IGT unveiled slot games inspired by “The Price is Right” and entertainer Adam Levine at the Global Gaming Expo.
The company said the games were among hundreds of IGT innovations for land based and digital gaming on display at the Las Vegas show, including those for the growing U.S. sports betting market.
“Our message at this show with confidence is that the video turnaround is complete,” said Dallas Orchard, IGT’s chief product officer for gaming. “We have market-leading hardware with the curve cabinet and our 27-inch cabinet. On both sides of the portfolio in the for-sale world, we have games on the casino floor doing very well, which is part of our strategy to make sure we have that performance as part the turnaround. It’s quality over quantity.”
More than 20 games were released at G2E, and Orchard said that’s been a change in methodology for the company this year. IGT wanted to showcase products that are either available now or in the first quarter of next year. IGT develops about 50 to 60 games a year for the U.S. market, and rolls them out monthly.
“This has become a selling show for us,” Orchard said. “The market has recovered after the tough years we all kind of had, and the last year or two has stabilized and is heading north again. The industry is healthy. The market has rebounded well, and the economy is doing well. Operators tend to be very stable on reinvesting on their floors. We’re optimistic that 2019 will drive a healthy replacement cycle but perhaps not as high or as large as some of the analysts are predicting. We think there will be growth in 2019.”
Orchard said IGT prides itself on the being “the most innovative company in the industry,” and what it tries to do with its innovation and technology is make sure it “enhances the experience and not overtake the experience.”
With 4D, for example, the player can feel touch and without touching the screen and can manipulate features and bonuses. With the Sex and the City game, a player can calibrate with the screen and use their eyes to collect credit prizes, he said.
In the mechanical reel segment, IGT is “going the other with a more retro look and feel because some players haven’t gravitated towards all the lights, bells and whistles,” Orchard said. It is selling multi-level progressives in that space for the first time, added.
“A lot of our new games are going out with the older sounds and old game mechanics and a trimmed-down look and feel, and that’s working well, and players are gravitating towards that,” Orchard said. “In the core video space, although there’s been a proliferation of technology, there is still not going to be innovation where it changes all that much. We have most of the innovation for our premium portfolio.”
IGT premiered three “The Price is Right” slot games. The Price is Right Showcase Showdown Slots is a three-reel, five-line game that stands 11-feet tall with players in their own Showcase Showdown bonus events spinning the Big Wheel for grand prizes.
The Price is Right Video Slots is a three-level progressive the features vignettes with host Drew Carey on the cabinet’s 32-inch, curved lower display and a 50-inch curved upper display. The game features many of the TV games such as Punch A Bunch, Cliff Hangers, and Rat Race.
The Price is Right Plinko Slots is a three-reel, five-line game featuring the Plinko game on a mechanical reel slot.
The Adam Levine Video Slots on the CrystalCurve ULTRA cabinet leverages a collection of his concert imagery and offers six jackpot levels. The game includes a jukebox feature that enables players to select songs and play for its in-game collector guitar giveaway.
As part of IGT’s premium G2E portfolio, it showcased the evolution of Wheel of Fortune slots. It featured two new Wheel of Fortune 4D games – Wheel of Fortune 4D Featuring Vanna White and Wheel of Fortune 4D More Money. There were new games, Wheel of Fortune Triple Red Hot 7s for its MegaTower cabinet. The Megabucks Double Diamond Deluxe is on the S3000 XL cabinet.
IGT’s TRUE 4D title American Gods 4D is a multi-sensory gaming experience of the TV fantasy drama. For IGT’s multi-level progressive library for the CrystalCurve cabinet, it unveiled new base games such as Fort Knox, Fortune Gong, Golden Goddess and Jurassic Park Trilogy games.
As part of the expansion of sports betting market, IGT displayed the PlayDigital organization and the PlayShot sports betting solution, which is already deployed in multiple states. It offers land-based, retail and on-premise and state-wide digital delivery options. IGT introduced its PlayShot QuickBet sports betting kiosk, a walk-up sports betting option and debuted the CrystalBetting Terminal – a slot machine-inspired hardware that gives players a chance to watch the game and make in-play and pre-match bets.
“Our CrystalBetting Terminal is taking a slot machine cabinet that can sit inside of a sports book and provide in-game wagering,” Orchard said. “We see a lot of empty space in sports books, and there might be an intimidation factor to make a bet or the line might be too long.”
