‘Mission: Impossible’ among GameCo.’s new skill-based games

By Thomas Moore

Monday, Nov. 21, 2016 | 12:20 p.m.

The old world of themed slots and the new world of skill-based video games may not be as different as it seems now that one company is unveiling a series of movie-themed skill-based gambling machines.

Skill-based gaming developer GameCo announced Monday it will develop games based on three popular movies: “Mission: Impossible,” “Paranormal Activity” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Skill-based games are seen by some industry observers as a way to appeal to younger gamblers and keep gambling relevant as players fond of traditional games grow older.

And the topic of skill-based games was on everyone’s lips at this year’s Global Gaming Expo, with trade show booths offering demonstrations of games with the kind of action, like shooting zombies, found in Xbox or Playstation games.

GameCo already has a video game-like gambling machine in casinos in Atlantic City titled “Danger Arena.” It’s a first-person shooting game where the player fights robots.

However, the idea of making games with themes from movies, television or other pop culture icons is something common to the world of traditional slots and video poker. In fact, one critique of the industry is it merely releases old games with new pop culture themes.

However, GameCo’s move into the world of movie-themed games is not as incongruous as it seems if you listen to the company CEO Blaine Graboyes.

In a recent interview, Graboyes said his company is trying to appeal to a new generation of gamblers but it is very much focused on operating in the current casino business environment.

“We have one product line, and it’s essentially a slot,” Graboyes said. “It’s not virtual reality or online play or mobile or social. You see some companies, and they’re all over the place. What we’ve heard from casinos — and followed in our business —is ‘give us a plug-and-play replacement for slots but make it appeal to new gamer audience.’”

“Our platform makes it easy to port games to be in a gaming environment. If you opened our machine, you would think it would be a slot inside,” he said.