Aristocrat will be looking for Superman to soar into its Asian markets fresh off a high-flying display of licensed titles at G2E
Aristocrat’s dominance of the slot floors in Macau’s casinos is a familiar story, but worth the retelling in the aftermath of the splash the company made at the 2012 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas.
The New South Wales-based slot giant controls anywhere from 55-65% share of Macau’s current installed base of 17,000or so machines. No one else is even close. How it got there is by designing base games that resonate with Chinese players. The basic formula might be expressed as thematic appeal + innovative math models geared to providing a good gamble with a layering of compelling big-win propositions such as its Hyperlink progressive. How it stays on top is by continually tweaking the formula with new game features that keep loyal fans engaged while attracting new ones.
“We believe really that taking players on that brand extension journey is the successful step,” says David Punter, Aristocrat’s general manager Asia Pacific. “Whether it moves them from a standalone game to a better standalone game, a standalone game to standalone progressive, standalone to a link, standalone to a community, standalone to online.”
Think of it as the pieces of a puzzle carefully fitted together to build a core product line whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts—or call it a “mosaic,” as Aristocrat did in summarizing the array of new licensed titles and enhanced classics it brought to G2E last month.
The company mined the pop culture lode deeper than ever before to deliver games to appeal to all demographics and player profiles, principally with an eye to its North American markets, although some are a sure bet to make their way to Macau and East Asia.
Superman is likely to be one of them. Based on the character Christopher Reeve made famous in the Academy Award winning 1978 film, this was the title that generated perhaps the greatest buzz around an expansive G2E exhibit packed with iconic images from film, TV, comic books and video games. Fitted on the high-performance VERVEhd cabinet with the innovative math Aristocrat is known for and a super-sized jackpot proposition, Superman builds on a successful brand with all-video action enhanced with film clips. It offers players a choice of bet options, and the jackpot scales to the player’s bet, culminating in a chance at a US$2.5 million top prize. Expanding reels, expanding wilds and free-game features add to the excitement. It’s available also in two Hybrid steppers: Superman The Movie and an all-new Superman II.
The Wonder 4 series similarly has been expanded with a new collection, Wonder 4 Special Edition, and a new Wonder 4 Deluxe line built upon proven titles that include 50 Lions, Wicked Winnings II, 5 Dragons Deluxe and Timberwolf; while 5 Dragons and 5 Dragons Deluxe, together with Queen of the Nile and Queen of the Nile Deluxe, also underlie a new Legends Series that premiered at the show on the VIRIDIAN WS cabinet.
Mr. Cashman, a perennial favorite, has been enhanced with three new games series that were the focus of an entire section of the exhibit: Cashman Live, which debuted on the VIRIDIAN Hybrid, Mr. Cashman VIRIDIAN WS and Cashman Fever.
Another favorite, Cash Express (“The Train Game,” as it’s popularly known in Macau), made a fresh appearance in the form of Gold Class Cash Express, sporting a new look on the VIRIDIAN 21.5 widescreen with interactive topper, an all-new player interface, two new features, randomly awarded jackpots and proven base games (Buffalo, More Chilli, More Hearts, 50 Lions and Pompeii) designed to be more graphically rich than ever.
The JAWS franchise, one of Aristocrat’s most successful ever, has been updated with JAWS Moonlight Bounty, featuring a new top box, four bonus features, including a multi-reel Mega Pay, four “mini-features” and a three-level progressive.
Then there’s the VERVEhd, the cabinet Aristocrat intends to be a game-changer in its own right—a sleek, ergonomically thoughtful platform that reimagines the playing experience with eye-catching edge lighting, high-definition 21.5-inch and 31.5- inch LCD monitors, adjustable panoramic LiveSound audio and programmable Nteractiv LCD buttons.
With the VIRIDIAN Hybrid’s Active Reel Technology, Aristocrat has set out to reinvent the stepper as well. This innovative box uses “shutter” technology to closes down parts of the screen to lighting. This allows video features to be displayed across the reels throughout the bonus rounds so players get to experience a five-reel stepper base, fullscreen video and a three-reel stepper bonus all in the same game.
Of course, those industry-leading math models, an Aristocrat trademark, were on ample display, too, in the eight high-hit frequency bonus features in Tarzan & Jane Forbidden Temple on the VERVEhd, in the high-performing Mega Pay, and in the low volatility and high feature frequency available on Mr. Cashman’s popular base games (African Dusk, Jailbird, Jewel of Enchantress and Magic Eyes).
“Our complex math models are world famous for one very simple reason: our games are proven to give players the best experience while giving a fantastic return on investment to the operator,” says Aristocrat Americas President Atul Bali. “Because our math engages players longer in each session of game play and over a long game life span, our games have been shown to give a tremendous ROI. It’s that simple.”
Building on the success of that simplicity will be a key for Aristocrat going forward as it looks to leverage G2E’s momentum into greater success in Asia.
“Our understanding of gaming, the operators’ understanding of gaming, bringing the two together,” says Mr Punter, “and then driving that back into our design and development and not just taking products off the shelf—that’s what’s driving our competitive edge.”
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