With its largest G2E presence ever, a string of chart-topping slot titles, and robust omnichannel performance, steadily growing gaming supplier AGS is making a statement.
“This isn’t your mother’s AGS,” Chief Marketing Officer Julia Boguslawski said. “AGS has retained all the things you loved about us when we were small, but with all the good things that you like from a company with sophisticated R&D and multiple game studios around the world.”
AGS began 20 years ago as American Gaming Systems and focused on providing Class II slots to tribal operators in Oklahoma. Now it has a global reach, with a product mix of high-performing Class II and Class III slots, table games, and interactive casino games. With sites in six countries and nearly 1,000 employees, AGS serves operators in 42 states and 26 countries. The company operates eight game studios, with plans for two more online studios. The company, which had been publicly traded since 2018, became privately held this year after being purchased by Brightstar Capital Partners, a private equity firm.
With its growing portfolio and customer base, AGS is rebranding itself to reflect its breadth.
“Our objective is to show the market that AGS is a serious competitor and that our position in the market is probably more elevated than some people might realize,” Boguslawski said. “We have a lot of greenfield internationally, and we’re excited to continue expansion there. We’ve just scratched the surface. For current customers, it’s the best of both worlds. We still have that fun culture, that accessibility, the hallmarks of our brand that make us a pleasure to do business with.”
For example, the company’s booth at the annual Global Gaming Expo typically has a theme – a Nashville-style barbecue setup to carry out the “AGS is cookin’” slogan in 2024 and a potpourri of hard-rock paraphernalia in 2023 to symbolize the company’s high-energy performance. Boguslawski said this year’s display will formally announce details of the rebranding. AGS will be in Booth 1150, which had been the site of Everi’s display for some time and more than doubles the AGS display space.
“To be in that booth with the new brand and logo sends a very powerful statement to the market that we need a bigger booth because our product portfolio is so big,” Boguslawski said. The display will house almost 30 more slots than last year’s, plus two more table games and a zone devoted to interactive gaming.
The rebrand introduces a lightning bolt as an AGS icon and Boguslawski said the company’s website will be updated, but the company name will remain. “We have so much good brand equity built in that with (CEO David Lopez’s) leadership and culture and our solid and high-performing products,” Boguslawski said. “But we could look a little different, something that matches the reality of who we are today.”
She said one hallmark of AGS is innovating with intent, which requires fully understanding what customers need and making sure the solution works.
Nikki Davis, vice president of marketing for AGS, noted that company has markedly increased its extensions of popular brands such as Werewolf, Pinata Pays, Triple Coin Treasures, and the Rakin’ Bacon franchise. “We’re finally at that point where we can continue iterating off of those brands. This year, you’ll see a lot of those brand extensions, especially on our premium games for slots.”
Davis described the rebrand as a starting point that gives the company a long runway to continue growing. “That was a huge message for us as we continue integrating this brand with our customers, our employees, and new potential partners in the rest of the world.” While AGS might not have been considered a global supplier in years past, “we definitely are now, and we’re moving more in that direction.”
AGS is something of a wild card in the gaming industry, Boguslawski said. “We don’t take ourselves so seriously that we can’t have fun, but we’re very serious about what we do. That balance is unique to AGS.”
