AGS exhibited its latest slot games and table technology at the Indian Gaming Tradeshow & Convention in San Diego last week.
The highlight was the Spectra UR43 cabinet that features a 43-inch UltraHD 4K portrait monitor, game-controlled eclipse lighting, and V-Sync technology for seamless video-linking capabilities when machines are banked together.
AGS also displayed a library of games for the new cabinet, including top-indexing new core video games Long Bao Bao and Shamrock Fortunes from the Triple Coin Treasures family.
“We launched it at the end of last year and we’re seeing a lot of great performance with our initial titles,” said Mark DeDeaux, the senior vice president and general manager of slots at AGS, referring to Spectra UR43. “This trade show was about what we know is working right now and a smaller sampling of what we have coming in the future. We have great momentum right now.”
Most products AGS designs and develops have universal applications across Class II, Class III, and HHR compatibility, DeDeaux said.
AGS roots go deep in the tribal-gaming market and the company does a lot of Class II business.
“A lot of tribal properties run Class II only and it’s been a steadily growing business for all suppliers,” DeDeaux said. “We continue to invest in it and try to find new ways to be innovative and deliver more and better products in that segment.”
Because of some of the investments it made in research and development in the last three to five years, in 2023 AGS will launch the most games it has in the history of the company by 30% to 44%.
“It’s not just a numbers game,” DeDeaux said. “We’ve also gotten more sophisticated in what we’re producing, why we’re producing it, and when we’re delivering it to the market. We’ve gotten a lot more sophisticated in planning for the roadmap and being very intentional about what we want to develop and how it meets our customers’ needs and demands better.”
The games will be released throughout this year. DeDeaux called it a “good mix” between the core and premium products it’s delivering to the market.
“The new games on the core side span our Spectra and Orion Curve cabinets and we focused on them having as much universal application as possible. We have low-denom five-reel games and some three-reel high-denom games. The appeal for our customers is that they can put that in a high-limit room, but it can also sit out on the main floor. They can make it low-denom and a quarter or a dollar denom, but also put it at a dollar or five dollars in a high-limit room. That’s what we showcased with the games at the show.”
In addition, they’re seeing more commercial operators come to the trade show, because it’s a good refresher on what they saw at the Global Gaming Expo in October in Las Vegas.
“IGA in particular, is a really good jumping-off point for us,” DeDeaux said. “It’s the beginning of a new year and a good opportunity for all operators to get refreshed on what we have as a supplier and help finalize their purchasing or leasing decisions for the year. Timing-wise, it fits in great with who we are as a company, with our customer base in tribal markets and Class II, and it serves as a good mid-point check-in for all types of operators. We get a ton of value out of this trade show.”
Other products showcased at the IGA show:
- The highly configurable Orion Curve Premium with a reimagined version of AGS’s game River Dragons.
- More 3-reel, high-denomination, video-game options, including the debut of Diamond Boost on the 75-inch dual-screen cabinet, Orion Rise, and higher bet levels on Mega Diamond and Gold Inferno.
- New triggers added to the roulette version of AGS’s progressive side bet Bonus Spin Xtreme.
- The progressive system STAX paired with 3 Card Catch and the quick-cycling, easy-to-install, single-deck card shuffler PAX S.
Tyler Knight, associate product manager of table games, said, “3 Card Catch” is a play on traditional poker. If someone doesn’t have a great hand right away, they have the chance to improve. The game came out earlier this year and it’s a nice refresh on traditional 3-card games, so it’s an easy learning curve for players,” Knight said. “It adds another level of excitement with the opportunity to improve your hand.”
Tribal casinos have patrons who play table games on a regular basis, “so they have to offer new and unique games and derivatives like 3 Card Catch that can pair with our STAX progressive,” Knight said.
