HYDAKO is turning heads at Galaxy Macau’s freshly opened main floor
What happens at Galaxy Macau will determine the shape of Macau’s mass market.
The property has experimented with several tweaks to conventional Macau casino wisdom, from the extra bright lighting on the main casino floor to a bold mix of slots offering players a wide selection of games from many lesser known manufacturers.
Inside Asian Gaming has observed players and gaming executives alike flocking to Galaxy Macau over the past two weeks to test out several new games that made their city-wide debut at the property’s May 15th opening.
Although it’s early days yet, several of the new games look like they have potential to develop enduring appeal in Macau’s expanding slot market.
One brand that’s making an impression is HYDAKO—a South Korea-based slot manufacturer working in a unique strategic partnership with Macau-based gaming services provider, Laxino Technology Ltd.
The South Korean side is responsible for HYDAKO’s distinct looks—the slick dual-32” Deblucean cabinet and exceptionally rich game graphics. The Macau side not only created the game mathematics, but also manages local marketing, product management and technical support.
“Galaxy Macau provides HYDAKO a great showcase and gives us an opportunity to show the market our product can hold its own against the best products the big suppliers have brought to the table,” comments Laxino CEO and Executive Director Lam Iao.
The initial attention garnered by HYDAKO at Galaxy Macau undoubtedly stems from its daring design. “HYDAKO’s looks will get it attention on the floor and maybe some plays, but its maths will earn it [return] players,” states Laxino Business Director Paul White.
Galaxy Macau only displays a small sample of the HYDAKO catalogue—namely, the 32” cabinet, including the flagship game title, Amazing Golf. The even more eye-catching 42” cabinet, featuring 4 Weapons, is bound to turn even more heads when it makes its way out of the HYDAKO showroom in Laxino’s offices onto the floors of Macau’s increasingly mass market-focused casino resorts.
The epic 4 Weapons depicts virtual fantasy-world warriors who engage in bonus round battles similar to those fought by legions of PC and mobile gamers around Asia. Laxino Mathematics Manager Martin Tam observes: “4 Weapons has the potential to bring slots to a whole new demographic of PC gamers.”
Inside Asian Gaming spoke to Messrs Iao, White and Tam from Laxino about HYDAKO’s early results at Galaxy Macau and its plans for Asia.
IAG: It’s early days yet, but are HYDAKO games performing well at Galaxy Macau?
Mr White: We’ve consistently observed close to 100% utilisation at each of our two banks [of four each].
Since the opening, Galaxy Macau has been getting kudos throughout the industry for its bold mix of e-games. We’re really pleased to have been part of the opening of this exceptional new property. We’ve certainly benefited from all the player traffic stopping by to try out our games.
With so many new slot products fighting for attention at Galaxy Macau, we are fortunate to have a strong product that really stands out to players.
What have you learnt from the public reaction to the HYDAKO games at Galaxy Macau?
Mr Iao: The debut at Galaxy Macau was the fruition of two years of our product development and management partnership with HYDAKO.
We’re glad to see players have reacted positively to our key product strengths—graphics and hardware design.
What sets HYDAKO games apart from other popular games in Asia?
Mr White: Slot suppliers have been pretty conservative in terms of their hardware design—especially with the products they sell into Asian markets. One of our biggest differentiators, of course, is our cabinets, which are backed up by the game graphics.
Mr Tam: As for the maths on the HYDAKO games, since we’re aware our product appeals to casual players, we’ve attempted to satisfy the entertainment goals of those casual players, while also increasing their time on device.
The graphics on HYDAKO games are a clear draw for players. What is the secret behind HYDAKO’s stunning graphics?
Mr Iao: South Korea is a well-known centre for the development of media content and technology. HYDAKO draws its multimedia team from this rich and experienced resource pool. The company was actually established back in 2001, so they’ve been working for ten years to get to the level they’re at.
