Fans of Bub and Bob, rejoice! The bubble-shooting dragon duo from 1990s video gaming is back in a skill-based format that gives players the chance to win real money.
Next Gaming, which supplies skill-based slot machines for casinos, recently entered the esports arena with Bust-A-Move RMT (Real Money Tournament). It is available through Arcade Win, a free app for iPhones and iPads that allows eligible users to play real-money games.
Next Gaming CEO Michael Darley says the company chose Bust-A-Move as its first esports offering because of its broad fan base.
“Our goal was to acquire (games) that bridge a large demographic,” he says. “Our games will appeal to the millennial, to the Gen Xer or to the Baby Boomers, so I don’t think anybody is left out.”
The Las Vegas-based company worked with Taito, originator of bubble-shooting games and the Bust-A-Move series of titles, to keep the new offering true to the game’s original play while adding contemporary graphics in addition to guaranteeing game integrity and payment security.
The esports version uses CelerX blockchain technology to ensure that games are 100 percent skill-based.
A “practice” mode allows users to play free as long as they want, whether by themselves or in competition.
“There’s no obligation to bet real money until they want to,” Darley says.
Because Bust-A-Move RMT and many other mobile games rely on a player’s skill, rather than chance, they are legal in most states and many countries. Darley says Next Gaming uses geolocation, geofencing, and account verification to ensure that players are of age and in a jurisdiction that allows gaming for prizes.
Players seeking payoffs can play head-to-head or in tournaments and can use cryptocurrency or money. Darley expects cryptocurrency to account for about 20 percent of his company’s gaming activities in the first year, with double-digit growth in cryptocurrency use during the next five to 10 years.
Mobile gaming is the world’s most popular form of gaming, with worldwide revenue expected to top $100 billion this year, according to the annual “State of Mobile” report by App Annie, a top mobile data and analytics company. The study was completed before the coronavirus pandemic began and mobile game usage soared.
The pandemic also led many people to become accustomed to carrying out a variety of activities online, such as ordering groceries, making Zoom calls, or playing games.
“A larger population became acclimated to online gaming,” Darley says. “Not everybody will stay, but I think you’ve created a population that’s comfortable with iGaming. They’ve reached a new skill set, so to speak.”
In head-to-head competition, Bust-A-Move RMT makes money through the equivalent of a casino rake at a live poker game. If two players each put up 60 cents, for example, the winner gets a $1 pot and the platform takes 20 cents.
Players compete against those with a similar skill rating, so a novice wouldn’t draw a highly skilled opponent. The game uses an asynchronous matching platform, which means competitors do not have to play at the exact same time. Providers say mobile game players tend to prefer shorter matches and often play while doing something else. With asynchronous matchups, players do not have to be tied to the game for an extended period or risk losing because of a distraction.
In head-to-head competition, each player gets the same array of targets in the same order.
“You’re playing the same game as I am, but we may be playing at a different time. Scoring points determines the outcome,” Darley says. Any lag time between competitors typically would be a matter of minutes because of the number of people online, he adds.
Next Gaming also offers slot machines for the casino floor: Six skill-based games, including a slot version of Bust-A-Move, and five traditional games. The first “live” skill-based slot games began their Nevada field trial in September.
The online portion of Next Gaming’s business will grow, Darley says.
“A lot of companies like us are building their portfolio to maintain a presence online,” he says. “People are diversifying their revenue stream. We’ve got additional titles from Taito and Atari that we’ll be queuing up as we move down the road.”
