doesn’t continue. That said, it does seem to be easier to get visits with the various companies thanks to a growing number of influencer focused events that help us have the ability to ask questions and learn about what’s on show.
Mid-Tier Providers Are Stepping Up
Smaller game makers have always had the ability to be more nimble than the biggest creators, and that has been on show this year as well. Game iterations and speed to market are a big thing, and whether it’s Eclipse and their ability to get a Banana Bash follow-up out within a few months of the success of the original, or AI providing the ability to ideate more quickly than before, we’re definitely seeing a difference.
Another trend we’re seeing with them is they’re showing games that are either about to come out or coming out for the most part – these aren’t games that are thought experiments. Interblock last year had a host of concepts they were showcasing, but at both IGA and G2E this year they were showing games that were imminently going to show up on the floor, a theme we heard from others.
While certain showcase games will warrant early previews to generate some noise and excitement, it’s also great to see a variety of games basically ready to go.
Interblock is Killing It Right Now
Speaking of Interblock, they remain one of my favorite booths to visit because they’re not sitting still. This year saw the launch of a variety of AMUSE games making noise like Destroyer Naval Strike, while their Class II Table Games have also been making their way out to casinos – we’re seeing a lot of both by us in California where we’re based.
This year they showcased another wave of AMUSE games, all continuing to itereate and play with their craps machine functinoality, with multiple games almost ready to appear on casino floors. They were all polished, well thought out ideas that go in different directions but are certain to continue shaking up the casino floor.
My personal favorite of what we were shown was a game called Coin Trail – 5 coins are flipped and you’re betting on which side will surface on the majority of the coins – get more than 3, and you move down the trail faster for escalating payouts. The tension on this feels exciting and is certain to be a new favorite for me upon release.
Awesome Josh can’t wait to see what new games are coming. I can imagine though if they keep the trend of needing an appointment to view certain manufacturers could make it harder to see all the booths with conflicting appointment times.
Booth walls does seem a little unwelcoming, I mean why go to an open conference show and then block out your booth.
We’ve learned that corporate espionage, of all things, is the primary driver – other companies hoping to get a look at games and attempt to replicate the main mechanics to try to do an end game around game makers and the math they’ve developed. Of course, game makers create their own versions of popular mechanics all the time, but apparently this has been another level.