Several months following the debut of skill-based games in Atlantic City casinos, a Las Vegas casino joined the trend on February 23.
After receiving approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Konami showcased its Frogger: Get Hoppin’ game at the MGM Grand’s LEVEL UP Lounge.
Konami announced in a press release that with a $2 initial bet, players have the opportunity to win random cash prizes and skill-based cash rewards in their game. The highest scores are exhibited on daily and perpetual Hall of Fame leaderboards.
This is what Tom Jingoli, Konami’s Executive VP & CCO, stated in the company’s press release:
Given Konami’s rich history in the consumer arcade and video game entertainment sector, we are thrilled to leverage that creativity and technology to innovate in the gaming industry. We look forward to leading the development of next-generation gaming products.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board and the New Innovation Beta program have made it possible for unique developments such as Frogger: Get Hoppin’ to collect and respond to preliminary feedback. This contributes to greater success for consumers, operators, and developers alike.
We’re delighted with the response to Frogger: Get Hoppin’. A variety of players tried the game during the trial and competition event, but it was primarily those who don’t typically participate in casino gaming activities that made up the largest audience.
As this budding sector continues to grow, participants can anticipate engaging with new types of gaming entertainment that cater to their interests and social preferences.
GameCo’s massive presence in Atlantic City casinos
Although Konami may have outdone GameCo in Las Vegas, in the grand scheme of things, it’s Konami and other skill-based gaming providers who are trying to catch up.
GameCo currently operates dozens of skill-based terminals across four casinos in Atlantic City, and has plans to expand into other markets in the upcoming months.
In November of the previous year, GameCo introduced its Danger Arena game at three Atlantic City casinos owned by Caesars: Harrah’s, Bally’s, and Caesars. The game was subsequently made available at the Tropicana in Atlantic City.
Earlier this month, GameCo launched their second skill-based game, Pharaoh’s Secret Chamber, across all four casinos in Atlantic City.
The company intends to expand their offerings by introducing a new basketball game called Nothing But Net in the upcoming period.
GameCo’s Las Vegas plans
Blaine Graboyes, the founder and CEO of GameCo, stated in a December interview that the company aimed to launch skill-based games in Las Vegas casinos during the first half of 2017.
Graboyes recently confirmed to Gaming Today that his company is still aiming to be present in the first half of 2017, indicating that the timeline is still in play.
Continuing, Graboyes stated:
The Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, A.G. Burnett, and his team in Nevada have shown fantastic support for our work. I’ve been in discussions with them for over two years now.
The frequency of that has been increasing. We are in talks with a variety of launch partners in Vegas and Reno. The locations will include a handful of casinos in Las Vegas, encompassing areas on the Strip, off the Strip, and downtown.
Graboyes also informed OPR that the company has plans to immediately expand in Connecticut, Florida, and tribal casinos nationwide.
Thus, Konami was the first to enter the Nevada market, thanks to the introduction of Frogger: Get Hoppin’.
However, in contrast to Atlantic City where GameCo machines are placed in highly visited areas on the casino floor, MGM is adopting a more careful strategy in introducing skill-based games.
For now, Frogger is restricted to the LEVEL UP Lounge.
It will be fascinating to observe which skill-based games will first make their appearance on a Las Vegas casino floor.
Will Frogger: Get Hoppin’ appeal to millennials?
The placement choice of the LEVEL UP Lounge is intriguing, and the selection of Frogger as a skill-based game is captivating.
The brand Frogger ranks among the most popular arcade games ever.
Although Frogger, which debuted in 1981, will undoubtedly appeal to Generation X, it doesn’t exactly align with the skill-based gaming approach aimed at millennials, unlike GameCo’s first-person-shooter game Danger Arena and the Match-Three game Pharaoh’s Secret Chamber.
In other words, over the years, numerous Frogger legacy games have been launched, with mobile apps being released as recently as 2013.
It is not confirmed if George Costanza was the first person in line to play the game.
Image courtesy of Petr Podrouzek via Shutterstock.com
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