Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming May 2014 72 S EGA SAMMY HOLDINGS was born in 2003 following the acquisition of video game giant SEGA by Japan’s largest pachinko machine manufacturer, Sammy Corporation. Last June, the group set up a new division, SEGA SAMMY CREATION INC., to make games for casinos, and the obvious choice to head it was its chief creative officer, Hisao Oguchi, who prior to the acquisition had led the development of some of SEGA’s most successful games, and then as chief creative officer of SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS was charged with overseeing all the creative endeavors of the group. Great Expectations What happens when a legendary video and arcade game developer is tasked with creating gaming machines by a deep- pocketed parent company? Casino operators and suppliers alike are waiting eagerly waiting to check out SEGA SAMMY CREATION ’s first products, which are due to be unveiled at this year’s G2E Asia These games are only the beginning, however. In the future, Mr Oguchi would like to create machines for casinos that incorporate elements of arcade games, such as the driving or motorcycle games that SEGA used to produce. Pushing the envelope further, he proposes a game intended to take center stage on a casino floor “where the player has to go up steps to a podium and everyone is watching. Then the player has to play a certain game in front of everybody. Maybe the player has won $1,000, and he can either take it or double it, but because the public is watching and everyone wants the player to keep going he has to decide whether he takes it or he has the guts to go ahead. So, again, making the casino a place where everyone’s enjoying themselves and entertained.” While striving to break the mold, Mr Oguchi is, however, mindful of the need to make products “that fit the culture of the market”. “Because our initial focus is to go into Asian markets, the products we’ll display at G2E Asia are designed specifically to attract Asian and Chinese players,” he says. Visit SEGA SAMMY CREATION INC. at Stand #1401 In an interview published in last month’s issue of Inside Asian Gaming, Mr Oguchi spelled out his basic development principles: “Game rules should be simple. In the simplicity of the games there should be a dream of winning big and also fun and excitement in the anticipation of the outcomes.” SEGA SAMMY CREATION is keeping most of the details about the machines it plans to exhibit at G2E Asia under wraps until the big unveiling at the show, but Mr Oguchi can share that there will be three games: sic bo, baccarat and a big wheel-style product, all of which will come in an extra-large format. SEGA SAMMY CREATION is keeping most of the details about the machines it plans to exhibit at G2E Asia under wraps until the big unveiling at the show, but there will be three games: sic bo, baccarat and a big wheel-style product, all of which will come in an extra- large format. Hisao Oguchi , president of SEGA SAMMY CREATION INC. G2E ASIA 2014