News Gaming technology innovation: How the gaming industry can collaborate to deliver the ultimate player experience By Abhinay Bhagavatula With world economies reopening, we are seeing a gradual return to normalcy across all aspects of life. This is particularly evident in the gaming industry, with venues reopening around the world and experiencing increasing demand from an audience with a pent-up desire to enjoy the thrill of gaming once more. As such, delivering the ultimate player experience is critical to the industry’s successful rebound, and technology has a central role to play. With global supply chain challenges continuing to impact the whole sector, game manufacturers are having to think and operate differently to keep production lines running and effectively meet the growing consumer demand, despite operating on significantly reduced revenues.  The gaming industry has proven time and time again to be resilient and versatile, swiftly and effectively adapting to new challenges and circumstances. This is something we are certain will be true over the coming months, and we are seeing a paradigm shift in gaming technology and innovation. History is always a valuable teacher. As the industry continues to adapt to learnings from the recent months, we believe the following considerations will be central to ensuring the successful recovery of the industry, and paving the way for future gaming excellence.   Standardisation of products across markets to enable cost-effective game development.  The quest to deliver the ultimate player experience has often seen a high level of custom product development across the gaming industry, with game manufacturers developing a range of in-house platforms for different geographies and markets. Developing and managing the lifecycle of these products can however be particularly costly and can prevent investment in future gaming technology and innovation. When the sector was thriving, this way of operating was possible, but with gaming venues at reduced capacity and revenues significantly down, this is a perfect opportunity for the industry to put this practice under the microscope. It raises [...]

News Lessons learned in the wake of a global pandemic While the human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic is a tragedy, there are some important and positive changes which are emerging in how governments and businesses are operating. Never before has major structural reform been achieved so swiftly, nor have cheques for billions of dollars been signed so unreservedly. Booming consumer demand for products incorporating increasingly complex electronic systems and challenges with freight have led to significant supply disruption over recent months, which have profoundly affected almost every industry. Since the beginning of 2021 there have been a steady stream of billion-dollar company announcements warning investors of production delays, postponed launches and impacted profits. The shortages are indiscriminate: in April, even the largest company in history, $2tn Apple Inc, was forced to concede a delay in production by several months for some of its products. This follows similar statements from companies operating in every sector. Those companies operating in the embedded/industrial electronics space have been even more heavily impacted. The capacity constrained semiconductor fabrication plants have prioritised orders destined for the higher volume consumer electronics market over industrial customers. In the wake of such severe economic consequences, governments and corporations have been taking rapid action backed by unprecedented levels of investment in an attempt to address the problem. After President Biden ordered an investigation into the global semiconductor shortages, his administration has proposed a $50bn investment into US domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research. EU countries have pledged investment of up to $145bn into Europe domiciled design and production of semiconductors. Alongside this, Asian fabrication giants such as TSMC are investing billions into capacity expansion. As impressive as the pace and potency of these actions are, in the short-term they will have limited benefit [...]

News Quixant plc opens its new office in Crawley, UK CRAWLEY, UK 06 May 2021: Quixant plc, a world-leading technology outsource partner delivering highly specialised products that combine hardware, software, haptics and mechanical engineering expertise are excited to announce they have recently relocated their South East office from Sevenoaks, Kent to Crawley, West Sussex with the official opening taking place today. The company built up of two brands; Quixant that designs, develops and engineers gaming computers and software solutions and Densitron which specialises in innovative Human Machine Interaction and display technology. The new Crawley office provides ample space for 30+ team members from both the Quixant and Densitron brands in an inspiring environment which features the latest technology enablement for improved global collaboration. Balsham, Cambridge remains the base for Quixant Gaming, where all operations for the gaming division are headquartered. Jon Jayal, CEO of Quixant plc, said: “We are delighted to have moved into our South East office in Crawley. The vibrant town centre, strong transport links and proximity to Gatwick Airport make it an attractive location for the business. While the trading environment through the pandemic has been challenging, we have remained resilient and are now seeing improved demand for our products which are sold to over 50 countries around the world. As a result, we are pleased to be hiring new roles in the area.” Simon Jones, CEO of Densitron, commented “We strongly believe that the best place for teams to develop and innovate is together in a vibrant and exciting office environment, so we have made this commitment to the future in spite of the short-term uncertainty created by the pandemic.” The new office will be located in the Galleria Building, Station Road, Crawley, RH10 1WW. The office will [...]

News How can embedded software take your game design to the next level? Game development, and content development specifically is a complex “art” and has always been challenged by the limits of gaming hardware. As regulatory bodies evolve gaming regulations and legislation, this has led to an increased need for and adoption of standardised gaming technology. Rather than create complex gaming embedded systems in-house, many game developers and manufacturers are now opting for standardised options from an external provider; an evolution which comes with many advantages. So what are the benefits of outsourcing and opting for a standard gaming hardware platform with integrated software solutions? And how will this embedded software enable you to create the ultimate gaming experience? Check out our new whitepaper ‘Software: The essential element to maximising gaming hardware performance’ to explore how embedded software can enable you to maximise your hardware performance, ensure game compliance and security, find efficiencies, enhance the player experience and get your games to market faster. Read the whitepaper now.

News The importance of partnerships in challenging times By Duncan Faithfull The word ‘partnership’ is thrown around a little bit during times when the business environment is straight forward. It is often referred to when writing strategic plans and PR, but the real meaning of partnership in business is only really established in times when we are challenged. It is easy to be a good ‘partner’ when the market is growing, and difficult choices are not required to be made. When markets struggle, as ours has for the last 12 months, it is a time for true partnerships to be tested, and where decisions have to be made which enable business to continue in the short term, but with an eye on future growth when markets ease. A great example of this is how our supply chain dealt with the sudden, and extensive, market closures of operators across the world. When our client ‘partners’ had sudden and severe cash flow challenges, meaning payment for our products could not happen, we were faced with two choices: firstly; to stop supply and to chase payment hard or, secondly; measure the impact on our own cash reserves if we kept supplying, and creating flexible payment solutions to allow our partners to keep manufacturing in readiness for the future. Neither of these choices would have been wrong, but our chosen path allowed our partners to continue to focus on creating great game content, safe in the knowledge that critical hardware would be available for these to be developed on when the markets reopened, enabling them to stay ‘ahead of the game’ in readiness for a brighter future. This is the essence of partnership. Working towards common goals and shared long-term objectives, even when there may be [...]

News Quixant launches new ultimate range of gaming hardware platforms to meet the evolving needs of the gaming market We are delighted to launch our new ultimate range of gaming hardware platforms, which has options for all needs and budgets. Our new range has been expertly designed to meet the needs and regulations of the gaming world, to provide you with maximum performance based on your budget, market and product needs and includes a product category designed to cater to markets where value for money is key. Your business is bringing brilliant games to market, and not developing hardware solutions to build them on. You need a technology partner who gives you freedom to develop your games with the confidence that your solution is reliable; ready to go; and as powerful as your imagination needs it to be. That’s why Quixant will be the perfect technology provider and partner for you. Welcome to Quixant’s new ultimate range of gaming hardware platforms. The product ranges are: IQ – Gaming intelligence. Big on performance. Big on value. IQON – Gaming brilliance. Elite performance. Endless Possibilities. QMAX – Gaming dominance. Ultimate Power. Ultimate Performance. All of Quixant’s gaming hardware platforms include the market-leading Quixant Software Hub, a host of effective software solutions that are designed to optimise your game development and delivery and enable you to develop your games without limits. Our team of Gaming technology experts are always on hand to help you seamlessly integrate all elements of your games and enhance the performance of your platform and Software Hub solutions. Duncan Faithfull, Chief Commercial Officer at Quixant, said: “The last year for Quixant has been about preparing for the future and providing the gaming industry solutions that deliver exceptional gaming experiences to a [...]

News The post-pandemic bottom line: think big, start small, move fast By Abhinay Bhagavatula The COVID 19 pandemic has massively impacted us all both personally and professionally. The gaming industry has been affected in a significant way, and within a matter of weeks of the breakout, the industry went from record-breaking growth to complete shutdown. It’s fair to say that the industry has never faced a bigger challenge. But as we bid farewell to 2020, and look optimistically to 2021, and beyond, there’s finally light at the end of the very long COVID-related tunnel. A return to social and economic normalcy depends on the successful rollout of an effective coronavirus vaccine; a prospect that at last feels attainable. The gaming industry has proven time and time again to be resilient and adaptable, with our communities being versatile, and willing, and able to rally together to come out stronger at the other side. I’m certain the same will be true over the coming months as the industry looks to the future and gradually reopens for business across the globe. Life has changed considerably in the past year and with continued efforts to contain the virus, change is likely to persist. Like everyone, we just want this to be over and know it’s now only a matter of time. At Quixant, we’re excited for the year ahead as we prepare to deliver plans to support the developing needs of this great industry as it comes back to life. Collaboration and Innovation As we analyse markets across the globe, some are operating close to pre-COVID levels, whilst many are required to be partially or fully closed. One thing that is consistent across the board is that when open, casinos and gaming venues have taken the [...]