Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming December 2014 40 Mission Focused WMS is sticking to its mantra of “Keeping Players in the Game™” with a new lineup of eye-catching titles and widely popular licensed themes presented on upgraded cabinets and enhanced platforms. It’s also redoubling its efforts to get more of those players in Asia. Tech Talk S teven Rosen, lead producer, Game Development at WMS, was understandably gratified by the enthusiastic reaction to the expansive display of innovative games exhibited by his company at the recent Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas. “Working in game development, we don’t always get to see people play the games. We work from Chicago, and we do have casinos nearby, but it’s different when you’re watching competitors play your products, oohing and aahing about them. That’s when you really feel good. We’ve worked 12 months to get here, and I think this is really the culmination of everything we do for the year, of which we are very proud.” Mr Rosen and his team are also keenly focused on building their presence in Asia. “Macau is a huge market, and we believe it is important to tailor games to that market,” WMS has high hopes in Asia for a local-area progressive called Yi Lu Fa™ Progressives “Macau is a huge market, and we believe it is important to tailor games to that market. We really want to learn about that player base, and we’ve done that. We believe that our content is strong, and we believe that we are equipped to reach this marketplace.” Steven Rosen | Lead Producer, Game Development at WMS hopes for a local-area progressive called Yi Lu Fa™ Progressives and is adding to the portfolio with a second Asian-themed LAP, called the Sons of the Dragon™ series, with an exciting feature in which scatter symbols ultimately win the big jackpot. Mr Rosen is also enthusiastic about a number of international licensed themes—a strong suit of WMS—that he believes will resonate in Asia as well. “We believe that STAR TREK™ is a universal and nostalgic brand, and we believe it translates into numerous different countries,” he says. “They’ve syndicated it he says. “We really want to learn about that player base, and we’ve done that. We believe that our content is strong, and we believe that we are equipped to reach this marketplace.” He notes that WMS translates between 20 and 30 titles into Mandarin a year and has even formed a special Asian Advisory Team comprised of staff native to the region. “They give us feedback not only on the art, but also on the cultural relevancy, and I think it’s really added to the games. It strengthens our content.” In particular, the company has high