Arcade Operator Now Making Games

Alan-1 Holds First World Championship on Avian Knights in January

 

James Anderson, with his lifelong love of classic arcade games, opened Flynn’s Retrocade in 2017 in Roy, Utah. It’s an arcade and soda bar that mixes more than 40 games of the Asteroids and Centipede ilk with specialty drinks. (See the full slate at www.flynnsretrocade.com.)

A longtime collector, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Anderson, who has a massive assemblage of some 700 games currently housed in an old furniture store in Tooele, Utah, which is set to become Alan-1 HQ Arcade later this year.

A dentist by trade, Anderson sees opportunities that can pull a whole lot of new people into his arcades (and yours).

“When I take my kids to family fun centers, they like to get their tickets and get their prizes,” he said. “We think we can bring back the competitive aspect of high scores but still allow for ticket redemption.”

That’s where Avian Knights comes into play. It’s the first full-size arcade cabinet from Anderson’s Alan-1, which was started in 2021.

Company CEO Brad Howard, who’s also a software engineer, was quick to sing Anderson’s praises, noting, “He started off fixing old arcade cabinets no one else could fix. Running that arcade and having the collection, there were things that would break down.”

Alan-1 launched when Anderson began retrofitting hardware for various components, notably the Atari flight yoke for Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi games.

Added Anderson: “We hired some engineers and made new boards, and we started making hardware to make old machines more reliable.”

Then came the idea for Avian Knights, an homage to classic combat games that was first built for the home market and is now housed in 2-player and 4-player arcade cabinets – bringing the home fun into the social location-based environment.

“James wanted to tie it all together, so there’s fun at home and fun on the grander machine that most people don’t have in their home experience,” Howard explained. “We really tried meshing a casual gameplay with competitive and skill-based concepts throughout the game.”

The arcade version is a high-score-based game, where you’re the knight riding along with your avian pal. Players start their way on an ostrich with limited weaponry and advance to new birds and weapons at each level.

Alan-1 is currently self-manufacturing Avian Knights cabinets in their home state of Utah, which Howard said has been the most time-consuming part of the process in bringing the game to market.

“We’re hoping to encapsulate FECs and arcade bars,” Howard declared. “Yes, it is a video game, but we’ve integrated it into redemption as well. We’re trying to open up a gateway to get video games more popular in the entertainment centers.”

Thanks to a Major League eSports partnership, they’ve been able to do just that – creating a cross-platform competition from home to arcade. (They also will be able to break down high scores from venue to venue.)

The first Avian Knights World Championship concluded Jan. 27 and a player going by the handle Retroman21 was crowned the champ and went home with a $10,000 prize. The second-place finisher was Mockduck, who took a $5,000 prize and The Director, who got $2,500.

The event, held at Flynn’s Retro­cade, will be held annually and is slated to run in 2025 at the new Alan-1 HQ. Tournament play on Avian Knights cabinets will be an easy, turnkey experience for operators looking to get in on the action, Anderson noted.

With the help of former Atari engineer John Grigsby, they also designed a custom Alan-1 800 board, which allows for the high score and ticket redemption elements. A custom app is a part of the project as well, in which players can scan a QR code that links them to a cabinet. It’s currently in beta at Flynn’s.

“Now, when that player’s score gets beaten by someone else … they’ll get a notification on their phone that ‘So-and-so beat your high score at Flynn’s Retrocade.’” The plan is to continue growing the player base with frequent tourneys as well as the annual World Championship.

Another plan, of course, is to build more of these video games in classic-inspired cabinets in the coming years. The idea is to have multiplayer games, but Anderson also mentioned, “We’re not doing multicades. These are going to be unique cabinets with one game in it. Part of the overall design is the importance of the artwork.”

To get up-to-date info on Avian Knights and what’s coming next, visit www.alan-1.com. Also be sure to read our other story on Alan-1’s partnership with Atari in the sidebar below.

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Atari Partners with Alan-1 to Bring New Games to Arcades

The iconic game publisher Atari has tapped Alan-1 to create new arcade cabinets for their Recharged games, which launched in 2020 with Missile Command: Recharged. The cabinets will be designed for family fun centers, arcade bars and other location-based entertainment venues, and the first (Asteroids: Recharged) is expected to be released in Q3 2024.

“Our games will be new and fresh while providing nostalgic experiences,” explained Alan-1’s chief game designer Luke Anderson. “We have also created fun, innovative classic game mechanics combined with modern interactive mechanical effects that will delight players of all generations.

“We look forward to releasing several games in collaboration with Atari over the years and bringing them to many locations nationwide. It is our hope that a new generation will experience the thrill and excitement of competitive location-based hyper-casual arcade fun.”

The collaboration will include the release of at least 10 full-sized Recharged game cabinets over the next three years. Alan-1’s Video Arcade System will power the machines. The system features modern interactive mechanical effects inspired by virtual pinball technology, including pinball knockers, shaker motors, blower fans and more.

These additional features will interact with the player’s in-game experiences, the company said. They also detailed that the VAS will include a ticket redemption system based on scores as well as a robust high score tournament league system from Major League eSports.

“This technology will include iPhone/Android notifications, which will invite players to periodically return to the location where the Atari/Alan-1 game was played and beat the high score.”

Alan-1 says Major League eSports and Video Arcade System technology “helps arcade operators drive more revenue, increase profitability and makes playing games on a dedicated game cabinet more fun!”
Each new Atari/Alan-1 video game cabinet released “will resonate with older and younger generations, while upholding the legacy of the Atari brand.” Both companies remarked they are committed to creating products that meet the highest standards of artistic quality and authenticity.

“The Recharged Series has reintroduced some of Atari’s most recognized and celebrated titles to new generations of players,” explained Ethan Zoubek, president of Atari. “We are excited to be working with a leader in the arcade space to bring these games to an even wider audience.”