“ If you look at Unwooly Riches as an example , everyone ’ s jumping on the bandwagon of these playful characters — the interaction , the sound mechanics — and again , those are concepts that we ’ ve been able to bring forward , given some of the success that we ’ ve had on the amusement side .”
“ It has become an incredible success story for us . These brands also include some unique concepts . All Aboard , a global brand that has been introduced into the U . S . market over the last three to four years , has really been a pillar for our participation business . It ’ s a new brand , but one that is generating a tremendous amount of traction and success .”
In addition to incorporating game mechanics that are popular with modern players , Konami ’ s success in game development has yielded original features that have become popular across the slot spectrum .
“ If you look at the 15 independent reel strips ( in games like Bull Blitz ), we ’ ve been doing that for over a decade ,” says Bertsch , “ and everybody ’ s jumping on the bandwagon now . And if you look at Unwooly Riches as an example , everyone ’ s jumping on the bandwagon of these playful characters — the interaction , the sound mechanics — and again , those are concepts that we ’ ve been able to bring forward , given some of the success that we ’ ve had on the amusement side .”
Unwooly Riches — now releasing — also is a model of collaboration among Konami studios in Japan , Australia and the U . S . “ It ’ s the first time in Konami ’ s history when we released a product the three studios have worked on together ,” Bertsch says . “ Japan was able to interact with our U . S . branch , and the Australia branch also had some had some impact . It ’ s a really important product for us , because of the diversity of the product and the newness of it , but also some of the historical content that ’ s being brought in . We ’ re very optimistic about it .”
Another common thread is the player and customer research Konami includes in its R & D process . “ A big part of how we develop the games is the research element ,” says Crosby . “ We put a lot of effort into understanding what players like — what they get enjoyment out of in games — and it goes from there . “ We also put a lot of care into the branding of those games . It ’ s just like any video game or movie — the theming , visual sounds and the merchandising . It ’ s all critical to getting players engaged and making the games enjoyable .” Konami ’ s research goes beyond player preferences . The company invites its operator customers to regular meetings , in which Konami collects operator feedback on what they need to be successful . “ That part ’ s critical ,” says Crosby . “ We have a product management team that spends a lot of time with our customers . It comes down to placing the games in the appropriate places , how our games work , whether it ’ s configurable in options that suit operators ... When we design a game , that is part of the research that comes into play .”
“ If you look at Unwooly Riches as an example , everyone ’ s jumping on the bandwagon of these playful characters — the interaction , the sound mechanics — and again , those are concepts that we ’ ve been able to bring forward , given some of the success that we ’ ve had on the amusement side .”
— Jay Bertsch , Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer , Konami Gaming
The Hardware Factor
Another crucial element to Konami ’ s success has been the development of hardware , including specific games designed to exploit the features of each cabinet . For the past few years , the company has developed and added to the Dimension series of cabinets , each new version a unique form factor designed for a specific style of game play .
With the introduction last fall of the Dimension 43x3 , the series now includes five cabinets , with styles to fit any player preference — the 43x3 joins the Dimension 27 , with three stacked 27-inch monitors ; the Dimension 49 , with its vertical flat-screen portrait monitor ; the Dimension 49J , a twist on the 49 with a J-curved monitor for an improved player viewing angle ; and the massive Dimension 75C , its 75-inch mega-display curved into a slight C shape for great ergonomics in a format that includes dual jumbo spin buttons , dual cup holders and dual wireless chargers .
“ It ’ s all about performance when it comes to cabinets , and we feel the Dimension series can compete across all different form factors in the business ,” says Jingoli .
He adds that the Dimension series is now hitting its stride , after a rough debut at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic . “ It was a difficult time to be launching a new cabinet ; it was very hard to try and convince people to put new hardware on their floor during that time ,” Jingoli says .
“ But it ’ s really stood the test of time . If you look at the performance of the product across all the different form factors , it ’ s continued to rise . And as a result of that , we will continue to support that product for the foreseeable future , just because of the return on investment that operators are getting . We ’ re really excited about a lot of the content that ’ s going to be coming across all the
18 Global Gaming Business FEBRUARY 2024