Stop! It’s IAAPA Time!
Mall Arcade Operator & Industry Blogger Shares New Game Details
by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com
Another year has zoomed by and another IAAPA is here, allowing us to see what our industry’s manufacturers have been up to in their secret labs. As I do each fall, I’ll fill you in on what we know will be on display in Orlando to help you plan your walk through the enormous trade show space. I also hope to shine a light on some products that might be overlooked in the deluge of announcements that tend to hit the newswires at a time like this.
Also, as usual, I have to submit my preview early to meet RePlay’s November issue deadline. However, I’ll continue to provide updates and share news leading up to IAAPA through my Arcade Heroes social media channels.
Hopefully, there will be no unexpected accidents, like what happened with Team Play’s games and photo booths en route to Amusement Expo 2024, or any other delays and interruptions.
So, while keeping conjecture to a minimum, here’s what I know you’ll see in IAAPA’s Games & Arcade Pavilion. Remember, there are also surprises at the show, so keep your eyes open!
Raw Thrills’ Angry Birds Boom! (Photo by Kevin Williams)
As you probably already know, Raw Thrills used IAAPA Expo Europe to launch their latest video redemption piece, Angry Birds Boom! Since initial units began shipping in October, some of you might already have the game on location. If you missed the news on this game, it marks Play Mechanix and Raw Thrills’ return to the Angry Birds IP (in 2015, they created Angry Birds Arcade for ICE).
Some have dubbed the game “Angry Nerf” because ABB and Nerf share several core cabinet elements, such as the look and control panel. Gameplay-wise, Angry Birds Boom! features nine scenes, two bosses and gameplay like an action-packed version of the standard Angry Birds game. You can fire off birds non-stop at the pig targets instead of taking your time with a single slingshot, and you can have two players at once.
Raw Thrills has been very quiet about their other developments, although I have heard that they have been working hard on additional VR titles. That certainly includes the final chapters for Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR, though we don’t know if any of the three remaining chapters, or anything else that’s brand-new, will be at the show. Last year, the focus was all on Godzilla, despite T-Rex Safari Adventure being just about ready to go. All that said, Raw Thrills tends to have more than just one new game on the IAAPA docket, so I imagine there will be more.
Bandai Namco Amusements hasn’t officially revealed anything new, but based on an announcement earlier this year that their fantastic rhythm game Taiko No Tatsujin USA Version would be launching in America this November, it seems a bit crazy to believe that it wouldn’t be at the show. There will be a very limited number of units available, so if it interests you, ordering sooner rather than later will matter. This game should also be very entertaining to watch (search Taiko No Tatsujin arcade on YouTube and you’ll see what I’m talking about).
Based on some info I’ve heard since last year, I’d expect to see GoldStorm Pirates, the sequel to their 2009 Deadstorm Pirates shooter. It’s been on test since last year, but I didn’t hear anything about it throughout the summer. Still, Bandai Namco was expecting to launch it in early 2025, making this show prime for a grand showcase. The cabinet is an open-air, deluxe design with a huge screen and updated graphics to make the gameplay of collecting gold really shine.
Another game called Bike Dash Delivery, which is like a cross between Crazy Taxi and Prop Cycle, has also been on test, although mainly in Japan. A cooking arcade game for kids was also recently sighted in Japan, but I don’t know if either of these games is destined for Western shores.
Sega Amusements unveiled a new crane and disc-tossing game at IAAPA Expo Europe, but I haven’t heard about new video or video redemption games coming to the U.S. show…at least not yet. The factory typically likes to reveal games from those genres in October or right before IAAPA, so stay tuned. RePlay’s editor told me there’s new product info in this very issue so turn to this month’s Cover Story on page 95 for more info.
LAI Games has been very quiet so far, but when I was searching the IAAPA floor map, I noticed they have the largest booth I’ve ever seen the company muster. I can’t imagine they need that kind of space to “re-showcase” only the games they released earlier this year, such as Asphalt Moto Blitz DX, Dragon’s Bane, Air Strike, and others. Similar to Sega, there is product information from LAI Games in a separate feature (page 103). By the way, the magazine is also running its usual IAAPA product preview feature which starts on page 77 and includes game info from quite a few makers.
Bay Tek’s ICEE Slush Rush.
Bay Tek recently tested a couple of interesting games: ICEE Slush Rush and Battleship Bounce Off. ICEE Slush Rush is a video redemption game in which players work drink tap controllers to fill as many of the on-screen cups with ICEE slush as possible before the timer runs out. (It’s very similar to another bar/ arcade game, Perfect Pour, that’s been in development by a small, independent company but won’t be at IAAPA.)
Battleship Bounce is a new ball-toss game with the Battleship board game license. It’s not the first time that Bay Tek has tried to do something with the license. The last attempt was over a decade ago and never got off the ground.
Pinball will be featured at IAAPA with booths from the sector’s big three: Stern, Jersey Jack and American. Of course, the real place for new pingame debuts is at October’s Pinball Expo, but their presence at IAAPA is great. I’ll be all-ears if they have something designed specifically to help the games perform better on location.
Back to video games, exA-Arcadia will have their ARC-1 cabinet and may show their new Japanese-style cabinet, the ARC-32. They had planned to have it at this spring’s Amusement Expo, but shipping delays caused it to miss the show. They will also be unveiling several new games that are based on major IPs, but they are being secretive about exactly which ones. Based on the little I know, kids from the ’80s and ’90s will definitely find something to like among those new game debuts.
Skull of Shadow from Amusement Showcase Int’l. (Photo by Kevin Williams)
Amusement Source International has shared information on some of the games they’ll have at IAAPA, with a new pirate-themed, light-gun game called Skull of Shadow (available in three models) as the company’s upcoming star. (Think of it as an alternative to Bandai Namco’s Goldstorm Pirates.) As usual, ASI will have a wide range of titles – some video games and several redemption pieces – most imported from popular Chinese game makers and going for great prices.
That may or may not include some games from Wahlap, a company that has partnered with ASI several times. In the past, Wahlap has collaborated with many other companies, including Sega. In addition to whatever presence Wahlap games will have at other IAAPA booths, the company will also have its own exhibit, where I expect them to show their new environmental shooter, Monster Eye 3. This series is what I would call a different interpretation of Sega’s Let’s Go Jungle from a while back.
UNIS recently showed several new products in China, but it’s unclear how much of that might find its way over here. It does seem likely that their latest motorcycle racing game, Neon Rush, will show up (think Super Bikes 3 with the Fast & Furious Arcade dual-monitor setup).
UNIS will also have a third BIGFOOT-licensed game, Bigfoot Smash (a 3-player version of the earlier Bigfoot Crush), along with a sequel to their Sailor’s Quest VR arcade game, and a new kids’ go-kart racer called Monster Cart (they hope it will challenge Mario’s dominance). Also in China, they showed a video redemption/ capsule light-gun game called Carnival Shot, a couple of card-vending video games (including one that uses the One Piece anime license), a lot of new cranes, and a new river rafting game (its name wasn’t translated into English and since my Chinese is non-existent, I can’t even attempt to tell you what it’s called).
ICE was recently testing a new bowling video game that places actual pins into play, while using an alley bowler-style form factor. The test unit doesn’t have a marquee and the cabinet seems to be a very early prototype, but perhaps something more final will appear at IAAPA.
Beyond the Biggies
For some smaller or newer brands, a few interesting developments might stand out as unique pieces for our venues. PrimeTime Amusements will be showcasing the commercial version of Subsoccer Arcade at their booth, while AVS Companies will have new games from two different Utah-based companies: Night Heron’s first title, a VR game based with a huge cabinet featuring a giant screen, and Alan-1’s Asteroids Recharged, which was at Amusement Expo but now featuring a flashy new design and completely refined software.
Alan-1’s Asteroids Recharged as seen in Portland recently.
Speaking of Alan-1, their booth will be in the Rides & Equipment pavilion where you’ll find another DX version of Asteroids Recharged along with a 2-player Pro model of that game and Avian Knights (their Joust-like piece). They might have another game to reveal, but we’ll have to wait and see.
A newcomer at IAAPA last year was Gesture Art & Design with their unique Food Flight video redemption game (found way over in the First Time Exhibitor Pavilion). This year, their booth will be inside the Games & Arcade Pavilion, where they’ll showcase a very polished version of that game. (Players use their bodies as controllers to move around and catch virtual food.)
At press time, I don’t have any new product updates from Andamiro, Adrenaline, Coastal, JET Games or Team Play, although some of them, like Coastal, might have a piece or two from the increasingly influential ACE Amusement. This Chinese developer has been growing in prominence with many of their games found at a variety of other booths in past trade shows. They had a strong showing at GTI Asia China this summer.
RePlay contributor Kevin Williams covered many of the VR developments showcased at IAAPA Europe, which I presume will be reflected at the Orlando show (with a few additions, such as the aforementioned piece coming from Night Heron). From his coverage, it appears that the current trend in VR arenas is to “cut the cord” and go wireless. Aside from that, I’ve not been privy to much going on in that space, aside from noticing that around last year’s IAAPA Expo, a lot of VR arenas were up for sale.
I bring that up because not everyone dumped their VR arenas last year – or even this year – but as much as I try to stay optimistic about the future, 2024 has been a series of gut punches to many operators’ bank accounts. RePlay published a survey a few issues ago in which a large majority of operators saw a decrease in their business compared to 2023. The Roller Skate Association also surveyed their operators and got remarkably similar results.
Beyond those statistics, I’ve seen my arcade suffer drastic reductions in earnings, with some moments through this summer and fall performing worse than at the same time in 2020. Anecdotally, I’ve spoken with several fellow operators throughout the year who have likewise seen big revenue falls.
It’s essential to stress that this downturn isn’t just in our industry. Restaurants and retail have been experiencing this pinch. It was strange that while writing this article, I was listening to the radio, when an investor report came on. It was glowing with amazing numbers and great optimism because of the recent Fed cuts in interest rates. The stock market has seen some wild swings, too, but it seems that Wall Street is chugging along just fine. If I only listened to that report and read the daily news, I’d assume the economy is booming like never before.
The reality many of us in the “Main Street” markets face seems to be the opposite. My wife now spends $500 at Costco on groceries that would have cost us $200 just a few years ago. It now costs our family nearly $100 to buy fast food once a week. These are stark reminders of how the economy isn’t working the same way for “normal people” as it seemingly does for the elite. The latter doesn’t take their family to an arcade or FEC often (if at all) while the former isn’t going to prioritize fun over paying essential bills and putting food on the table. This can put those of us in a “non-essential” industry in a bit of a bind.
In the context of IAAPA, my concern is that even with a lot of great, new product, a lot of operators may not be able to afford to buy. Prices continue to be a concern of mine. I understand manufacturers face rising costs like the rest of us, and that FECs and mini-theme parks need cool games, but prices pushing into the $500k, and even $100k per game range has seemed crazy to me for some time. I wish there was more focus on new games for “regular operators” like me. Ours used to be an industry that someone could break into without much money and find success. That’s becoming less likely these days.
Of course, IAAPA Expo has always been slanted more toward the larger amusement park and attraction sectors, though has expanded more and more to showcase the FEC/location-based entertainment sectors. But still, it’s my hope that there will be some great surprises at IAAPA spanning the breadth of needs within our industry.
It’s also a great opportunity to connect and share ideas with other operators who might have found ways to improve their bottom line despite the headwinds. I truly hope that 2025 will be a great year for all of us, leaving 2024 as a learning experience that I’ll be glad to see in the rearview mirror.
Adam Pratt is the owner and operator of Arcade Galactic near Salt Lake City, Utah, and also publishes the Arcade Heroes blog site. He can be reached at [email protected].
