“ The most important thing is to provide what the players want . Not only does the design team consist of developers , but we are also slot players . We look through the lens of players when we develop our games .”
Veteran Help
“ The most important thing is to provide what the players want . Not only does the design team consist of developers , but we are also slot players . We look through the lens of players when we develop our games .”
— Dan Whelan , Vice President of Gaming Product Development , Incredible Technologies
We ensure the bets , denominations , volatility and game features are all appealing to the player to the best of our ability .”
Whelan says IT has kept a close eye on what appeals to players — not only in game mechanics , but in the volatility range that is appealing to end-users . “ First and foremost , we made a concerted effort to better align with popular trends in the industry ,” he says . “ Second , we made the decision to transition our games away from being known as the entertainment / low-volatility company . We have had recent , sustained success with several high-volatility math models .”
Other smaller companies have achieved success by drilling down to find the needs of the market . “ We have to maintain a heavy focus on having the right products , balanced with having the right games on those products ,” comments Mark DeDeaux , general manager and senior vice president of slots for AGS .
“ There are certain constraints that smaller companies have to work within , as opposed to the bigger guys who may have bigger budgets . There are a lot more constraints in terms of our resources than our competitors , especially the big incumbents ...
“ The byproduct of that is that we ’ ve learned how to become very good at improving things . The first thing we do is look at the overall market opportunity , which includes our competitors and customers — we spend a lot of time evaluating what our competitors are doing , and then also we look at what we believe customers would benefit the most from us . We try to align our strategies and our teams and our business around those factors .”
“ The most impactful developments include closely tracking market trends , such as the growing demand for content and games with unique mechanics such as three-target awards and feature-in-feature bonuses ,” adds Lai Cozzolino , manager of global product management for Aruze Gaming Global ( AG2 ).
“ Establishing a competitive position in the market requires a combination of proven performance , innovation , and responsiveness to market trends . Leveraging the success of our past games , we continuously refine and enhance popular titles , ensuring sustained player engagement and floor performance .”
In the end , the smaller slot suppliers have one overriding advantage over the entrenched companies — the ability to respond to the market quickly .
“ The advantage of being a small company is the ability to be nimble about different things ,” says Greg Colella , chief product officer for Las Vegasbased Gaming Arts , a company which recently entered a strategic partnership
with Germany ’ s Merkur Gaming to add world-class manufacturing capabilities and the ability for quick market response . “ The ability for us to move and move quickly because of the resources that we have from Merkur will be particularly significant for us .”
Veteran Help
For many small companies , the journey to top performance has been given a significant boost from veteran talent . Bluberi ’ s Brennan was a longtime top executive of IGT . AG2 is headed by Kelcey Allison , who was CEO of the legacy company Aruze Gaming America . Gaming Arts was a bingo company before its owner , David Colvin , enlisted slot supply veterans — headed by former Ainsworth Americas chief Mike Dreitzer — to enter the slot market .
Colella is the latest addition to that roster , with a 30-year history in the supply sector including executive positions at Bally , Scientific Games , Konami , Novomatic Americas and other manufacturers . He says it ’ s important to inject veteran talent not only at the top , but in game design as well .
“ I ’ ve worked for really big companies ,” Colella says . “ I ’ ve worked for medium-sized companies , and now I ’ m working for a smaller company . Obviously , we don ’ t have the bankroll of the Big Three , so we have to rely on some of our key veteran talent to allow us to be really smart in what we ’ re doing .”
“ Veteran talent is critical ,” agrees Bluberi ’ s Brennan . “ We have a great diversity of people from all different backgrounds and vendors , but also different geographies — in Quebec , Reno , Las Vegas and Austin . That diversity of thought is super powerful .”
“ Bringing in veteran talent in game development has been crucial to our success ,” says AG2 ’ s Cozzolino . “ Experienced developers bring a deep understanding of what works in the slot machine market , from player psychology and engagement tactics to proven game mechanics and theme selection .”
The exception to this rule is Incredible Technologies , which had a wealth of experience in the amusement-game industry but created its slot lineup through reverse-engineering of game features popular in the market , and creating an R & D culture that gives new talent a chance to shine .
“ We have not added any veteran talent to game development ,” says Whelan . “ I have made a big push to give young developers a chance to design games and give them more responsibilities . It ’ s working . I ’ m proud of what we accomplished in 2024 . The creativity of our people has always been the greatest strength of IT .”
FEBRUARY 2025 www . ggbmagazine . com 15