Skill-based slot maker Synergy Blue has unveiled an Atari-inspired cabinet that will bring arcade-style gaming to casino floors during the fourth quarter of 2020.
CEO Georg Washington with the new cabinet (click to enlarge)
The Las Vegas-based company announced Wednesday the release of the 2600 cabinet series, designed in consultation with Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, who’s been called the father of the video-game industry and who referred to the original 2600 introduced in September 1977 as the “hallmark of video-game console design.”
The new 2600 series is “built with today’s players in mind and offers sleek and smooth gameplay, along with multiple arcade-style controllers such as steering wheels, joysticks, arcade guns, touchscreens, and buttons,” according to Synergy Blue CEO Georg Washington. It provides casino operators with a greater variety of machines and casino games, which keeps players on casino floors longer and appeals to various and expanding casino demographics, he said.
“The Atari 2600 introduced an entire generation to the fun and excitement of video games,” Washington said. “When we began working on cabinet ideas, we kept coming back to the nostalgia that gamers around the world have for the original 2600, but we wanted to update it with today’s players in mind. For me, as a young guy getting into video games, the Atari 2600 cabinet was the benchmark console design. It served as an inspiration to provide that excitement and engagement and create that same sort of feeling of when you were a kid. We wanted to blend that arcade with the gambling experience.”
Washington said an announcement will be made when the consoles are placed in properties. They are looking at partnering with casinos in Las Vegas and elsewhere across the country. He said the console is more “eye-catching” than previous designs and incorporates COVID-19 safety features.
For example, the 2600 series is equipped with Blue Safe Touch technology, which incorporates modern safety measures for continued cleanliness and sanitary playing conditions for today’s casino environments, Washington said. It has antimicrobial/germ inhibiting touch surfaces and UVC air filtration, he added.
Georg and Nolan at G2E 2019
“We feel that’s a nice feature to add to the machines and when you look at how 65 percent of people want to see improved sanitation and cleaning, we addressed that,” Washington said. “We have come up with a solution for the industry.”
In April as casinos were shut down by the coronavirus, the Nevada Gaming Commission approved Synergy Blue games for statewide distribution. Its games are currently in The Linq on the Strip.
“We got approved right in the middle of COVID when everything was closed,” Washington said. “At this point, it’s about getting back on track, like the industry in general. Over the last three weeks, we’ve seen a real pickup, not only in attendance at casinos, but from a sales perspective on our side and interest in providing new games.”
Washington said reports are showing how younger generations are showing up at casinos and that bodes well for the skill-based industry that caters to that demographic.
Washington said Synergy Blue will be releasing new game titles in the coming weeks. The one attracting the most attention is Joyride Jackpot, a realistic arcade-style multiplayer driving game that was unveiled at G2E 2019 and has since been updated. There’s also a new Candy Ca$h game.
Later this month, Synergy Blue will announce new casinos across the country where it will place its games.
