LAS VEGAS (October 1, 2024) – Ainsworth Game Technology (“Ainsworth” or “the Company”), will showcase its evolving legacy of creating innovative new products in its exhibit at the Global Gaming Expo (“G2E”) in Las Vegas, October 8–10.
Ainsworth’s A-Star RAPTOR cabinet, featuring the San Fa Pandas and Dragons games, was unveiled at G2E last year, and both the cabinet and games have remained on top performing lists ever since. At this year’s Global Gaming Expo, the Company is excited to show off over twenty new game titles on more than thirty RAPTOR cabinets, across its Class II, Class III, and Historical Horse Racing platforms. This year Ainsworth will showcase 20% more games than it did last year, a sign of its significant shift to focus on expanding game development.
“Over the past two years, we have invested significantly in our game development teams and strategy,” said Harald Neumann, Ainsworth’s Chief Executive Officer, “At G2E last year, we showed the first products of that investment in the A-Star RAPTOR cabinet and San Fa games. We have now installed over 1,000 RAPTOR cabinets across the United States and are showing six themes with a total of twelve game titles approved and ready for sale in this year’s booth, including Rocket Link, Triple Troves, Coin Kingdom, and Super Charged Link. Beyond that, we are showing over a dozen new games that will be approved and ready for sale over the course of the next six months. Production is humming and our game development efforts are starting to come to fruition with more quality new titles than we have shown at a G2E before.”
This year’s G2E exhibit will feature the Company’s unique story as Ainsworth takes operators through the products currently approved for sale, followed by the upcoming releases for 2025, and finally showcasing some forward-looking titles. Many games available for FY2025 have been developed on the Unity platform, giving the company the ability to quickly port titles between markets, something it was unable to do in the past. If Ainsworth now sees one of its titles performing well in Class III, for instance, it can quickly pivot and make that game available in Class II and HHR markets, as well. This will be a game-changer for the supplier as it shows off several exciting new titles at this year’s show.
“We are focusing on data-driven, player focused development,” says Deron Hunsberger, Ainsworth’s President of North America. “We have reorganized our game development studios, so they are creating games for their own regional markets, and we expect that to lead to more wins for us on casino floors. Structuring development this way means that developers can go to their local casinos to play games and see what is resonating with players on those floors, then take that knowledge back and design games for those specific players and casinos.”
Ainsworth currently has six game development studios serving global markets. Its four studios located across the US develop games specifically for the United States and Canada. The studio in Australia is focused on that market, and the Company’s sixth studio, located in Monterrey, Mexico, is solely focused on Latin American markets. The Monterrey studio represents perhaps the largest investment in R&D from Ainsworth this year, with an almost 70% increase in headcount from 2023. “The Latin American market is a large part of our revenue and growth strategies,” continues Hunsberger. “It makes sense to have game development focused solely on those players, to ensure we are creating games they will want to play now and into the future.”
Ainsworth will show over a dozen games for Latin American markets, specifically, in their exhibit this year. The Company will show successful titles including San Fa, and brand-new games such as Coin Kingdom, Triple Troves, and the hotly anticipated Xtension Link on the RAPTOR cabinet. Ainsworth will debut its new Rising Series, featuring game titles Rising Bull and Rising Rooster, on the player favorite A-Star Slant Top cabinet, along with an assortment of other games. Complete with attractive sign packages, this dedicated section of Ainsworth’s exhibit will showcase the best of what the Company has available now for the market, along with a look at what’s to come.
Elsewhere in the booth, the Company will showcase brand extensions in its San Fa series of games, with San Fa Rabbits and Tigers, approved, installed, and already performing well at a handful of gaming properties. Other notable titles include Rocket Frenzy, Quick Spin Electric Pots, and Neon’s Bonus Blast.
- Rocket Frenzy is designed to be a disruptor in the space. This RAPTOR exclusive game lets players earn rewards by activating features on the screen with rockets. The more rockets the player collects, the greater the rewards. Featuring a unique game screen where rockets shoot up from the reels to unlock rewards on the top portion of the screen, the game does not look like anything else currently on casino floors.
- Quick Spin Electric Pots features Ainsworth’s popular, legacy Quick Spin brand, complete with frequent wheel spins. The game combines the wheel with the player-favorite growing pot mechanic, creating an irresistibly unique and fun experience.
- Neon’s Bonus Blast is unlike anything Ainsworth has released in the past. The game’s hero, a little green alien named Neon, will take players through three separate games replete with bonus features and fun animations, including four progressive jackpots.
The Company will also continue to showcase its ongoing commitment to HHR and Class II gaming markets. In the past several years, Ainsworth has installed close to 4,200 HHR games across six states. For the first time ever, thanks to Ainsworth’s commitment to game development on the Unity platform, visitors to the booth will also see a game that is ready to go for both Class II and Class III markets at the same time – they may play the Class III version in one area of the booth, and then walk over and play the same game for Class II markets, to compare and contrast and realize that players in both markets will benefit from this development.
Omnichannel development is also a focus of the Company and will be displayed in the Interactive area of Ainsworth’s booth. The same games that will be shown on the RAPTOR cabinets for both Class III and Class II markets will be made available for online markets, as well. “Omnichannel has been a goal of the Company for some time, and we are happy to demonstrate our commitment to that development at G2E this year,” says Jason Lim, Ainsworth’s Chief Digital Officer, “Brand extension across digital and land-based platforms is key to building player loyalty and more engaging games, and we are excited to offer some of our most anticipated titles to all of our players.”
Ainsworth will also show its unique Gambler’s Gold MultiGame pack on the Bear Elite cabinet, first shown at G2E 2023. The Bear Elite has been improved with an attractive new lighting package and will be released later this year with San Fa Pandas and Beaver Bucks Keno, two of Ainsworth’s most popular titles.
“Ainsworth is taking the time to ask questions and listen to its customers and players as it strives to improve game performance and customer service,” says Sean Evans, the Company’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Strategy. “It’s a refreshing approach and one that is certain to pay off. Our customers’ success is our success, and it’s an exciting time to be a part of the Company as we continue to expand our legacy.”