Branded pokies are all the rage in today’s gambling market. Popular movies, televisions shows and comic book characters have found themselves the subject of the latest poker machines. Video games like Tomb Raider, Hitman, Street Fighter and Call of Duty have also made their way into the online gambling market, and games designer Atari also wants in on the action.
Atari CEO Fred Chesanis recently announced that his company will license its popular games brands to gaming firms. He states that the move will help Atari generate more revenue after narrowly escaping bankruptcy in 2013. It sounds like a wise business decision, since gaming is quite a lucrative market. Around the world, more and more countries are obtaining gambling licenses in order to bring in more money for government coffers.
The same applies to parties on the other end of the transaction, as games developers have also seen huge growth in recent years – especially due to the huge popularity of social gambling. "We’re not just competing against gaming companies anymore. At the end of the day, it’s a competition for the user’s time…We have to be there..We cannot ignore another revolution,” says Mr Chesnais.
At the moment, there are two firms that have signed up to license Atari brands for their own casino games. One company is PariPlay, a real-money casino operator which will allow players to wager on Atari-themed pokies. The other is FlowPlay, which will create a social casino where players can wager play money. It will be titled “Atari Casino”.
Whether you owned an Atari when you were younger or you are a modern gamer, you will certainly be familiar with Atari titles. Space Invaders and Frogger have had a huge impact on the modern gaming market, and branded pokies based on these titles will certainly pique players’ interest.