July 2012 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 43 In Focus the Raining Diamonds game and related intellectual property that it acquired when it purchased Sierra Design Group. Players of that game, which enjoyed a popular run in the early 2000s, could collect prize points that earned them coupons that allowed them to achieve and unlock new levels that eventually could be traded for actual diamond jewelry. Kelly said that IP as well as other patents Bally holds could lead to new and different products that keep players engaged and excited. “We think we can do a lot of innovation on top of what we did with Raining Diamonds. We think we can do a lot with that with things that have real, tangible value.” He envisions opportunities with Bally’s systems products to deliver persistence products across an entire casino floor, or building a player’s own personal play space around the base game. Kelly believes the Bally iDeck is well- suited to deliver some episodic-persistent gaming features, as well as give players the ability to create a more personalized gaming space. “The megatrend today is to build out your own space and personalize your own space,”he said.“Right now the casino decides what you’re going to see. As we go forward, it’s going to be more your personal space, your favorite games, favorite layout, favorite bet configurations.” Gold Standard SPIELO International also has entered the episodic/persistence gaming space with its Egyptian Gold product. It combines a number of factors that SPIELO International believes will appeal to players—a popular Egyptian theme, a progressive link and episodic gaming. As players progress through the game during one session, they can save and reactivate their achieved status during the next play session. The player unlocks more features, and additional bet options for more action become available. When a player reaches the highest status, an additional award can be randomly revealed by Tutenchamun. Egyptian Gold also offers a five-Level Progressive Playoff, in which players are able to win multiple progressives. The product is soon to debut internationally—first in Latin America and then in Europe, a SPIELO International official said. Following the rollout in international markets, the company will decide whether and when to launch it in the United States. In the meantime, SPIELO International hinted that it is close to announcing a product tailored to North American players. While not an episodic-gaming product, SPIELO International is convinced that it will appeal to social or console game players. First shown at the ICE show in January, Egyptian Gold generated a lot of interest from casino customers as well as the signing of several deals, officials said. SPIELO International has been paying close attention to trends developing in social gaming and how these trends could be applied to slot machine products, said Sonja Fritz, a Graz, Austria-based game producer responsible for development of Egyptian Gold. “When we look at social gaming, we see that unlocking features is well-accepted,” Fritz said. She added that “…many players like to save a certain progress that they already have made. It’s motivating to reach a certain status. They’re interested in what happens next.” In Egyptian Gold, players will take a journey through Egypt as they play the five-level progressive link. “While playing, the players will find magic icons, which will be revealed in a map,” she said. “Players can save their current status in one session, and they can reactivate the status on the next play session.” Moreover,“the higher your bet, the faster you move along in this journey,” Fritz noted. SPIELO received positive feedback during player focus groups, Fritz said. “They were very excited to see the journey through Egypt. They were interested to play it in real life.” Asked whether slot players are ready to take to new concepts such as persistent and episodic gaming, Fritz said most people are familiar with saving progress and creating a username and password. She also noted that, although the younger demographic is quite used to episodic gaming, signs indicate older players also are open to the concept. “We had one man in our focus group, and he was really absolutely excited about this system—and he was 82!” One important factor with episodic gaming is to ensure continued play even after players have conquered the highest level, Fritz said. “I think the challenge with episodic gaming is that you still offer an exciting concept once they reach the highest status, and that players stay loyal to the product.” In the case of Egyptian Gold, that challenge is answered partly by well- received base game features and by the big-win amount that is randomly released to players who have reached the highest status, Fritz said. SPIELO International also has taken pains to ensure that players who do not wish to create a username and password also have access to Egyptian Gold’s episodic gaming features.“We just wanted to make it possible for players to play anonymously and that they are also able to save their progress,” Fritz said. In addition to cash-out tickets, status tickets with a status code also are awarded that anonymous players can use at a later session. Reprinted with permission from Casino Journal . Marian Green is a Nevada-based freelance writer with over 20 years experience covering the gaming industry. She can be reached at
[email protected] When a player reaches the highest status on SPIELO International’s Egyptian Gold slot, additional awards are randomly revealed in creative ways SPIELO International allows players to save and reactivate their achieved status on some of its newer games