“The world debut of SynkConnect was very well received”

(Exclusive interview).- Konami Gaming Inc’s Vice President, International Gaming Operations, Eduardo Aching, talked with Focus Gaming News about the company’s performance at G2E Las Vegas.

US.- This year’s edition of G2E Las Vegas has seen the introduction of Konami’s latest product, the KX 43 video slot cabinet, and the reaction from global operators has been one of approval. The company’s exhibition at G2E, which took place on October 9-11 at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas, was back-to-back successful. Eduardo Aching, Vice President, International Gaming Operations at Konami Gaming Inc, talked with Focus Gaming News and detailed this year’s performance.

Konami’s G2E 2018 display was characterised by a record variety of integrated symbol-driven jackpot titles for dual screen Concerto upright and Slant. What key points do you to take into consideration for different markets?

There is a strong demand across global markets for symbol-driven progressive games with a ‘what you see is what you get’ mechanic. These games give players the instant satisfaction of watching their awards tally higher and higher as they collect a series of multiple prize symbols. Konami’s new Money Galaxy linked progressive series features this type of “Stick & Spin” play mechanic on dual screen upright or Slant. Throughout primary play, any 3 or more bonus prize symbols appearing with a wild symbol on reel 5 trigger the Money Galaxy feature. Those positions become fixed while the remaining positions transform to independently-spinning reels, for up to 3 rounds of collecting credit symbols and progressive jackpot awards. Thunder Arrow is another new linked progressive series with a “Stick & Spin” mechanic. In this game series, the bonus feature begins with instant credit prizes and progressive jackpots already fixed across the reel frame. Blank symbols and glowing target symbols spin behind the prizes and whenever a target lands then it awards the corresponding prize. This all-new series also featured at G2E 2018 on Concerto upright and Slant. Both series offer advanced configuration options for different markets.

G2E is among the key times we come together to showcase these new innovations and truly every show is different because there are always new developments and creative concepts to discover.

What was the response from the public in regards to the introduction of SynkConnect “cardless” player tracking solution?

The world debut of SynkConnect was very well received. It is a multi-channel “cardless” solution for Konami’s SYNKROS casino management system that gives casino players a variety of secure methods to augment or replace a traditional player loyalty card at the EGM, including their personal mobile device, fobs, a room key, and more. SynkConnect helps increase “carded” play activity by giving players more ways to connect and engage with property loyalty programs. Guests were also able to experience SynkConnect Mobile, which is an accompanying mobile application to give players all the benefits of touchless authentication directly through their smartphone. It empowers players to log in to any equipped EGM through the app and enjoy all the tools to view and manage their loyalty account from anywhere. 

We showcased the biggest Concerto game library to date and launched a never-before-seen video slot cabinet that is unique from anything else we have delivered to market.

After attending so many editions of G2E, what things would you consider made this year’s edition different from the others? 

The gaming industry is always advancing to new areas of technology and expanding to new types of entertainment. G2E is among the key times we come together to showcase these new innovations and truly every show is different because there are always new developments and creative concepts to discover. For Konami, we showcased the biggest Concerto game library to date and launched a never-before-seen video slot cabinet that is unique from anything else we have delivered to market. These highlights help set the scene for the upcoming year as we aim to deliver our latest developments to markets across the world. 

What can we expect from Konami for the rest of the year? Are you planning on introducing new products at future events in 2018?

With recent successes including the Star Watch series, Agent/Inspector series, and many other top titles on Concerto Crescent and Stack, Konami is focused on continuing to drive incremental value for operators, while delivering meaningful entertainment for players. For ICE 2019 in February, guests can expect a huge multi-game SeleXion offering as well as the latest popular progressive game series.