Skill-based game maker Synergy Blue has relocated its corporate headquarters to Las Vegas as part of its next phase to manufacture and distribute its games in Nevada and nationwide.
The relocation comes more than four months after the Nevada Gaming Commission approved a license for the arcade-style casino game maker to manufacture and distribute its games in the state. Founded in 2013, Synergy Blue, which was based in the Southern California community of Palm Desert, is majority owned by the Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians in addition to company CEO Georg Washington.
The company closed its Southern California headquarters.
Synergy Blue CEO Georg Washington
Synergy Blue’s games have been on the floor of the Augustine Casino in the Coachella Valley for more than a year, and the company will soon announce the start of trials in three Nevada casinos before games can be distributed statewide. It also plans to announce soon the introduction of new games at Augustine and its efforts to be licensed in other states.
Synergy Blue took a temporary space in a complex in the southwest Las Vegas Valley along the Interstate 215 Beltway at 8379 West Sunset Road. In September, Synergy Blue plans to move into renovated offices in the same building where it will house research and development and executive functions. About two miles away from its current headquarters, it set up a warehouse on Sunset Road to do the finish-out manufacturing and distribution of its games.
Synergy Blue plans to have more than 60 employees by the end of 2019. Many of its employees lived in Las Vegas and commuted to Palm Desert and others have relocated from Southern California to Las Vegas. The company plans to hire additional employees from Las Vegas.
“This is a big step for Synergy Blue from a marketing and sales perspective,” Washington said. “As the industry evolves, and skill-influenced games continue to gain traction, we found it necessary to be closer to our clients and the industry. Las Vegas is the gold standard for American gaming. There’s a talent pool here, and lots of excitement around Vegas, especially from a client sales perspective.”
Synergy Blue is part of a niche industry that tries to cater to younger slot players with arcade-style games. The company has 19 titles unveiled to date, including include Zombie$, Safari Match, Lucky Karts and Cash Crush, and has products and applications in six countries. Synergy Blue will unveil new technologies and products at the Global Gaming Expo in October in Las Vegas.
Washington said that besides placement at Augustine, Synergy Blue had ongoing European trials and has relationships with manufacturers Aristocrat Technologies and IGT.
In the past year, Washington said Synergy Blue has strengthened its technology development, grew its game library, secured strategic partnerships, and increased game placements, as well as securing its Nevada gaming certification.
“As barriers to adoption of skill-influenced games continue to decrease, and more casinos add arcade-style gambling to their offering, Synergy Blue is focusing heavily on partner relationships,” Washington said. “No one knows their own players, property, and target demographic opportunities better than a casino’s own operations and marketing team. While our team has extensive expertise in skill-influenced gambling, we recognize that it’s the casino teams who are the experts of their own house. Our move to Vegas is another way of showing our dedication to establishing best practices and securing mutually beneficial relationships with both the casinos and their future patrons.”
Washington said he expects to see “huge demand over the next 12 to 18 months that will keep us busy for a long period of time.” The excitement over skill-based gaming remains, but Washington said it’s a process of getting games approved in each jurisdiction and that causes a delay for the industry of smaller companies and startups.
“Things are ramping up not only for us but our competitors as well,” Washington said. “I think in the next 12 months you will see a lot more product out in the market in a lot of jurisdictions. It’s a nice niche market that can supplement traditional slot play, eSports and sports betting.”
Washington said as the industry moves from its first generation of games to the second and third generation, ‘the games, math and tutorials evolve to become better and cleaner.” Continued market education will help with acceptance as well, he added.
Synergy Blue has developed mobile and arcade-style games with gambling mechanics for both chance-based and skill-based games, which can switch depending on the jurisdiction.
“We changed a lot of the math and presentations of the win and excitement of the game from a gambling aspect,” Washington said. “If you have a fun game you have to adjust it to be fun gambling at the same time. We all have gotten feedback from customers and casinos so our games (as an industry) have evolved.”
