Silver Strike Returns to Big Stage
On June 13, Incredible Technologies held a Silver Strike National Championship for the first time since 2008. They ran it alongside their Golden Tee World Championship at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, where that event has been for the past couple of years.
The last Silver Strike event back in ’08 also happened to be held there, a serendipitous coincidence, said Kevin Lindsay, IT’s director of amusement marketing.
“The operators and player reception has been positive,” he said of the event, which worked in a handful of the new Silver Strike: League Night games among the throngs of Golden Tee machines. “The games are earning really well for the operators. And we know there’s a decent amount of crossover in players.”
An open qualifying was held June 11-12 and the top eight bowlers with the highest combined scores advanced to the championship bracket. The prize pool was $5,400 with $1,500 going to the winner, Gary Sheldon, who Lindsay said is a Golden Tee player and also a high school bowling coach in Ohio.
“This is the first non-Golden Tee event we’ve ever streamed live, and we were thrilled with the outcome,” said Adam Kramer, president of IT’s amusement division. “From a new presentation to the range of playing styles we witnessed, the action was captivating.”
Players came from as far as Orlando to give the virtual balls a spin down the League Night lanes. “These tournaments are on a whole other level,” Lindsay remarked.
The return of Silver Strike to a championship event was certainly welcomed by players, and operators will be excited, too, because next year the company is planning a much more expansive 2-3-month qualifier. The bigger, more elaborate Championship event will be in late spring or early summer.
“Although the Silver Strike National Championship was put together quickly, enthusiasm ran high,” the company said. “Some of League Night’s most dedicated players made the trip to Vegas, traveling cross country to compete in the event. And, most shocking of all, the second-ever online 300 was captured live during the broadcast.”
To participate, operators would need to buy the brand-new Silver Strike: League Night cabinets. However, Incredible Technologies is working on conversion kits that’ll be out sometime next year, Lindsay said.
A player app, similar to Golden Tee PGA TOUR Caddy, is also in the works and will be available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store by this fall.
Players will be able to create a cardless ID or NFC player card that’ll make them more connected to the game. These will allow them to make equipment-based changes anytime through the app, just like they can on the cabinet itself. That means less time making such alterations at the cabinet itself and more time playing the game.
Additionally, there will be contests through the app and competitive players will be able to keep track of their progress and how they stack up in the qualifying events. (For the latest news, visit amusement.itsgames.com/news.)
Silver Strike Bowling: League Night began shipping this April and has a host of new features. It has seven alley venues, including the real-life Palms Casino Resort Kingpin Suite. IT also partnered with Storm to bring players a genuine bowling ball experience. “They are a popular choice, especially with real-life bowlers, of which there appear to be many,” the company stated.
They also said the cabinet’s 55” vertically-mounted monitor “has been effective at capturing bar patrons’ notice while enhancing the game’s authentic alley feel.”
From an operator perspective, the company said the game – which retails at $4,799 – is performing well. “We’re seeing cabinets across the country post exciting numbers, and they’re doing so consistently,” Kramer said. “The summer is always a tricky time for our industry, but we’re receiving really encouraging data despite what the calendar says.”
To learn more about Silver Strike Bowling: League Night, call 800-262-0323 or get with your distributor.