Several months after the introduction of skill-based games in Atlantic City casinos, a Las Vegas casino has finally embraced this trend on Feb. 23.
Konami revealed its Frogger: Get Hoppin’ game at the MGM Grand’s LEVEL UP Lounge, after receiving approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Konami’s press release states that with an entry wager of $2, players of the game have the opportunity to win random cash prizes and skill-based cash awards. The top scores are documented on daily and all-time Hall of Fame leaderboard displays.
This is what Tom Jingoli, Konami’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, stated in the company’s press release:
Given Konami’s rich history in consumer arcade and video gaming, we are thrilled to leverage their creativity and technology to innovate in the gaming industry. We aim to lead in 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 approach enhances success for consumers, operators, and developers alike.
We’re extremely satisfied with the reaction to Frogger: Get Hoppin’. A wide range of player types participated in the trial and competition event, but notably, the majority of the audience were those who typically don’t take part in gaming activities at the casino.
As the burgeoning sector keeps growing, participants can anticipate engaging with innovative gaming entertainment forms that align with their interests and social choices.
GameCo’s massive presence in Atlantic City casinos
Although Konami may have outpaced GameCo in Las Vegas, in the grand scheme of things, it’s Konami and other skill-based gaming providers who are trailing behind.
GameCo is currently operating dozens of skill-based terminals in four casinos in Atlantic City, with plans to expand into other markets in the near future.
In November of the previous year, GameCo introduced its Danger Arena game at three casinos in Atlantic City, all owned by Caesars: Harrah’s, Bally’s, and Caesars. The game was subsequently made available at the Tropicana, also located in Atlantic City.
This month, GameCo introduced its second skill-based game, Pharaoh’s Secret Chamber, at all four casinos in Atlantic City.
In the near future, the company plans to introduce a third offering, a basketball game called Nothing But Net.
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 within the first half of 2017.
Graboyes recently informed Gaming Today that his company is once again aiming to be present in the first half of 2017, indicating that the timeline is still relevant.
Continuing, Graboyes stated:
For the past two or more years, I’ve been meeting with Chairman A.G. Burnett and his team from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. They’ve been incredibly supportive of our endeavors in Nevada.
The frequency of that has been increasing. We are currently in discussions with a variety of launch partners located in Vegas and Reno. The locations will include several casinos in Las Vegas, both on and off the Strip, as well as downtown.
Graboyes also informed OPR that the company has imminent plans in Connecticut, Florida, and tribal casinos nationwide.
Indeed, thanks to the inclusion of Frogger: Get Hoppin’, Konami was the first to enter the market in Nevada.
However, unlike the prominent placement of GameCo machines in high traffic areas on the casino floor in Atlantic City, 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 intriguing to observe which skill-based games will first appear on a Las Vegas casino floor.
Will Frogger: Get Hoppin’ appeal to millennials?
The placement choice of the LEVEL UP Lounge is intriguing and choosing Frogger as a skill-based game is equally compelling.
The brand Frogger is among the most popular arcade games ever.
Although Generation X’ers will undoubtedly connect with it (since Frogger was first released in 1981), it does not fit well with the skill-based gaming approach aimed at millennials, unlike GameCo’s first-person-shooter (Danger Arena) and Match-Three (Pharaoh’s Secret Chamber).
While keeping that in mind, numerous legacy Frogger games have been launched over the years, with mobile apps even being released as recently as 2013.
It is not known if George Costanza was the first person to play the game.
Image courtesy of Petr Podrouzek via Shutterstock.com
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