Rump. Uh. Rear.
Anyone who remembers the classic Sir Mix-A-Lot song “Baby Got Back” will remember those various words flashing on the screen, and it was those same words that caught my attention at the Bluberi booth during our second day at the Global Gaming Expo.
Our booth tour schedule picked up significantly, and what I predicted yesterday in some ways came true – we saw a lot of examples of new twists on existing themes. But we didn’t see outright clones too often – a relief, since there are some years where the games start to feel and look very similar.
High Level Thoughts
Multiple pot games were still in force, but three pots wasn’t the only flavor. Incredible Technologies had a five pot game that could trigger multiple times within a single bonus (and the frequency of multiple pots – in the case of this theme actually were dragons – was high, so those bummer moments of only one activating isn’t as likely).
We saw classic themes being brought forward in new forms, which tend to be player favorites, especially those who enjoyed the previous iterations. And we saw examples of familiar mechanics, but being twisted in some new directions – familiarity helps players get comfortable with new games, but the twists keep it fresh.
Sometimes those twists went beyond basic tweaks to create something more unique, and that was the case here. Triple pot games where the upgrade wasn’t bonus-wide but was activated spin by spin, for instance, was a nice take on the concept and took us from a bit of confusion to excitement about a different sort of structure.
Interblock Strikes Again
The last few years one of the things I’ve looked forward to is a tour of the Interblock booth, and this year was no exception. Last year we saw a first pass at their AMUSE line, and this year there was both evolution (Free Fall Roulette was on the gaming floor, Marble Run saw a sleek redesign and refresh as it approaches launch).
But then there were other scenarios such as the first casino floor implementation of a Crash game, as well as a Roulette variation that featured a Crash variation that gives you control over when to lock in a growing multiplier before a crash takes it away.
They also showcased slots, a coin pusher game that was an outgrowth of their Aruze electronic table game acquisition, and even an ETG in slot form, a clear and obvious extension for their continued ETG dominance, and a natural fit given the historic success of Gaming Arts’ Casino Wizard format.
IGT and Everi Are a Perfect Match
I’ve had the chance to spend some time in the IGT booth over the past two days. It’s remarkable given the companies combined just a few months ago how much has already happened. The showcasing of Wheel of Fortune Cash Machine Jackpots was a natural fit, but they were also showcasing slots made by one manufacturer on the other’s cabinets.
This may not seem like a big deal for players, but consider this: If your casino favored one manufacturer over another, you might not have seen games come out as a result of those decisions, but if games are available on both companies’ cabinets, it increases the chances you’ll see a new game show up where you are.
These sorts of things aren’t the easiest to pull off, so the fact that they have reached that point so early is good news for all of us.
Smaller Manufacturers Are Innovating
Some of the games I got more excited about were games that I saw at smaller manufacturers’ booths. This isn’t unusual and tends to be important, as these manufacturers find unique ways to get attention.
I was very impressed with an Incredible Technologies game called Crazy Lock, which leverages theming and game mechanic elements from historic titles like Crazy Money and King of Bling, with two bonuses (one a hold and spin and one a picking bonus, both found throughout IT’s library) but with the ability to trigger one bonus within the other… and then again back to the first one.
You can potentially go back and forth multiple times, although not likely to go more than once or twice. But in a demo we saw it happen four times, which we were told was the most they had seen all week.
Bluberi continues to expand their library of games, leveraging both existing concepts and themes and new ones. One of the games I was excited to see was a follow-up to their Sir MIx-A-Lot slot from a number of years ago. The new one still has the twerking peach booties, but features a triple pot format with elements of familiarity, but with a wheel spin element that can multiply prizes or award progressives, and can be collected multiple times within a bonus.
In that way it yields a longer bonus (the demo we saw was five minutes). And that leads to…
Longer Bonuses Are Back, and You’re a Part of It
The triple pot format and the innovation seen atop that structure has yielded a pivot back towards bonuses that run longer and give more entertainment value, as well as the potential for bigger wins. It’s harder to get a bonus than it used to, and for awhile there seemed to be a trend towards faster bonuses that wrapped up more quickly so players could back to placing bets.
Many bonuses we saw, such as the IT game, ran for multiple minutes. Some, like the hold and spins, had more player involvement by deciding when to press the button, giving that element of involvement that also can make a bonus more engaging.
Some of these trends didn’t start this year, but they seem to be much more consistently present.
