Family Feud was to be a flagship installation at the MGM
Grand.
I have been told that this installation was
indeed a reality in 2000-2001. Upon further investigation, I found
that the following press release was issued -
MGM Grand, Inc. has joined forces with Silicon Gambling to create Family Feud Slots, an elaborately themed casino installation based on Pearson Television’s again-popular game show. The high-end attraction extends the traditional slots-playing experience well beyond the boundaries of the physical device. In addition to the actual slot machines, the attraction includes custom signage, lighting, seating, carpeting, and other fixtures, all of which reinforce the Family Feud brand and heighten the slots playing experience. Never before has a casino created such an elaborate environment in support of a single product.
Silicon, long known for its highly innovative products, approached MGM Grand with the joint development deal. Silicon would build a state-of-the-art game, and MGM Grand would kick in the floor space and the promotional support. Silicon would get to showcase its latest handiwork at an A plus location, and MGM Grand would get a knock-your-socks-off product with a Nevada exclusive. “It was bold idea,” recalled Pascal, “and it required a strong, visionary partner in order to pull it off. MGM Grand was our perfect choice.” The MGM Grand and its affiliated casinos, New York-New York, Primadonna, Whiskey Pete’s, and Buffalo Bill’s, will be the exclusive Nevada venues for the Family Feud attraction.
“We’re always seeking new and exciting ways to entertain our guests,” said Bill Hornbuckle, President/COO of MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. “Silicon Gambling’s Family Feud Slots idea fit the bill. What they proposed was not only a great experience, but it also fit exceptionally well in branding ‘The City of Entertainment’ into a casino experience.”
At the heart of the Family Feud slot experience is a gambling device that is perhaps Silicon Gambling’s most innovative creation to date. The slots features three, high-resolution video displays; an industry-first, video capture system; and, a physical enclosure that incorporates 40 individually choreographed lights, all controlled by a proprietary scripting language.
The impressive slots hardware is well matched by the company’s faithful recreation of the popular television game show. "Family Feud is a very successful brand for Pearson Television around the world,” noted Simon Spalding, EVP Worldwide Licensing at Pearson Television, owners of the Family Feud brand. “This deal underlines the off-air potential of our brands and their ability to transfer from the small screen. Silicon Gambling's ability to translate Family Feud into a slots experience and MGM's execution of the themed environment supports our objective to bring consumers high quality slots playing opportunities across a broad range of platforms and media."
The Family Feud games are based on three of Silicon’s most popular product types, two of which are reel slots: the multi-line, multi-coin and the multi-spin slots. The third is a multi-deck poker implementation. What remains consistent across the game variations is the Family Feud Bonus.
When players hit the designated bonus jackpot, the entire machine appears to shut down. As the device goes dark, a red siren starts to spin atop a studio camera mounted to the side of the machine. A stage director appears on the camera’s video display and instructs the player that he or she is, “On in five…in four…in three…” The stage director points at the player and on cue, we cut to the camera’s video feed. This time, it is the player who appears on the screen. A snap shot is taken, the camera goes dark, and the machine comes back to life with the instantly recognizable Family Feud theme music.
It’s the bonus round, and it’s time to meet the first family. The familiar stitch work panel slides back to reveal the contestants. Now it’s time to meet the challengers. A second panel slides back to reveal the image of the player that the camera had just captured.
The game of slots proceeds as a question is randomly selected from the game’s database of over 1,000 questions. The top answers are “on the board” and players’ guesses appear on a rotating placard. Hitting the “Answer” plunger on the machine’s button deck makes the selection from among the randomly generated guesses. Then, the player sees what the “survey says.” The more popular the guess is, the larger the award. Players continue until they guess all the answers or get three strikes. Their awards are totaled, and they return to the game.
