The Neptune Single, Aristocrat Gaming’s newest premium slot cabinet with exclusive Buffalo and Mr. Cashman games, will show up on casino floors nationwide soon.
It offers not only a fresh look but also “a premium slot experience” for operators and players alike, said Jon Hanlin, Aristocrat’s senior vice president of commercial strategy and business analytics for the Americas.
Neptune Single was on display at the 2021 Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas although it wasn’t available for purchase then. Aristocrat plans a formal launch and to take sales orders during the National Indian Gaming Tradeshow and Convention April 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Â Aristocrat will be in NIGA Booth 1438.
Hanlin cited a post-G2E survey by consulting firm Eilers & Krejcik that found the Neptune Single to be the cabinet that operators were most eager to get. He expects the cabinet to reach casino floors “en masse” in June.
The Single boasts a 49-inch curved display screen with 4K resolution, a new lighting package, and a virtual button deck that curves up toward the game screen. But Hanlin contends that its games are the real stars.
“What doesn’t change is Aristocrat’s commitment to making great content for these cabinets,” he said. “They are our highest priced cabinets in the for-sale space. If we’re going to ask for premium dollar, we’re going to have premium performance. So, we’ve put three of the best games we’ve ever released in the game-sale space on this cabinet.”
The launch titles are:
- Buffalo Ascension, which adds a persistent-state element to the latest game in one of the most popular slot brands available
- Cashman Link, which features the popular money character, a hold-and-spin feature, and members of the Cashman family in multiple jackpot and bonus experiences
- Coin Trio, available in two titles, each offering metamorphic bonuses, which involve players collecting tokens in three pots and bonus rounds offering prizes based on what’s been collected. “This game takes that concept and really amps it up,” Hanlin said. One title is a ways game; the other, a lines game.
Both Coin Trio and Mr. Cashman Link offer players the option of paying extra to enter a bonus round immediately.
“You’re buying the opportunity to win,” Hanlin explained. “It gives players that optionality if they’re feeling lucky or if they want to see a bonus round before they invest more dollars in the game.”
Within six months, Aristocrat will have 12 titles available for the Neptune Single, he added. The company plans to unveil additional content for the Neptune Single at G2E in Las Vegas in October.
“At Aristocrat, we’re very conscious of maximizing casinos’ investment dollars,” said Hanlin. “That’s why you see the best and brightest of our content on this cabinet, and that will continue in the future.” He added that key large-portrait titles from the Aristocrat catalogue will work on the cabinet,, “but we’re really focused on that premium software.”
This iteration is the third model in the Neptune line, joining the Neptune Double, which boasts two 49-inch displays, and the Neptune Canopy, which features an arched LED canopy linking two machines and displaying images that move between them.
Hanlin called the Neptune Single “an important launch” for Aristocrat.
“It’s been one of those cabinets that had a wild ride through the pandemic, and we’re just excited to get it in front of players.”
Hanlin has high hopes that the cabinet will prove popular among operators and players.
“I will leave the predicting to other people. But its being on the top of the most-anticipated list for Eilers gives me a lot of confidence that our casino partners have confidence [in the Single]. They’re going to put it in a great place to succeed.”
