Whether it’s the heart-throbbing romance of Chinese mythology or the rubber-burning action of a NASCAR auto race, Bally Technologies has a thrill for every culture
To show its solid commitment to delivering products designed specifically for the Asian market, Bally Technologies will debut a broad selection of Asian-themed game titles at G2E Asia. These are highlighted by stunning graphics and engaging mechanics and are packed with features players enjoy, such as free games and stacked wilds. And, importantly for the Macau market, they are bilingual, selectable either for Chinese or English.
“We have high expectations for G2E Asia as we do every year,” says Srini Raghavan, senior vice president of Asia-Pacific/Africa and managing director of Bally India, where the US-based slot giant is concentrating an increasing amount of its considerable R&D talent.
“We have a game-development studio in the region focused solely on delivering content that will appeal to players in the Asia- Pacific market, and much of that new content will be on display at G2E Asia 2013,” Mr Raghavan adds. “This year, we are extremely proud of the depth of our portfolio and the library of new Chineselanguage video content.”
A standout of which is Zhi Nu, one of four new games steeped in the romance of Chinese mythology and linked to a progressive multi-jackpot, this one starring the heavenly maiden Zhi Nu and her mortal true love, Niu Lang. Available on Bally’s Pro Series V32 platform, it’s a five-reel 50-line game sparked by three enchanting free game triggers scattered anywhere on the middle three reels.
Also on display will be Chinese Zodiac on the Pro Series V22/22 Upright and V22/26 Slant cabinets where players get to choose the “zodiac” symbol and lock the wilds as colorful astrological animals bring them luck and fortune. In fact, an array of themed titles in Chinese—China River, Fantastic 8, Red Phoenix, Perfect 8, Shadow Diamond, White Lion, Heavenly Empress and Pharaoh’s Dream—will be offered for both cabinet styles.
Visitors to this year’s show will also get a look at several new titles—Star Signs, Zodiac Fortune, Joy of Samba and Koi Treasure— on the award-winning Pro Curve cabinet, with its innovative LCD display that gives the illusion of spinning reels.
Of course, the wider region is also an area of intense focus. As Mr Raghavan points out, “Due to Singapore’s success, other countries are reviewing their gaming laws and considering expansion, which will likely provide new opportunities for Bally and our casino operator partners in the coming years.”
The company finds the Philippines to be “particularly exciting,” he says.
“We also know that the overall economies in most Asia-Pacific countries tend to be strong and stable and the consumer base finds great entertainment in gaming—both of which bode well for Bally.”
This also plays to one of Bally’s great strengths, which is its ability to transcend cultures with games that have proven successful at capturing the internationalism of pop iconography in the 21st century.
In line with this, one of the uniquely American offerings rolling onto this year’s show floor is NASCAR, a video slot featuring an all-star lineup of stock car heroes and plenty of high-octane thrills. Featured on the powerful ALPHA 2 Pro Series V22/32, NASCAR invites players to choose their favorite driver (at which point the game screen changes to reflect those team colors and branding) and put pedal to the metal through three exciting bonus rounds—“Pit Stop, Burnout Free Games” and “U-Race”—for a chance at progressive wins.
The Asian industry will also get their first look at Cash Wizard Tiki Magic, the follow-up to the successful Cash Wizard. Tiki Magic offers a 1,080-pixel high-definition player interface and stars an all-new character, Ms Magic, the tour guide on a journey through a forest filled with three enchanting bonus features, two Bonus Bet features, an exciting new “touch/drag/fling” feature and a chance at three progressive jackpots.
Srini Raghavan, Bally Technologies’ senior vic president of Asia-Pacific/ Africa and managing director of Bally India
Bally will also be offering live demonstrations of its innovative Elite Bonusing Suite, which can be used to add excitement across the iVIEW network with a series of new real-time interactive promotions: Virtual Racing, U-Spin Bonusing, DM Tournaments and Virtual Racing NASCAR. These can also be targeted to individual players with personalized rewards and second chances to win and invitations to tournaments.
The Bally Mobile team also will be on hand to provide live demonstrations of custom cloud-based “mobile concierge” apps and Web sites for both players and casino employees.
“Our business strategy for the Macau and Asia-Pacific markets has not wavered,” Mr Raghavan explains. “We will continue to build and maintain strong partnerships with casino operators in the region and focus on delivering market-specific game content that provides casino operators with a strong return on investment.”
