Reasons to be cheerful are plentiful at UDC with EAG proving to be another banker for the distributor. It flooded the zone in terms of products and the London audience responded with orders on the EAG showfloor. UDC’s Jonathan Lauder explains all.
Coinslot: How did the show go for you this year: did it meet your expectations?
Jonathan Lauder: A good question, yes, absolutely. We take great pride in presenting UDC and especially our games in the best possible light at EAG.
I think we had a busy stand full of great product and the feedback from visitors confirmed it. It’s always encouraging to see so many of our customers in attendance, particularly those who went on to place orders at the show, which is always a sign that we’ve got things right – the right games at the right price point.
Coinslot: Any key developments finalised at EAG – new agreements signed, new appointments, installations agreed etc?
Jonathan Lauder: As always, plenty of orders at EAG, but we don’t divulge the details. We’re happy for clients to talk about it, but it’s not our place to announce their plans.
Coinslot: What were the stand highlights – which products caught the attention and what was reaction to your portfolio of products?
Jonathan Lauder: UDC showcased our range of close-loop style pusher games on the stand, including The Smurfs, Galaxy Hunter, Popeye Dizzy Divers, Demon Tower and Shock Wave grouped together in a ‘Coin Pusher Alley’ aisle, along with the now famous Tornado, which continues to dominate.
Each has it’s own appeal and special features, such as integrated videogame and screens, the giant towers, collectable cards and more – something to appeal to everyone.
In videos games, there was lots of interest in the Ace Amusement giant\Racing X-Treme’ 4 screen driving video game with motion and this years’ Bikers Madness which utilises 2 tall portrait screens in place of the larger 4 screen variant. Another new title is ‘Jet Ski Racer’ where players sit astride jets ski on a motion base to race across the waves complete with air blowing effects and slick 3D graphics for a thrilling experience.
The next generation of cranes in the shape of E-Claw 2.0 garnered much attention, with the team from Elaut on hand to show visitors many of the impressive new features, with the most visible being the impressive LED header along with the linked animation across multiple cranes. The most transformative upgrade is probably the E-CLAUT cloud system with features for operators to check in on machines, see figures and even adjust and fix issues remotely.
The Collectopia vending system, and changer, along with the Crazy Collectables and Breaking News machines are proving very popular with lots of interest beyond traditional arcades, as they can be operated virtually anywhere and are flexible and terrific value for money.
For the musically and dance minded player the StepmaniaX still draws in players with its fresh music updates every month. This year it was joined by the new Dance Stage rhythm game
Coinslot: It’s going to be a defining year for the business – new legislation and new regulation. How did you gauge the general mood of the industry and what were the main talking points?
Jonathan Lauder: In general, the feeling in the hall felt very positive with most visitors engaging and focused on purchases for the season ahead.
Coinslot: Now the show is over, what’s on your agenda going into spring in terms of new products, new projects and more exhibitions?
Jonathan Lauder: A busy few months ahead, including the DEAL Middle East show in Dubai, the Irish Gaming show in Dublin and then IAAPA Middle in Abu Dhabi to name just a few.
Our team will be spending more time out on the road visiting customers in the lead up to Easter.
Right games at the right price
Jonathan Lauder said… “I think we had a busy stand full of great product and the feedback from visitors confirmed it. It’s always encouraging to see so many of our customers in attendance, particularly those who went on to place orders at the show, which is always a sign that we’ve got things right – the right games at the right price point…
