9/22/09 - Blue Yonder Gaming Corporation, a start-up technology company, has announced that it has completed the initial release of its new server-based platform, GameEdge, designed to be the first-ever "out of the box" solution providing a fast track for gaming manufacturers and content developers interested in networked gaming.
A company spokesman said this week: "With this novel concept, casino game developers and manufacturers who have been hard pressed to re-design, integrate and innovate their current products for networked technology will now be able to take full advantage of the new structure coming to casinos as gaming operations convert from running stand-alone slot machines to streaming games on central server systems.
Peter Shoebridge, CEO and one of the three co-founders of the company, added: "Our goal was to provide a platform to those who want to integrate onto these new networks but have not been able to access the technology of networked gaming on their own or in a timely matter.
"With our GameEdge platform, we unlock the ins and outs of the new gaming networks for those whose expertise, creativity and insights are best focused on innovating the casino and player experience."
The Blue Yonder platform makes available a server based gaming system to deploy and run a secure scalable solution for operating games and slot machines. With a robust development kit and a suite of APIs, it provides easy integration of existing game content and sets the stage for open development and innovation.
Casino operators are already planning for networked gaming, envisioning an environment based on open standards and interoperability to allow products from different sources to seamlessly operate and co-operate throughout their properties, said Shoebridge. With the complete gaming platform infrastructure changing and new communication protocols requiring system and code modifications, current content providers and manufacturers are challenged to either develop their own solution, wait for the top-tiered system suppliers to open their platforms or be left behind in the transition to server-based gaming.
Blue Yonder's GameEdge is designed to shortcut the process of implementing networked gaming and to allow content providers to focus on the game, not the infrastructure. For many users, this will start with moving their current games to the platform, allowing them to seamlessly integrate with all the various new ecosystems of networks and third-party applications heading for the casino floor. Once existing content has been moved to the networked platform, content developers can start to innovate and incorporate advanced new networked features in their next generation offerings.
Key functions of GameEdge include: downloadable on-demand content; central administration and configuration; extendable meter support; full play history (including screenshots); a high-performance and highly-scalable server architecture; support for existing casino peripherals and protocols; open client architecture to allow easy integration with existing content, compatibility with .NET applications, Adobe Flash, Java and C++ based technologies; and support for Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL database back-ends.
