After 12 months of unprecedented research and meticulous planning, Blueprint Machines has utilised proven content from fellow Gauselmann Group members to create a brand new B1 product for UK casino operators. Gavin Wright talks to Casino Review about the project.
Gauselmann Group member Blueprint Machines is set to inject fresh competition into the UK casino market with the launch of the Avantgarde Trio at this year’s ICE expo in London.
Fishin’ Frenzy and Eye of Horus, two highly popular games across Europe, will both feature on the cabinets initial 10- game pack, with more proven content to be revealed at the event in early-February. 
Blueprint Machines’ head of sales Gavin Wright explained that the company’s entry into the UK market signifies an increased choice for UK casino operators, who have witnessed their machine options become increasingly limited over the last decade.
“Blueprint Machines, supported by the Gauselmann Group’s international team, has been studying the market and listening carefully to the opinions of leading UK operators over the past 12 months,” he said. “Years ago they had a much broader choice, and we’re now hoping to renew that feeling with our new B1 launch and its array of leading content. As with our pub, bingo and adult gaming centre (AGC) products, we are wholly committed to the UK market; we know the players and we know which games they love playing.”
Indeed, Blueprint machines has already garnered a strong following in the country from its hugely successful range of pub, bingo and AGC machines, the majority of which utilise games developed by sister company Blueprint Gaming. In this way, all new titles are trialled by fire in the highly competitive online casino market, where data is collected to identify which games have the most potential for land-based venues. After several years of consistent success in converting content from online to land-based, Blueprint Machines has got this process down to a fine art.
“As a collective group we’ve built up a massive breadth of experience and data to draw from, both online and on the UK high street,” continued Wright. “Blueprint Gaming is a specialist in the online space, and that’s where we test all of our content to ensure it performs. From there we have a track record of translating games into land-based solutions that perform incredibly well in pubs, bingo clubs and AGCs across the UK.”
With products leading the market both online and in low-stake gaming, the final piece of the puzzle for the Gauselmann Group’s UK contingent is to enter the land- based casino sector – but it’s not a decision Blueprint Machines has taken lightly. In fact, with his 15-year casino background, Wright himself was brought into the com- pany over a year ago with the B1 market in mind. Since then, he has been collaborating with the Gauselmann Group team in Europe, inviting them over to the UK in early 2018 to get their thoughts on existing products and to share ideas about how Blueprint Machines can meet the sector’s growing demand for ‘something different’.
“While we have gained a huge wealth of market knowledge over the last year from both operators and other members of the Gauselmann Group, Blueprint Machines is new to the B1 market, and that means fresh eyes and an innovative outlook,” explained Wright. “We have combined Blueprint Gaming content that has proven itself in the UK, with the Merkur Avantgarde Trio cabinet that has proven itself Europe, and handed them over to a Blueprint Machines’ team that knows exactly what the land-based UK player is looking for.”
Of course, a key component of this is the ongoing provision of exciting new games. By collecting and analyzing performance data, Blueprint Machines’ content team has refined a system for ensuring its game packs continue to deliver a consistent return for operators, with new titles launched frequently to keep player engagement ticking over.
“We have a roadmap of regular content updates planned for the year, represent- ing a pipeline of top-performing games that we know will deliver for operators,” concluded Wright. “Our customers are always at the forefront of everything we do, and so we are entering this market with the sole purpose of increasing machine performance on their casino floor.”
