Primero Games continues to establish itself as one of the most influential and innovative gaming manufacturers, not just in the Georgia COAM market, but in the entire country.
Primero is in strategic growth mode, developing and launching a tremendous number of new games this year, forming strategic alliances, solidifying current markets and entering new ones. The company now operates four development studios across the world, and the Norcross-based company is keeping all of them hopping. Two of the studios are located in its new Norcross headquarters with one focusing on kiosk development and the other on game development. Another game studio is located in Drummondville, Quebec, and a fourth, called Storm Gaming Technologies, is located in Birmingham, England.
Primero, which is a leader in the Georgia COAM market, has another winner with its Joker Party game released in April. Primero CEO Barry Rutherford said the game “has been a hit with players and performs well over the Georgia daily average.” The dual-SAS game is one of several that Primero has released already this year.
“We’ve released a record breaking nine games year-to-date – all which are dual-SAS ready,” Rutherford said, “with more entertaining games coming.”
SAS is the protocol that allows Georgia’s amusement machines to communicate directly with the state’s central system, and that process requires a dedicated SAS port. Manufacturers can use a secondary SAS port to offer several features that benefit both player and operator through advanced gift-card kiosk systems.
Dual-SAS technology “is a game changer for Georgia’s COAM market,” Rutherford said, adding that the advanced kiosk systems allow players to redeem for gift cards themselves using TITO (ticket-in ticket-out) technology without the assistance of an attendant. The kiosks can also provide player tracking and player reward programs.
“Joker Party, along with Cadillac 1 and Cadillac 2 are some of our top-performing dual-SAS games,” noted Rutherford. “We’re excited to be releasing Piggy Bank Deluxe, Winning Wheel and Disco Party to the Georgia market soon. All have proven to have tremendous player appeal and incredible performance in markets where they have been placed.”
Primero is also introducing a subscription-based content package for gaming operators that is a first in the Georgia market and one of the first in the entire country. The subscription content will be available on a brand-new game called Piggy Bank Deluxe, developed in Primero’s UK studio. The subscription package will be available in the fourth quarter of this year.
“This is a unique concept which adds tremendous value to the operator, the location and the player,” Rutherford said.
With the purchase of Piggy Bank Deluxe, operators receive eight games in the suite. In addition, Rutherford said, “they can subscribe to premium content.” The subscription content plan secures an additional title every two months that is delivered to the machine via the internet.
“It’s like a Netflix subscription,” he said. “It keeps it fresh for players, and the locations see new content every two months.”
Besides the potential for an enormous number of available games, Piggy Bank Deluxe and its subscription-based content provide other benefits, as well.
“As part of the subscription, operators will have access to an online portal to manage all of their games remotely,” he said.
Another new game Primero is excited about is Zeus, developed specifically for the first-in-market Nova Wings cabinet. The game will be featured prominently at the Southern Amusement & Entertainment Expo this month in Duluth. Zeus features two progressive wheel bonuses and three different interactive portrait monitors, creating an immersive gaming experience for players.
“The quality and innovation of Zeus on our Nova Wings cabinet is a must-see at the show,” Rutherford said. “Its casino-quality graphics and animations paired with the excitement of the progressive wheels creates anticipation and thrills for the player.”
In addition to all its software upgrades, Primero has made significant strides in its cabinet design. The Nova series is the company’s “premier, luxury line,” Rutherford said. The company is also excited about its new Astro series.
“We’ve made a very slim-lined metal cabinet … that’s built with the street operator in mind,” he said. “We wanted to meet the needs of our customers by offering them a high-quality image while maintaining affordability.”
The Astro cabinet fits 43-inch, 32-inch or dual-screen monitors and is lightweight and “easy to transport from location to location,” he added. It accepts any bill acceptor or printer.
“This is a cabinet I think is really going to fly,” Rutherford said.
Another Primero enhancement uses a Cubix monitor that allows legacy games that don’t have vertical screen capability to use a dual-screen monitor to physically appear to be a vertical screen.
“We’re excited to use this monitor for our older-style games that players still like to play,” he said. “It also gives operators the ability to get a few extra miles out of their MIG boards.”
One of the most exciting new products for Primero is a social gaming platform called Gold Rush City that allows players to play at home on their mobile phones via an app, play on a website or play in a location via a kiosk. Primero recently announced a strategic partnership with GiG, a world-class iGaming platform provider, to integrate their market leading online platform with Gold Rush City. Social gaming has grown approximately 85 percent in the United States during the last four years, and though not currently legal in Georgia, the product will go live in about a dozen states in October. Primero plans to offer it eventually in all 40 states that allow the game.
“It’s absolutely huge,” Rutherford said. “It’s where everything is going.”
The Georgia Amusement Journal will have more on the social gaming product in its October issue.
Primero’s innovative backbone should come as no surprise. Primero’s owner is industry legend Mike Macke. Macke's 40-plus years of experience include becoming one of the largest operators in the Southeast and extensive knowledge of game design and production. His roots in the industry date back to 1980, when the first company he was involved in created the hit countertop bar game Little Casino. He also founded Cadillac Jack, a company that transformed Class II gaming, and he brought the "nudge” concept to the US market. He also created a hand-count concept that allows the games to comply to the $5 Rule. When Governor Roy Barnes shut the industry down years ago, Macke brought Nudge games to the market which helped save and rebuild the industry.
Following a recent tour of Primero’s 50,000 square-foot headquarters in Norcross, Macke said Primero has much more amusement innovation coming for Georgia and across the country.
“We’re pushing the Primero brand to new heights,” he said. “We’ve got the team to do it.”
“He’s been an incredible mentor,” Rutherford said of Macke. “This is a fun industry to be in.”
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