GGB Magazine November 2024 | Page 42

had a beer . You can ’ t throw them in a pickup truck anymore , but we still go out and test them . Elaine was insistent — if it wasn ’ t making it at the casino , there was no point in us taking it to the trade show .”
For the past two years , Schrementi has worked on revamping the company ’ s slot development “ playbook ,” working in new game mechanics like pot collection features , hold-and-spin bonuses and other popular features , applying them not only to new games , but to hit franchises like Crazy Money .
The product plan demonstrates IT ’ s maturation as a slot supplier — a supplier that commands a 3-5 percent market share .
“ The industry adopts you in phases ,” he says . “ In that first phase , you ’ re the new up-and-comer . You ’ re viewed a little differently ; you ’ re allowed to fail a little differently . You ’ re allowed to try different things . You ’ re cut different slack .
“ But when you ’ re a competitor that ’ s got 3-5 percent of a floor , you ’ ve got to keep that floor alive , the same way a company that has 20 percent of the floor keeps it alive . Customers in return are willing to buy more games from you each year if you can give them confidence that there ’ s stability in your roadmap .”
Schrementi adds that IT has also tried to keep the best parts of being a smaller , up-and-coming company . “ In the beginning , it wasn ’ t about stability ; it was about shaking things up and being totally disruptive , which is exciting . There ’ s a bit of that injected into what we do today . We call it surprising innovation .”
What makes the relatively quick success in the slot market by Incredible Technologies even more impressive is that the growth was all organic , achieved through trial and error and research .
“ By the time it was the late 2010s and we had games that were working ,” Schrementi says , “ everybody thought , ‘ Oh , you must have hired a bunch of game designers and salespeople from everywhere .’ But no , we learned the way Incredible Technologies does , which is grinding it out and taking big risks and learning from mistakes — and in the end , being a little company that puts a dent in big industries .
“ It ’ s a different phase now — we are a gaming company . We still learn from our mistakes , but the types of mistakes we make now are more based around trying to be a differentiator in a business that we truly understand .”
Celebrating IT
Incredible Technologies celebrates two milestones this year — the 35th anniversary of Golden Tee Golf and the 40th anniversary in July of IT itself .
IT marked both anniversaries in its booth at G2E last month . The booth was adorned with photos and memorabilia marking the milestones of its 40 years in operation . Central to the booth was a replica Chicago sports bar — equipped , naturally , with two Golden Tee Golf machines , a classic one and a modern one .
Hodgson says the celebration is not limited to the amusement side of the business . The gaming industry has embraced Golden Tee Golf in many ways , from purchasing them for arcades to staging massive Golden Tee tournament events at casinos ( the most recent was the World Championship at the Palms ).
“ We ’ re one of the few companies that have been able to make a pop culture icon that has lasted for 35 years ,” Hodgson says , “ and we ’ re a small company that has done that . We evolved it from a simple game with pretty primitive graphics to what it is today . We made it a community game , and lots of people played it , and became a community . We put in a dollar bill acceptor , which was more money than people usually put in a game , but you could play it longer . We were first to have a credit card that we use for ID and payment . Now we use nearfield communication to help us have people play . “ We made contests and online tournaments so that people can win money by playing against people across the country . We have utilized advertising in the game . We ’ ve done different game mechanics .
“ But in the end , it ’ s always a great simulation of a golf game that makes you feel like a great golfer , even if you ’ re not !”
Most of these advancements have appeared in the casino industry in one way or another , which bodes well for IT as it combines the innovations begun with Golden Tee with the features in the new slot roadmap .
“ Our good gaming customers want to know the people who make Golden Tee ,” says Schrementi . “ We used to hide it from them , but we learned they want to be closer to this side of our business . We have slot bundle deals where they can get Golden Tees for their arcades .”
As far as the beginning of the next 40 years for Incredible Technologies goes , Schrementi says his team will remain focused on maintaining its 3-5 percent market share by constantly molding the product roadmap .
“ We ’ re staying true to the game plan here , which is a fair-share-based approach to sales ,” he says . “ We ’ re not asking for 10 percent of a floor ; we ’ re not pretending we could become that much bigger in size than 3-5 percent market share — but we will remain a very successful small private company that focuses on high-quality products rather than high quantity .”
“ A lot of things about us have not changed in 40 years ,” says Hodgson . “ We ’ ve always wanted to make games that people want to play , and have modified that to making games that people will pay to play . We always wanted to have a company where we wanted to work , where we treat people with respect and reward their success .
“ When just Richard and I were doing it , we had a good life , but it was never about the money . It was about being creative and making a difference in the industries that we were serving .”
It ’ s the Chicago way .
22 Global Gaming Business NOVEMBER 2024