THE NEXT STAGE
Next Gaming brings arcade-style excitement to the casino floor
Traditional slot machines have long been the lifeblood of the casino industry. Their domination of the casino floor has gone unrivaled for decades, serving as revenue generators complete with a built-in audience and guaranteed sustained profits. But things are starting to change on the gambling landscape.
That slots juggernaut is staring down a demographic evolution, populated by younger, computer, gaming and web savvy players who prefer more action and enhanced interactivity than the traditional slots can begin to approach. Recent surveys of casino visitors in Las Vegas paint a startling picture of this shifting demographic, finding that the typical player of slots is around 58 years-old, compared with an average of 36 years-old for all casino goers.
It won’t be long before the remaining “old timers” have been all but replaced by a generation spawned in an era of arcade-style games and advanced home gaming consoles. These new players are looking for something more familiar, more exciting and more interactive. And US casino operators are keen to meet that need and preserve their gaming revenues which exceeded $40 billion in 2017 alone. And that solution is already making its way to the casino floor: skill-based games.
Enter Next Gaming.
Headquartered in Las Vegas, Next Gaming has marshalled together a team of seasoned casino and gaming professionals to create some of the most entertaining and compelling skill-based slot games. Tapping into decades of knowledge in multiple aspects of casino operations, the company has combined its game designs to be engaging, exciting, and capable of meeting the performance standards expected for both the casino operator and, crucially, the new generation of player.
“Our entry into the video arcade genre was a strategic effort to appeal to a wide demographic based on the identified trends for the gaming audience,” said Next Gaming CEO Mike Darley. “For Next Gaming, the goal with our skill-based titles was to capture the true essence of the core aspects of these iconic games, while making the visual experience contemporary verses the pixilated presentation of the original games. We really reimagined the games and essentially created a retro-mod game that delivers the feel of the Golden Age of Arcade Games.
“Remember, the golden age of video games was an era when arcade video games became a dominant cultural force. The social aspect of meeting your friends at the arcade and enjoying their company and challenging them to get your name on the leaderboard is very relevant to today’s casino experience. Our games really bridge all demographic segments. These games appeal to the players who harken back to their favorite memories which they experienced in the arcade and appeal to many of us who played those games with our children on the Nintendo, Sega and Atari systems. They also appeal to the Millennials who seek a non-traditional gaming experience within the casinos.”
Next Gaming’s current roster of innovative skill-based games include favorites like Asteroids, Missile Command and Tempest from Atari plus Arkanoid and Bust-A-Move from Taito. They have also developed Zforce, their own exciting version of a “space shooter” experience.
Each game has been designed to be intuitive – meaning that players can become immediately engaged in the gaming experience without a long learning curve. And where other skill-based games offer a finite time period for play, these games offer an opportunity to continue through multiple levels which grow increasingly harder.
“Our games offer an immersive, challenging and entertaining experience that is completely separate from a traditional slot machine. When you play our games, you have a feeling of exhilaration when you progress through the different levels. I think most people are wired to enjoy a level of accomplishment and challenge and our games certainly provide that.” Darley added.
For more information, visit www.nextgaming.co.
