What products have you brought to exhibit in this new edition of G2E?

Konami’s KX 43 cabinet is a key showcase. It has a 43-inch, edge-lit portrait screen and standard base width. With core comforts and conveniences for today’s players, KX 43 offers a USB charging port, dual cup holders, and dual classic bash buttons. This machine has a competitive lineup of exclusive launch titles—everything from symbol-driven linked progressives to original jackpot bonuses. Ba Fang Jin Bao is among the linked progressive series premiering on KX 43. It showcases proven mechanics from Konami’s popular Cai Li Si Ji titles like Wealth of Dynasty, and delivers it in a single screen format with even more player bet options. Available Ba Fang Jin Bao base games, including Abundant Fortune and Fortune Totems, feature a progressive chance anytime a gold ingot symbol lands on the reels. Another integrated jackpot series on KX 43 is Chili Chili Fire Boosted Wins & Wilds. This game invites fans of Chili Chili Fire to experience the popular Fade Away Feature with an all-new jackpot chance.  When players bet up the button panel, they activate an array of boosted potential wins and wilds in each spin. By betting in this “boosted” range, all wins are multiplied by 2x, 4x, or 6x. In addition, all neighboring wild symbols become stacked wilds or stacked wild jackpot symbols. When any stacked jackpot symbol appears entirely at the end of a spin, the corresponding jackpot is instantly awarded, with an exciting fiesta-themed celebration.

The international release of Konami’s 65-inch Opus cabinet has been met with strong performance in recent months. In many ways, Opus is the next evolution of our Podium Goliath cabinet, which saw strong popularity as the right size of an oversized cabinet, with great game content and reasonable floor space requirements. The Opus machine’s debut launch series, Triple Sparkle, has seen exceptional success by bringing back the popular Sparkle Feature from Solstice Celebration and Riches with Daikoku. The Triple Sparkle series features a unique betting structure that rewards players with a symbol-driven progressive chance when they bet max. 

Treasure Ball is another high-performing progressive game available on Opus. Inspired by classic toy capsule machines, Treasure Ball can be recognized by its large globe of round mystery prize balls, which players can redeem and reveal during the bonus. In addition, Treasure Ball can combine with most any KP3+ base game, including Lion Carnival, Chili Chili Fire, Sparkling Roses, and our popular multi-game SeleXion.

SeleXion continues to deliver the industry’s most agile and customizable multi-game technology to Concerto Crescent, Stack, Slant, and upright. SeleXion’s expansion to the tall Concerto Stack and curved Concerto Crescent has provided a versatile solution for casinos to feature a library of single screen game releases, including Jewel Reward, Rising Koi, Mayan Chief Great Stacks, Lotus Land Deluxe Wilds, and Agent: Magnifying Jackpots.  These titles can all be featured on one machine, giving players access to an entertaining variety of the latest games.

SeleXion is also combining with Konami’s popular Dragon’s Law series for an entirely new Dragon’s Law SeleXion pack on KX 43 and Opus. Dragon’s Law SeleXion showcases a pair of progressive jackpot games, each led by the long-tailed dragon first shown on Konami’s Podium cabinet. In Dragon’s Law Boosted, players can enjoy the familiar 5-reel game or select the “BOOSTED” button to double the lines with double the reel frame. In addition to the random wild feature that players enjoy, Dragon’s Law Boosted has a random progressive jackpot chance, including a $5,000+ Maxi. The SeleXion companion title to Dragon’s Law Boosted is Dragon’s Law Rapid Fever, which includes the popular Dragon’s Law mystery wild feature combined with a Strike Zone mechanic, from games like Star Watch Fire and Celestial Moon Riches.

With what expectations do you get to G2E every year and what are the goals?

What matters most for Konami and its distributors is the opportunity to meet with customers and personally show our appreciation. So many of them we have worked with for years and we always look forward to event like this to touch base and get their feedback. Over the three days, thousands of people visit the Konami booth to see our very latest products and technology. It really helps set the tone for year, so our team is focused on delivering the best experience for all our customers.

What are the goals of the Company from now until the end of the year?

Through the remainder of 2019, we are focused on delivering the newest products to most international customers we serve. We have the planning in place to deliver our latest games before the holidays, so casinos can fully capitalize on their busiest season of the year. In addition, Konami and its exclusive international distributors are preparing for a strong 2020. Players and operators in market around the globe can expect to see a strong variety of top entertainment and creative jackpot experiences.

Will you be present at other shows?

Looking ahead, our next events include GET in Mexico and ICE 2020.

How does the growth of the Company accompany the evolution of the players?

Konami continues to innovate fresh content and cabinets to attract and engage new audiences. As technology evolves, there are shifts in consumer entertainment preferences. It is important to the future of the industry that we anticipate and respond to these changes, in ways that are measured, responsible, and effective.

Which are the markets in which the firm is more established and which are the new markets in which it seek to enter?

Over the past year we’ve been encouraged by momentum across Europe and South America. And in terms of our product offering, Konami is positioned to broaden its portfolio to other product categories and player demographics in the future. As an organization, we are firmly committed to advancing and supporting our core segment; and there is continued potential should we expand Konami’s proven math and mechanics to new areas.