Stern Pinball’s next title will be Jurassic Park, releasing in pro, premium and limited-edition models. It’s expected to ship domestically in late August and early September, and in September for export markets. The game was mapped out by Keith Elwin, the award-winning designer of Iron Maiden who’s considered by many to be one of the world’s best competitive pinball players. “After joining Stern a few years ago, Keith continues to have some pinballs in street operation, and understands fun for the great and the casual player,” Stern said. The goal of the Jurassic Park game is for the players to capture escaped…
Author: Matt Harding
Bob’s Space Racers is getting ready to launch a new game just in time for the fall show season and holidays. Bright and colorful, it’s called Hang Time and with five units already in out in the field, sales top Ron Malinowski is amped up about it: “This is a very unique and exciting product. Jack [Cook] and our engineering team hit it out of the park with this one!” With Hang Time, players grab the overhead bar and see how long they can hold on. BSR will have single-player models and will release more details as they near production time.…
Fun Factor Fun Centre in Kamloops, British Columbia, is nearly finished with its extensive renovations, and one new attraction is already a big hit for them: The Spin Zone Z tubeless bumper cars from Amusement Products. Installed in June, the fleet of five bumper cars occupies 474 sq. ft. of space, making them a popular attraction for operators, too. Amusement Products says it has high throughput in that relatively small footprint, and that the bumper cars are visually appealing with their variety of colors and flashing LED lights. “They look great and the customers love them,” said Arthur Loring, general manager…
The U.K.-based virtual reality company Frontgrid is installing its ParadropVR attraction this fall at Sky VR in Resorts World Genting, a massive complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It will be at their 400,000-sq.-ft. indoor entertainment space. “Adrenaline-junkies of all ages will be able to experience the thrill of paragliding in a safe and fun environment when the immersive adventure attraction launches at Sky VR this autumn,” the company said. The installation will be branded as SkyGlider VR at the park, and is joining four other “premium VR attractions” that were chosen for the cutting-edge VR section of the park. “To…
Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell has teamed up with Hollywood creative director Zai Ortiz to create X2 Games and the duo just announced an Alexa-powered board game called St. Noire, available exclusively through Amazon. The game, which will be released Aug. 15, is a murder mystery that “randomizes the identity of the killer and the victim every playthrough to keep things fresh.” The Alexa technology powers the game’s “immersive background sounds and cinematic voice performances,” according to Engadget. In total, there are more than 2,500 lines of dialogue performed by actors portraying 12 different characters. It’s the player’s job to be…
The newly-revealed machine from Stern Pinball is another Star Wars game, this one aimed at the home market and priced $1,500 cheaper than their Star Wars Pro unit. The company announced the new pinball machine to coincide with Comic-Con in San Diego, where they’re at through Sunday, July 21. Officially called Star Wars Pin, the new game features “an irresistible game experience including select speech and footage from the original Star Wars trilogy, color-changing playfield inserts, a custom sculpted Death Star and a custom sculpted and interactive TIE fighter.” “The Star Wars Pin is designed to provide quality family entertainment and bring pinball fun…
The Foundations University Class #49 was held in Chicago this week (July 16). There were 50 attendees including sponsors and speakers, who came from 12 U.S. states, plus Mexico, Brazil and Canada. Some of the group played a game on a large foosball table at Punch Bowl Social (pictured below). The Foundations class focuses on content and the building blocks necessary for industry success, including workshops and seminars on planning, designing, developing and operating a location-based entertainment business or FEC. Presenters included Frank “the Crank” Seninsky, Jerry Merola, Frank Price, Doug Wilkerson, Kevin Williams and Peter Olesen.
American Changer Corporation announced recently the finalization of an asset purchase agreement with Triad Design Group, a manufacturer of self-serve money changers that service a variety of industries. Products and parts for Triad changers will continue to be sold under that brand’s name, and its principal owner, Chuck White, will join the American Changer team as the national accounts manager. More information is available at www.americanchanger.com and www.triadbillchangers.com.
Pinball fanatics are flipping out this week, as game maker Stern is announcing its latest machine Thursday, July 18, at San Diego’s Comic-Con International (July 18-21). The announcement will be streamed on YouTube at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time. If you’re going to be on the convention floor, they’ll be at Booth #501. “Comic-Con is one of our favorite events every year and this year is no different,” said Gary Stern, chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball. “We will be unveiling a new game, providing special show exclusives, bringing the most pinball games that we’ve ever brought and sponsoring a can’t…
Lakewood Theater, a historic theater in Dallas that’s been sitting vacant for years, is scheduled to reopen sometime this summer as Bowlski’s, an 11,000-sq.-ft. bowling alley, bar and restaurant. The theater was built in 1938, and needed a top-down makeover after years of gathering dust, according to D Magazine. Craig and Jennifer Spivey are the entrepreneurs bringing it back to life. They raised their family in a house overlooking the theater’s well-known tower just blocks away, and are taking their time with the space. Since it was declared a landmark a couple years ago, there are some original parts that…