Coming Off a Big Move in 2024,
Team Play Ramps Up Production
Last year, Team Play moved into a larger production facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, to keep up with an expanding business. This year, they’ve got a brand-new game heading into Amusement Expo and are continuing their growth trajectory.
“The new facility has been really great,” said Brian Smolik, the manufacturer’s development director. “We’ve ramped up production and we’ve hired a couple more people to be on the assembly line in the last month or so. In a way, it feels like we’re still moving in, but we have ironed out some bumps and production has smoothed out.”
He added that having to hire more folks for the increase in production has been a “good problem to have” heading into the new year at full steam.
“The demand keeps growing and we were starting to fall a little bit behind,” Smolik said. “We couldn’t keep up with the growing demand.”
The company expects demand to keep trending in that direction, too, with a new game coming out in collaboration with TKM. Candy Forge, a 4-player rotary ticket redemption game, will officially debut at the coming Amusement Expo and has already been on test recently at Dave & Buster’s.
In the game, players are given nine lever pulls (an operator-adjustable feature). Players pull the levers to operate robotic arms that scoop items off the rotating conveyor belt into their own playfield. Each player has control over three levers that move the arms on the playfield that knock at thousands of purple and green “crystals” and pink “gumballs.”
The more crystals a player grabs, the faster their gumball meter fills up. Once full, another gumball will be dispensed onto the conveyer belt, and players can then use their levers to try and scoop the gumballs off the conveyer belt and onto their playfield.
The gumball will bounce around and eventually travel through one of three “point gates.” If a gumball travels through a gate with its “unlock light” lit, a large jawbreaker in the center of the game will move down one position.
While the game is competitive, all four players are cooperating to unlock the jawbreaker from the middle of the game. Whichever player hits the last “unlock” will be rewarded with the jawbreaker onto their side of the machine for them to try and scoop. If they miss, it will continue around the conveyer belt for other players to have a chance.
The competitive aspect remains for the gumball collection. Each side of the machine has a gumball scale. Scooped gumballs travel up a small elevator and drop onto the scale. Once there are more than two gumballs on either side of the scale, the next play could tip to one side or the other. If both players continue to fill the scale, whichever side ends up with one or more than the other will win all the gumballs on the scale. This always gets a huge reaction from the players, says Team Play.
Finally, to win the bonus, a player must first scoop that jawbreaker onto their playfield. It will travel down through the gates to an elevator that will lift it to a spinning bonus wheel. The wheel has multiple large ticket awards as well as the progressive “Big Bonus.” Once a player wins the Big Bonus, it’ll reset to a minimum amount and the fun will start over.
Candy Forge measures 63” L x 52” W x 107” H (or 79” without the topper). In addition to this 4-player rotary game, Team Play teased that they have two more new game projects due out this year, including one that is also testing with D&B.
“The games that are coming are going to be the new flagship pieces,” Smolik reported.
Team Play CEO Ed Pellegrini and Development Director Brian Smolik with Candy Forge and Pixel Pix Gen 4, their latest iteration of their popular photo booth.
Another newer machine, currently in production, is the Pixel Pix Gen 4 photo booth. It was introduced early last year and became available in the summer.
“That’s been a sleeper hit for us,” Smolik noted. “We’ve been in the photo booth business for a while now, but this new one is really catching some eyeballs.” He said it’s competitive on price and uniquely offers the ability to take photos inside and outside the booth. Careful positioning of the booth means that the outside camera can be set up to feature some “Instagram-worthy” backdrops in a venue.
Another photo-focused Team Play machine is the Photomotion kiddie car-photo booth combo, which also fits well in FECs and street locations. The company introduced a new candy purple color last year and have been pumping plenty off of the new production line in the year since.
And, of course, the company’s biggest hit – the staple FEC attraction Carnival Wheel – is also still in production and doing “phenomenally for us,” Smolik said. “It’s been a huge hit for Team Play.”
To see the games in person, be sure to stop by booth #141 at Amusement Expo, or visit them at (www.teamplayinc.com).
