Arcade News Round-Up: Bowl Expo, BuckFest and New Releases

Here is a concise update on recent arcade and pinball developments, covering trade-show reveals, competitive events, new machines, exA-Arcadia releases and a broad selection of industry headlines.

Bowl Expo 2025 fills in the gaps

Several details from Bowl Expo 2025 and IAAPA Asia have now emerged. Superwing’s Marksman was present through Andamiro USA, although it was not initially included in the company’s main promotion. The twin-screen shooting game appears to use the same general format as various shooting gallery games that have been popular over the past few years.

The available view shows two guns and a cabinet that brings its screens together. The gun shells may be plastic, although that cannot be confirmed from the material available. Marksman was also one of the relatively few genuinely new games at the event that had not already appeared at AEI or another recent trade show. Additional event coverage appeared on LinkedIn.

GoldStorm Pirates was expected to appear at the AVS Companies booth after AVS announced that it represented the Bandai Namco title. Instead, the game was displayed at the AAMA booth, alongside Face Place’s Disney Photo Booth and Valley-Dynamo’s JET Pong. AVS itself showed a tabletop Pac-Man Pixel Bash cabinet. The AAMA display was an unusual location for a product presentation outside its Gala event.

Dreamfuns, a major crane and prize-redemption manufacturer, attended both Bowl Expo and IAAPA Asia. Video coverage shows the two appearances; the IAAPA booth was notably larger and more impressive than the Bowl Expo display. Photos can also be found on this LinkedIn post.

BuckFest expands the Big Buck Hunter championship weekend

Raw Thrills is promoting the next Big Buck Hunter World Championships under a new event name: BuckFest. The broader format can include other Raw Thrills arcade games, while the Big Buck Hunter competition remains central. The main championship will award $125,000 in cash prizes. Whether the event brings announcements about the future of arcade Big Buck remains unknown.

Missile Command Recharged prize tournament at CAX

Alan-1’s “Grid Gauntlet” tournament was scheduled for California Extreme 2025, using the company’s MLeS app. The winner was set to receive a Missile Command Recharged Arcade machine, with the result due on Sunday afternoon. Alan-1 had also planned to show an unannounced Atari Recharged game, but withdrew it because the software was still early in development, even though its cabinet was ready.

CAX is looking good so far. For Australian collectors following new cabinets, the event is another reminder to compare software status, control layouts and service requirements before planning an import. RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide covers the main points to check.

JAWS marks 50 years with a new Stern edition

Stern Pinball has released a new anniversary edition of its JAWS pinball machine to mark the film’s 50th anniversary. The 1975 movie had an unusually strong effect on real-world behaviour, including widespread reluctance to enter the ocean during that summer.

Stern has also published a new “Making of” video, this time for Dungeons & Dragons. Manufacturing for a D&D Premium machine was expected to take place in August.

Raccoon Rampage receives a two-player model

UNIS has begun shipping a two-player version of Raccoon Rampage, its sit-down water-gun video redemption game. The four-player model has reportedly performed strongly, although no location revenue figures were provided. The game is aimed at younger players and uses a water-blasting format similar to Ice Man, with players progressing through several screen-based levels. Pricing was not available; machines can be sourced through a local UNIS distributor.

Earthion EXA LABEL pre-orders and ARC-1 coverage

The EXA LABEL version of Yuzo Koshiro’s Mega Drive and Genesis-inspired shoot ’em up EARTHION is now available for pre-order. The release was developed by exA-Arcadia with Ancient staff members. Makoto Wada worked on the pixel-focused design, Pokémon artist Mitsuhiro Arita contributed painted artwork, and Yuzo Koshiro supervised five soundtracks representing classic 16-bit console variants.

The package includes the original game mode with enhanced sound, alongside an EXA LABEL mode built around arcade scoring and Hyper usage. Extreme difficulty is available in both modes, and Score Attack permits stage practice. The advertised response is one frame of input lag.

EARTHION EXA LABEL is presented as an arcade-focused version with alternate scoring systems, higher difficulty options and dedicated practice features, while retaining the original mode.

Interest in exA-Arcadia’s ARC-32 remains strong, but ARC-1 hardware coverage was available first. The overview material includes a monitor-orientation change and an Omen of Sorrow unboxing and installation. Further coverage was planned, including a coin-door replacement guide and possibly a different control panel.

The second ARC-1 video also documents the monitor rotation and the Omen of Sorrow installation.

More arcade and gaming headlines

• Konami released a Japanese trailer supporting the United States release of Contra Burst.
• Sega launched Chunithm X-Verse to mark 10 years of the rhythm series, while maimai recently reached 13 years.
• Bandai Namco’s Gundam Extreme Vs update, Infinite Boost, launched in Japan; the title is now celebrating its 15th anniversary.
• Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune received player-feedback changes to Speed Ignition, including control-panel alterations, and a new online tournament was scheduled for Maximum Tune 5DX.
• Taito’s Godzilla Kaiju Drop began arriving at Round1USA locations. Sega’s Japanese Bingo Theater medal game also received a Persona 5 collaboration.
• An input-lag test for exA-Arcadia was published, and a mystery location test was reported in Japan.
• A Pac-Man café appeared for San Diego Comic-Con, while Incredible Technologies highlighted games beyond Golden Tee during its 40th anniversary.
• Valo Motion reached 100 ValoArena installations. StepManiaX announced a collaboration with Unbeatable, and Killer Queen Arcade added a long-awaited tutorial mode.
• Content Farm Yuto Games introduced a bow-and-arrow shooting game. Amusement Source International showcased the compact three-player Rooster ’N Bro 2DX and a new eight-player Chinese neon crane.

Additional industry notes

• Former Sega designer Kazuya Takahashi, associated with The House of the Dead 4 and 2Spicy, directed Donkey Kong Bananza.
• A copyright record points to a forthcoming Nintendo and Universal Donkey Kong film.
• Atari and Digital Eclipse released the Golden Tee Arcade Classics Collection.
• Andamiro launched the Early Access period for Pump It Up R!SE on Steam.
• Xbox announced major layoffs, while long-serving Rare veterans including Gregg Mayles retired after the cancellation of Everwild.
• A “secret” Weird Al NES game was highlighted, and a Guitar Hero reference was removed from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4.
• Nintendo revealed its live-action Link and Zelda projects. A YouTuber also faced substantial fines and possible jail time over reviews of pirate and ROM consoles, while questions remained around used Switch 1 games on Switch 2.
• New Commodore management announced the C64:Ultimate, the company’s first hardware release in more than 30 years, with pre-orders starting at US$299.

For readers assessing an Australian home setup, RETROCADE’s arcade machines, racing arcades and arcade parts collections provide useful starting points for comparing cabinet types and ongoing maintenance needs.