September
3rd, 2003
Geisha Lounge and Grand Aces
online casinos announce switch to RealTime Gaming software
platform
Change is in the air for two online casinos this week as Geisha
Lounge (www.geishalounge.com) and Grand Aces Casino (www.grandaces.com),
both announced their planned switch to the RealTime Gaming
software platform.
"We are excited to join the RealTime family, and we
can't wait to roll out their full suite of products to all
of our loyal players," says Grand Aces casino manager
Nic van den Bergh adding, "It's a pretty exciting time
around here."
The switch will officially take place September 10th, but
will only affect new players in the short run. While current
players will be able to continue playing on the old platform,
new players visiting either site will download the new RealTime
Gaming platform. There are plans to migrate the entire player
roster to the new platform, but for now, existing and new
players will run on parallel platforms on parallel sites.
"Our aim is to provide the best new game platform for
all of our players (current and new) without disrupting current
players' gaming, so we will run in parallel until we have
the majority of our players switched over to the new system,"
says van den Bergh.
Even so, current players will be encouraged to take advantage
of the new suite of available games through promotional messaging
and CD mailings. According to van den Bergh, "It is such
a positive change for our players we predict most will adopt
the new platform sooner than later. Of course, we may also
add some rewards and incentives to encourage our players to
make the switch."
The change will be limited to software only. Management,
customer service staff, and look-and-feel for both casino
sites will stay relatively the same. Only the games players
play , and the game roster they can choose from – will
change.
Both operations cite the need to update their game platforms
as the primary reason for the shift. As van den Bergh puts
it, "We owe it to our players to provide the most cutting
edge gaming experience possible, and our old platform was
simply out of date - we haven't had a considerable update
in months. It's time for a change."
"We really liked what we saw from RealTime. They have
a deep understanding of players that shows in their game design,
and they are committed to innovation - they've had five releases
in the past six months alone!" says van den Bergh.
Both operations said RealTime's track record of frequent
releases and development of new titles played heavily in their
decision. Not surprising, considering RealTime's player-focused
development philosophy.
"We try to find new ways to enhance each player's gaming
experience, whether that's through more realistic gameplay
design or the development of new, original games," explains
Michael Staw, President of RealTime Gaming. "We like
to keep things fresh, but above all, our games are playable.
The pacing, the action and the look-and-feel are all designed
to make playing our games as straightforward and entertaining
as possible."
The RealTime product seems to be a nice fit for both casinos,
and all parties seem optimistic regarding the switch. van
den Bergh sums up the anticipation simply, "We just can't
wait to get everyone up and running. September 10th can't
get here fast enough!"
Founded in 1998, RealTime Gaming creates Internet gaming
software for some of the most successful casino sites on the
Internet, employing some of the most sought after talent in
the areas of game programming, web development, and business
statistics.