“Concerto was undoubtedly the highlight of 2016”
(Exclusive interview).- Konami Gaming talked with Focus Gaming News about its achievements and its further goals.
US.- Konami Gaming closes a hugely successful year in the international market and its vice president and International Sales manager Eduardo Aching revealed the details of the company’s performance. The launching of new products, such as Concerto lineup, kept Konami Gaming at the top position in the casino industry, leading to new clients, markets and agreements. However, the accomplishments of the major company have no limits, and next year will bring greater opportunities for Konami.
Did Konami Gaming fulfil the expected goals set at the beginning of 2016?
The top focus of 2016 was the launch of our Concerto video slot. Customers from markets all across the globe were excited for the introduction of our new standard upright machine, and it achieved the outstanding player reception and game performance we hoped to bring to the market. Our debut release themes have been incredibly strong to this day and continue gaining momentum. The operational value our Concerto lineup has achieved for casinos is really a fulfillment of our core ambitions for the year.
Year after year, Konami introduces new products and concepts. Which one do you believe was the most important during 2016?
Concerto was undoubtedly the highlight of 2016. It achieved outstanding performance for customers worldwide and now we’re seeing re-orders, expanded placements, and bonus progressive options. Because of its leading compatibility, operators have found success with the new KP3+ platform games—like Dragon’s Law Twin Fever and Chili Chili Fire—as well as popular classics—like China Shores and Lotus Land.
What are the next steps for the company?
As we announced at this year’s G2E Las Vegas, we’re taking those proven elements of the Concerto upright and expanding them to a complete collection of Concerto video slots. Concerto Slant, Concerto SeleXion multi-game, and our first single screen cabinets Concerto Stack and curved Concerto Crescent will be added. Konami has created all these new video formats in order to empower operators to diversify their casino floor with a robust variety of cabinets and game content. For the coming year we’re focused on bringing this collection of cabinets to market with a library of exciting new themes to support them.
Are you planning to release something at the beginning of next year?
Our top products at the launch of the new year are the first two Concerto additions: Concerto Slant and Concerto SeleXion. Concerto Slant has all the features of the popular upright machine, but with a relaxed angle that many guests enjoy. The new slant and the classic upright both support our SeleXion multi-game technology, which allows operators to offer up to 10 games on a single machine, with the option for a bonus progressive. Concerto SeleXion support either KP3+ or KP3 games, with instant selection between different game themes, denominations, currencies, and languages as permissioned.
We’re very thrilled to offer a strong diversity of new products for the coming year, with everything from our industry-leading multi-game machine to stand-out premium releases. We’re confident in what we can bring to the market and look forward to seeing these new machines reach players worldwide.
Konami has created all these new video formats in order to empower operators to diversify their casino floor with a robust variety of cabinets and game content. For the coming year we’re focused on bringing this collection of cabinets to market with a library of exciting new themes to support them.
What markets will you try to reach in 2017?
In 2017, we expect the Latin America region to continue to be a strong market for us. We are currently present in every single jurisdiction, and we expect to keep expanding our presence. Our longstanding global customers have expressed very strong support of our new offering, which is already reaching initial launch locations with early success.
