Despite a rain-soaked day dampening participation in the first skill-based Frogger tournament at the MGM Grand Feb. 18-19, some 230 contestants vied for a free casino stay.
The tournament heralded the world premiere of Konami Gaming’s Frogger: Get Hoppin’ at the mostly Millennials-focused LEVEL UP lounge at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“This Frogger game demonstrates the future of casino gaming,” MGM Grand President and COO Scott Sibella said in a news release announcing the tournament.
Sibella referred to skill-based gaming and the ability to create an immersive, visually pleasing experience for players, which they can share with their friends.
The MGM Grand made the Frogger: Get Hoppin’ available to players on Feb. 15, so they could have a couple days to practice for the tournament.
Eventual winner Jeremy Steeves from Halifax, Nova Scotia amassed 334,796 points, to win the top prize of a two-night stay and $150 in food and beverage credits at the MGM Grand.
Second place went to Kevin Bortnick, who won $250 in free play after totaling 316,232 points playing Frogger.
The third-place finisher Sean Stamatelaky won $150 in free play, while fourth- and fifth-place finishers won $100 and $50 in food and beverage credits, respectively.
Although billed as “skill-based,” the slot element means chance continues playing a role in how much a player can win on Frogger: Get Hoppin’. But its skill-based component enables advanced players to rapidly rack up points and have more chances to win money.
It combines traditional slots play with a skill-based video element that requires players to use five pushbuttons to safely navigate their frogs across busy roadways and log-laden rivers.
The game’s slot component includes other special plays and bonuses. The bonuses and jackpot portions of the game, though, require playing the skill-based video portion of the game.
The combination of skill and luck helps to level the playing field on Frogger by making it impossible for highly skilled players to dominate play.
Konami launched the Frogger: Get Hoppin’ video slot during Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in September.
Because the game is based upon a popular, decades-old arcade title owned by Konami, millions of potential players already know the game and its basic concept.
Konami released the classic upright Frogger arcade game in 1981, and it became a nearly instant hit with eventual global distribution.
Now considered a classic among arcade-style electronic games, Frogger in its various home video game incarnations have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, including more than 5 million in the United States.
That makes Frogger a well-known game among a wide range of players.
“What people enjoy most about skill-based Frogger is that it’s instantly recognizable, easy to understand and fairly rewards top players, while still creating a fun experience for beginners,” Konami CCO and Executive Vice President Tom Jingoli said.
The Frogger tournament at the MGM Grand ran from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday and again from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Some 110 participants showed up on Saturday, as dark gray clouds brought a rare steady daylong rain to the Las Vegas Strip.
Organizers anticipated larger numbers Saturday, but with 120 showing to play on a sunny Sunday afternoon, numbers for the weekend still amounted a successful launch of the new Frogger slot.
Despite skill-based gaming generally focusing on millennials, participation remained generally steady both days and across a broad age range. More men than women played, but women were well-represented.
Each player received a $2 credit to play up to five 15-second rounds and got to keep any money won during the rounds. They also received a free T-shirt.
Despite its rain-dampened start, steady numbers of players throughout the tournament, which affirms a successful world debut for Frogger: Get Hoppin’.
