When talking about omnichannel gaming, Jean Venneman and the IGT studios she leads don’t stop with transferring land-based slots to online or vice versa.
“If it’s truly an omnichannel game, it can go to the various markets that have specific requirements, such as VLT, or Australia, where the regulations are very different than in the U.S.,” said Venneman, IGT’s head of global studios. Her division covers more than 1,000 people in 25 studios in nine countries, reflecting the July 1 merger of IGT Gaming and Digital with Everi Holdings, after Apollo Holdings acquired both companies simultaneously in a $6.3 billion deal.
Roughly 100 days after the formal merger, the two already are displaying an “interoperability” by debuting products at the Global Gaming Expo that combine elements of games from each. Wheel of Fortune Cash on Reels, shown in a not-yet-released version, marries a classic brand and mechanic from each; Treasures of the Lamp, a derivative of IGT’s popular multilevel progressive Mysteries of the Lamp, is housed in Everi’s Dynasty Sol Sync cabinet.
Also debuting is Eternal Link, on IGT’s new Rise 55 cabinet, designed for multilevel progressives with a 55-inch high-definition screen and reduced floor footprint. Eternal Link will become the company’s next omnichannel offering in the United States, Canada, and overseas. Another new cabinet, the MegaTower Rise, is a jumbo mechanical reel cabinet with cutting-edge lighting and audio technology, a 31-inch Wheel of Fortune wheel, three 9-inch mechanical reels, and a pipeline of Wheel of Fortune titles.
IGT traditionally has G2E’s largest booth, but the one housing products of the combined company is more than 25 percent larger than last year at 24,000 square feet. The display includes more than 250 slots, including a dozen new Wheel of Fortune titles, as well as digital and fintech solutions. Since the first Wheel of Fortune slot debuted in 1996, WoF has evolved into one of the most popular casino gaming titles ever.
Venneman was producer of the first Wheel of Fortune slot game 29 years ago during her first stint with IGT. “It’s been such a wonderful brand for us. The wheel-spinning is a direct feature of the game that we can bring into the play experience. That’s one of the reasons the brand is so strong.”
Even with all the new hardware and games, the overarching message in Booth 3659 is the synergy from the IGT-Everi merger. “We have so many amazing game developers all over the world that we can create an interesting concept and use it in multiple locations,” Venneman said. “We’re looking at not just Class III, but then taking those good games to Class II, HHR, VLT, and online.”
The Everi line adds games with “a different look and feel, a different DNA,” she said. “To be able to bring together IGT’s and Everi’s DNA and maximize the areas where you can send those games to is wonderful.”
She noted that Everi has “tremendous strength” in Class II and stepper slots, while IGT is known for its premium and video poker titles. “We definitely want to exploit each other’s strengths,” she said. She plans to have the studio teams “educate each other and meld those strengths to make something new and interesting.” While studios will naturally have a sense of competition to produce the bests game, “we also want them to look at the bigger picture, and ultimately, and if everybody can elevate their game by helping each other, that’s the best way to do it.”
Venneman said separate IGT and Everi product lines will continue. “However, because of the interoperability features we’ve put into play, we’re able to have Everi-designed games go on IGT cabinet and IGT-designed games go on an Everi cabinet. It’s not going to be long before we’ll see Everi designers creating stepper content for our traditional IGT cabinet.”
