A Season for Gaming
Update on the Utah Mall Arcade’s Operations & Game Shopping Notes
by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com
Time really does seem to pass by quicker as I age, as it’s hard to believe that we’re already about done with the first quarter of 2025. Let me get you up to speed on what I’m seeing with my business in this mid-point of a crazy decade, while providing an outlook for what is to come.
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, 2023 and 2024 weren’t great years for my corner of the arcade business. I found a little solace that almost every other operator I talked with was experiencing the same. Of course, you can’t sit around and wait for things to get better, you must do what you can to market your business. However, restrictions placed upon a business in a mall environment like mine add to the challenges. I do the best I can with what I’ve got.
There were two bright spots in last year’s otherwise poor performance – November and December. Both months were excellent, falling more within the “normal” range of earnings. Part of that was thanks to the mall having the Grinch come in for photos with the kiddos instead of Santa. Regardless of what you think of that character replacing the icon, locals ate it up, waiting as long as three hours to see him. Afterward, they visited other venues like mine. It was a net positive effect.
Unfortunately, that’s apparently all the mall is willing to spend on their marketing budget for the entire year, otherwise doing next to nothing to bring people in during the week. That means it is up to me to try and develop new (and inexpensive) marketing. Fellow RePlay contributor Dustin Wilcox helped with that last year, making an awesome TV commercial for me that promoted the affordability of my business. Next, I will try to set aside a day of the week to promote pinball at a low price, seeing if that helps boost us in the middle when it’s been slow.
Despite the challenges (including a disappointing January 2025 – 12% down from last year), I’m still optimistic for a couple of reasons.
First, two debts amounting to a little over $1,000 per month will be paid off at different points this year. Apologies to any lenders reading this, but my plans aren’t to take the money I save and immediately start paying on another bill. Instead, I’m going to buy a new boat!
I’m kidding, of course. I’m just thinking about those silly insurance commercials that make it seem like you’ll be rich beyond your wildest dreams if you only switch to their service.
The actual plan is to save up for a while and rebuild the rainy day fund – which I haven’t really had since 2020. I will use some of it to work on a few other debts that wouldn’t otherwise be paying themselves off this year, and hopefully get much closer to freeing that up as well. Once I’m in a more comfortable spending position, which could take longer than I want, depending on how earnings go this year, I’ll look into new equipment.
One exception might be with exA-Arcadia. I already have the cabinets, and their low-cost cartridges make it easy to grab something new. There are a couple of games they’ve had out for a while that I’ve been interested in buying: Jitsu Squad Featuring The Samurai Pizza Cats and Omen of Sorrow: Arising Chaos. I may jump on those soon or wait to see the new games they reveal this spring. (I’m unsure if they’ll announce them at Amusement Expo or the EVO at the end of April.) I do know what one of them is (a name a lot of you will recognize) and if it’s coming out before summer starts, I may hold off on those other two games.
My next major purchase is going to be a card system. I haven’t decided on which yet, as I’ll wait to shop and compare until I’m actually ready to buy. If a card system gives the boost people talk about and we’re on good financial footing, what else might be on my plate? I like to keep my game selection fresh, whether that means rotating in retro games, getting something slightly new, or buying a brand-new release. That hasn’t been possible over the past couple of years, and I think that my business has suffered partly due to that. I can’t buy everything I like, so we’ll see what’s available when I’m in the “comfort zone.”
A very interesting game popped up on my radar recently that might become available when I’m there: Top Gun Maverick by Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix. Currently on test and expected to be at Amusement Expo, this uses the dual-screen concept that Raw Thrills has become fond of since Fast & Furious Arcade, but this time with a joystick/throttle control. Tied to one of the bigger action movies of recent memory, the game would make a good replacement for the ever-aging Blazing Angels Arcade I’ve had since opening in 2008. Of course, a lot depends on the price tag.
It’s too early for me to know exactly what new games are coming to Amusement Expo, although much of it will have been seen at IAAPA. Bandai Namco had two games that caught my eye there, GoldStorm Pirates and Taiko No Tatsujin. GoldStorm tempts me to sell off a gun game or two, partly because I don’t have the space to fit another game like it but also because I won’t have the budget funds for a while without selling off something. I also really liked JET Games’ Mega Shot and LAI’s Kaiju Rampage, so if I went for a new gun game, I’d have to explore pricing and earnings before deciding.
Taiko is also tempting, but it’s tough to compete with Round1USA. They’ll certainly have that game, if they don’t already. However, Bandai Namco’s Maximum Tune 5DX+, which my local R1USA also has, was my #1 game last year, so it’s not necessarily a red flag. Bandai Namco just announced Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition, which is basically Maximum Tune 7, but we’ll probably have to wait until later in the year to see whether it will be released here in the States.
Speaking of Taiko, one game that will be at Amusement Expo is Sega’s response to that. If you’ve ever been surfing the internet and seen an overseas arcade game resembling a washing machine, that’s Sega’s big music game sensation, MaiMai DX. It was testing in the U.S. last year and will be at Expo. This game also has quite a cult following despite never being available in the U.S. until now. There was one person who moved from the U.S. to Hong Kong just so they could have easy access to the game. That tells you how passionate some fans are about it.
I’m also interested in what Alan-1 will have at Expo. (As a disclosure, I’ve been involved with some things that they’re doing, looking to help the games earn well in places like mine, as well as in FECs.) As you likely saw in last month’s issue, they have two very interesting games on the slate – a Coke-branded version of Perfect Pour and their take on Atari’s Missile Command Recharged. Note: The version of Missile Command shown in the ad won’t be at the Expo (look for that later this year). Instead, showgoers will see the 2-player upright Pro model, similar to what Asteroids Recharged uses. However, the Super Deluxe version of Missile Command has some interesting features I think would likely draw people into my arcade.
There are some rumors about what is coming to pinball, but since I’m not sure of their accuracy, I won’t report those here. I do like how Stern’s Dungeons & Dragons looks, and I might go that route if I can sell my The Mandalorian soon. It’s tempting to wait and see if certain pinball rumors pan out, though, since some big names could come. My overall plans with pinball is to maintain my current level, rather than expand it. Unfortunately, pinball just hasn’t been an earner, and trying to compete with local arcades that buy every new machine is not a battle I see worth fighting.
Investing in a new racing game is also worth considering. Since things have gone very well with my Maximum Tune 5DX+ machines, and Cruis’n Blast isn’t far behind, options like Apex Rebels, NFS Heat Takedown or Asphalt Moto Blitz DX are to be considered. But whichever one title I go with depends on my budget and then also what my competitors have.
Also, by the time I’m in a spot where I can afford something along these lines, we might already be at the end of the year with a bunch of new games we haven’t even heard of yet. In addition, there is a need to consider any surprises that pop up at the Amusement Expo or IAAPA 2025.
Overall, it’s nice to see the light at the end of the financial tunnel such that I’m actually considering my next purchase as opposed to lamenting about not having the resources. It will still take some hard work as I figure out ways to reach more locals. I could have the coolest set up in the state, and it doesn’t matter if no one knows about it. It’s a much nicer place to be, putting me on track to be optimistic for a change!
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 shaggy@arcadeheroes.com.
