“We want our ICE stand to reflect the very best variety of products”

(Exclusive interview).- Konami Gaming, Inc. talked with Focus Gaming News about this year’s ICE.

Konami Gaming, Inc. shares the scoop on what to expect from its exclusive performance at ICE Totally Gaming 2017. The gaming brand has earned the highest position at the international gaming industry, as one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of innovative technology for casinos. Weeks before the most expected event of the year, Steve Walther, Senior Director, Marketing & Product Management at Konami Gaming, assesses the upcoming show and presents a preview of the company’s plans.

 What are the main characteristics that distinguish ICE 2017 from other similar events?

ICE continues to grow each year, and one of its greatest strengths is attracting an interdisciplinary blend of gaming specialties from around the globe. It’s probably one of the best events to experience an entire spectrum of regulated gaming sectors together under one roof.

What will be your headline attraction at ICE 2017?

For the past 16 months, the Concerto video slot has been a huge focus for Konami Gaming, and our R&D team is concentrating on expanding this proven machine to a collection of video slot products to support our customers with more performance-producing results. Concerto Slant, Concerto SeleXion multi-game, and our first single screen cabinets Concerto Stack and curved Concerto Crescent are the latest products that we’ve introduced to the market and we’ll be bringing them to ICE with a library of exciting new themes to discover.

ICE continues to grow each year, and one of its greatest strengths is attracting an interdisciplinary blend of gaming specialties from around the globe.

How do you prepare for the biggest event of the industry? Do previous exhibitions help you decide what products you will be showcasing during ICE?

Our goal for the event is to provide our customers access to the latest games available to their market so they can see and experience them first-hand. Whatever investment decisions they have for their gaming floor in 2017, we want our ICE stand to reflect the very best variety of what we have available.  We heavily consider their feedback from G2E Las Vegas, compare it to the coming product release cycle, and design a stand that has the most relevant and popular products for their business.

You said that you developed SeleXion in response to feedback from customers, are you expecting a similar reaction from the public at ICE 2017 to help you create a new product in the future?

We always arrive to ICE with open eyes and ears to new opportunities for innovation. The feedback we get from our operator customers is invaluable. We make it a mission to listen first, and leverage new insights to drive future product.

Our goal for the event is to provide our customers access to the latest games available to their market so they can see and experience them first-hand. Whatever investment decisions they have for their gaming floor in 2017, we want our ICE stand to reflect the very best variety of what we have available. 

What markets are you hoping to reach this year? What does 2017 have in store for Konami?

We anticipate that Konami will continue to support an expanding presence across existing markets. One of the best ways we have distinguished ourselves in the market is through consistent quality and strong performance, and those values will continue to be the primary force behind our success and the success of our customers. This combined with our expanded Concerto product line will be key to Konami’s global positioning through the coming year.