Gaming technology supplier Light & Wonder Inc (L&W) says it plans to “build out” a new version of its slot game “Dragon Train”. The commentary is in a video-message update by company president and chief executive Matt Wilson (pictured), on the ongoing Dragon Train litigation with rival firm Aristocrat Technologies Inc.
The statement was published online on Friday.
Mr Wilson added: “We expect ‘Dragon Train’ will continue to be a franchise in our portfolio for many years to come.”
Mr Wilson’s latest comments relate to a court decision last month concerning alleged infringement of Aristocrat Technologies’ intellectual property in connection with Light & Wonder’s “Dragon Train” game.
Slot machine specialist Aristocrat Technologies said in late September that it had been granted a preliminary injunction by a court in the United States against Light & Wonder on this matter.
At that time, Light & Wonder issued a statement expressing that it “respectfully disagreed” with the judge’s decision and would contest it. The firm launched its Dragon Train title in Australia last year and in the U.S. market in early March.
In his Friday video, Mr Wilson said that Light & Wonder wanted to release its statement ahead of the major industry trade show Global Gaming Expo (G2E), scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States, from October 7 to 10.
He added: “When you think about what’s in question here in this [court] order, it’s really a small portion of the overall game that is ‘Dragon Train’. It’s just certain aspects of the math that have been challenged. There are many elements in this game that have made it successful.”
The Light & Wonder chief executive also noted that the firm was ensuring its customers were “taken care of” as it complied with the judge’s order.
He further mentioned that there were around 2,000 “Dragon Train” units deployed in the North American market. “We’re working very diligently with our customers to convert those games out in compliance with the judge’s order.”
Mr Wilson added: “I am happy to say, at this point, we’ve not had a single removal request from our customers, and we have a lineup of great games from a deep portfolio of franchises… from which we can backfill these requests.”
He said the firm was “working hard” with its clients “to install these new games as quickly as possible so that Dragon Train is taken out of the fleet.”
Discussing the Australian market – where “Dragon Train” has “obviously been very successful” – Mr Wilson said Light & Wonder had “stopped selling the game… when the [court] order was issued.”
Mr Wilson also said that, despite the litigation surrounding Dragon Train, the firm was on track to deliver its 2025 consolidated earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) target of US$1.4 billion.
In his video statement, Mr Wilson confirmed that the person in charge of the design of “Dragon Train” had now left Light & Wonder. “Though we don’t discuss specifics of personnel matters, I can confirm the designer was terminated earlier this week,” he said.
