G2E 2016 Preview - 6 - IGT

Anyone who has been attending G2E these past 5 years knows where to find the booth for slot manufacturer International Game Technology and what it looks like.  This year, however will be different. IGT's booth will be different and will be in a different location. Shaped like an L it will occupy a prominent corner of the Sands Expo Center. The display will look different because the company is different. IGT's merger with slot and lottery giant GTECH which included the former Spielo International Games has resulted in a a more diversified supplier, one ready to recapture market share.  IGT says they will be showing new premium cabinets, never-before-seen licensed brands, and updates of existing ones. Working around the clock, the company is on a mission to bring IGT back to the top position it once enjoyed.

International Game Technology

Booth 3659

The company says it will be bringing 400 different products to G2E, marking the best in the company's history. The company is not making life easy for the videographers who film slot games and post them on YouTube. Heading the list of new cabinets is CrystalCurveUltra, featuring huge monitors in a unique configuration. The main screen is a 32 inch monitor situated horizontally rather than the usual vertical style, topped by a super-size curved vertical monitor, a full 50 inch screen.The company will launch new titles for the CrystalCurveUltra -- there will be a new version of the popular Ellen franchise and a game based on the Goonies, the 1985 adventure comedy film, IGT will return to the stepper slots, a staple of IGT for many years,  Modernized versions of old games like Top Dollar will be shown alongside new titles starring Marilyn Monroe: "How to Marry a Millionaire" is one and "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds" is the other.  There will also be a new version of the Mega Bucks wide area progressive. The large format mega tower Crystal Wheel + Stepper cabinet will also house Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin and  Double Diamonds Deluxe.

This year marks the debut of Wheel of Fortune in 1996. To celebrate its 20th anniversary of the game that ushered in the era of themed games, IGT is releasing a a complete lineup of new entries in the Wheel franchise. Besides Wheel of Fortune Gold Spins, you might look for Wheel of Fortune New Orleans.  Gold Spins uses a three-reel base game in 25 or 50 cent denominations. It offers incentives for raising the bet beyond 3 credits. Betting 5 credits or 10 credits per spin increases the frequency of the signature wheel spin up to an average of a wheel bonus every 36 spins.  There is also a wide-area progressive jackpot - a bonus spin on a video wheel with a jackpot slice.  To celebrate the brand's 20th anniversary, there will be a booth visit from TV co-host Vanna White.  I have not yet seen the specifics of date and time.

Double Diamond is also celebrating an anniversary this year -- its 25th -- and the new Double Diamond Deluxe will be a new version of the classic three reel game including a nudge feature to increase the overall hit fequency.

Other titles to look for will include a new game based on Sherlock Holmes, Baywatch, and Treasures of Olympus based on the Spielo game Icarus. IGT hopes the new Betty White game proves to be as popular as the actress. The new ZUMA 3D will be joined by Jurassic World 3D.  The true 3D technology, developed by the legacy GTECH team produces a glasses-free 3D effect unmatched by any other slot maker since its introduction with Sphinx 3D three years ago. Another feature to look for when you visit IGT is the ZUMA 3D "Dynamic Attract" sequence that actually beckons passing players inviting them to play.

At G2E IGT will have a special section of games now ready for placement after successful field trials.  Among the core offerings are Valley of Gold which includes a "must-hit-by" progressive that features a mystery reset, not always starting over at the minimum level. Also Ocean Magic with the Bubble Boost feature activated with an ante wager. And Keystone Kops an entertainment slot built around silent film slapstick police. There is also be a new type of cascading reels game with symbols on the second and fourth reels cascading and disappearing when stacked called Kayo Dragon.

Last year at G2E the company showed TMZ Video Slots with the photo booth feature letting players include their image in the game. The feature is starting to appear in casinos and has been well-received by players.

There is much, much more to talk about but you will have to visit the IGT booth and see it for yourself.  The last thing I will mention is not a game. It is their new Cordless Connect technology.  Already being implemented in Vegas, Detroit, and Australian casinos, cordless connect replaces the mag-strip loyalty card with a smartphone app that permits loading credits on a machine to earning loyalty points to be handled via smartphone.  The other new bit of mobile technology is called On Premises which allows players to take slot games and other features with them to any approved location within a casino property - and beyond, in approved jurisdictions.  I'm not sure I want to think too much about the implications of that bit of technology.

More previews will be coming soon - but there's not enough time before I leave for Vegas to cover it all. You'll want to see everything for yourself anyway.

UPDATE:  I was watching today's subscriber videos a few minutes ago on YouTube and ran across a game by TheBigPayback that you may want to take a look at .  https://youtu.be/yW3ZmSLgr3A

I have read that IGT is going back to their roots with stepper games. The most popular of their old games according to Frank Legato was Top Dollar, a game that IGT fortuitously held onto when it sold Barcrest. My source says a modernized version of the legendary game will be launched on a new cabinet at G2E.  I wish I knew if the new game is the one TheBigPayback was playing today.  Guess we'll know soon.