Cool display, multiplayer and skill-based games draw attention at G2E

The 2019 Global Gaming Expo brought together more than 27,000 attendees to the Sands Convention and Expo, each looking to see first-hand some of the latest technology in the gaming industry.

From new multiplayer slot games to creative displays, here are three attention-grabbing pieces of technology from the convention.

Multiplayer games

One common theme on this year’s show floor was a push to include more social interactions within games.

Skill-based game manufacturer company GameCo’s new All Star Hoops game was one example.

While a previous version of the game is already available in Las Vegas at The Linq Hotel, MGM Grand and Park MGM, a challenge mode is set to be released in the near future.

The basketball-inspired game features a new tournament mode, a bracket-style challenge that allows up to 32 players to compete head-to-head.

“There is real money on the line and people get competitive,” said Crystal Castillo, senior marketing manager at GameCo.

Aristocrat Arc

It was hard to miss Aristocrat’s booth at G2E.

Stationed in the front was a neon arc that that branched out from four slot machines.

The display is a prototype, according to Roberto Coppola, vice president of corporate innovation at Aristocrat Technologies. There are no plans for it to hit the market yet, but that may change after G2E.

We wanted “to get that feedback from customers, and so far it’s been off the charts,” Coppola said.

The next step for the Aristocrat team, Coppola said, is to design bespoke content for the display.

Coppola said the arch had been gathering a large amount of attention from those passing by, but it almost didn’t come to fruition. The prototype — called the canopy arc as a working title — was created as part of the company’s ThinkBIGGER program, which has employees pitch ideas to a panel. After the idea was turned down multiple times, if finally got the go-ahead and was shipped in from Australia just last week.

“This really speaks to the spirit of the program, the spirit of the internal entrepreneurs that we have because they were so passionate about this,” Coppola said.

Arcade-style controls

Skill-based game manufacturer Synergy Blue is all about bringing in arcade-style games to the casino floor, right down to the controls.

The company showed off its Lucked and Loaded game at this year’s G2E, a machine set to be released in Nevada soon that lets players shoot at Martian outlaws with a bright blue plastic handgun.

And one of their new titles, Joyride Jackpot, seats players at the steering wheel of a virtual car.

Chief marketing and strategy officer Amy Washington said the games are meant to attract new demographics to slot machines.

“There’s definitely a niche for skill-based games,” she said.

The Review-Journal is owned by the family of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson. Las Vegas Sands operates the Sands Expo and Convention Center.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.