Arcade Industry News: PlayX4, Konami and More

Welcome to this edition of Newsbytes, a roundup of developments across arcade games, amusement venues and pinball. The May holiday period is often a busy time for visiting arcades, although recent results have been less impressive than expected.

For operators, attracting visitors who are not already coming to a shopping centre remains difficult. Organic social-media promotion, keeping websites current and discussions with centre marketing teams can help, but changing cinema and shopping habits are affecting foot traffic. In one mall, a family entertainment centre appears to be absorbing spending that previously reached nearby businesses. After four and a half years, the choice is whether to continue, make major changes or relocate, with risks attached to every option.

A video discussion about the business side is available here. For Australian operators and collectors, our arcade blog and arcade machine buying guide provide further industry and ownership context.

PlayX4 brings South Korea’s games industry together

South Korea’s PlayX4 is an unusual combination of consumer games show and amusement-industry exhibition. It brings much of the country’s games sector together, including arcade manufacturers and operators.

Uniana was one of the most prominent arcade exhibitors. The company is known for producing official overseas versions of Japanese rhythm games, including Konami titles, and is also expected to manufacture upcoming US Maimai DX cabinets. Its PlayX4 display concentrated on Konami material, including a touchscreen spot-the-difference game based on the Korean YouTube animation series Panpan-kun.

The Panpan-kun game received location testing in Japan and South Korea during the previous year. Its Korean licence suggests that South Korea may be the market most likely to receive this version, while Japan previously tested a separate edition using the Sazae-san anime licence.

Uniana also ran competitive events at the show. A wider view of its display featured Konami’s Gitadora Arena Model and DanceRush Stardom, along with Sega Amusements and 3MindWave’s Apex Rebels. The latter’s presence was a welcome sign of Asian representation for the game.

South Korean manufacturers Komuse and Andamiro were also present. Komuse did not appear to have a new product, while Andamiro placed greater emphasis on the forthcoming Steam edition of Pump It Up, which features a refreshed logo. Several arcade Pump It Up cabinets were displayed as well, alongside a Taiko collaboration with Bandai Namco Korea.

Raw Thrills: updates on Top Gun and Godzilla

Coverage of Godzilla Kaiju Wars is being held for a later update, but two video clips are included below. Raw Thrills has indicated that the game’s final update will receive news soon. Its closing chapters were described as particularly difficult, with quality-assurance testers reportedly struggling to finish them; it remains unclear whether that difficulty has since been adjusted.

Dave & Buster’s has also published direct-capture footage of the game.

Top Gun: Maverick is scheduled to begin wider US industry shipments during June. The precise point in the month is not confirmed, but buyers who placed orders through distributors may receive the game in time for summer operations.

Konami creates a dedicated arcade subsidiary

Konami has reorganised its arcade business by separating the division into a new subsidiary called Konami Arcade Games. The move follows other Japanese corporate changes, including Bandai Namco Amusement’s transition to Bandai Namco Experience and Sega’s arcade and toys combination under Sega Fave.

The separation is not complete. Konami Amusement will continue manufacturing games and will retain some arcade development responsibilities. The wording leaves open whether that work will focus more heavily on medal and redemption products, which have a closer relationship with Konami’s pachinko and pachislot operations.

Rhythm-game fans will also recognise the new president: Yoshitaka Nishimura, better known as DJ Yoshitaka. He composed major Bemani tracks including Flower, although his later Konami work has increasingly involved game production.

The restructuring has also prompted speculation about a broader return to the global arcade market. That theory follows apparent approaches to overseas contacts at IAAPA 2024 and the development of internationally accessible projects such as Contra Burst. No confirmed global strategy has been announced.

Wangan Midnight: Speed Ignition footage emerges

Video from Japanese location tests of Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition is now appearing after earlier restrictions on filming were relaxed. Three clips are available from the same channel, including the embedded footage below and two additional videos linked as the second clip and the third clip.

A separate video without the F-Zero musical overlay was also shared on Twitter/X. The game is looking promising, although attention from Wangan Midnight staff after interest in US testing should not be treated as confirmation of an American release or test.

Further investigation is also planned around testing Soda Slam!.

UNIS reveals Monster Jet Riders and Dino Dash

UNIS has released trailers for two games shown at the recent AAA event. As with some of the company’s earlier GTI Asia China Expo products, photography restrictions were followed by official video reveals several weeks later.

Monster Jet Riders appears to be a follow-up to Monster Kart.

The second title is Dino Dash. Early information referred to dragons, but the creatures shown in the footage look more like dinosaurs, a description now reflected in the game’s official English title.

Minecraft Dungeons Series 4 footage

The latest direct-capture video covers the Series 4 update for the arcade version of Minecraft Dungeons, focusing on the Pumpkin Pastures content. The footage arrived later than planned because the update was delayed.

Jersey Jack Pinball prepares its Harry Potter reveal

Jersey Jack Pinball will unveil its Harry Potter pinball machine on 5 June, the same day Nintendo Switch 2 launches. Email registration for the announcement is available here.

The reveal follows an unusual path: the game was confirmed through a podcast and an expo after months of social-media hints, distributor pre-orders opened, and then details went quiet. The selected date may relate to Draco Malfoy’s birthday, although no connection has been confirmed by Jersey Jack Pinball.

Industry headlines

Alpha Ops VR Strike from Sega Amusements has moved its shipping window to July.
GoldStorm Pirates has also been delayed, with Bandai Namco Amusement North America targeting approximately mid-June.
Alan-1’s Missile Command has a newer build with several improvements over the console version; further information is expected.
Sega Amusements held its 2025 kick-off event in the UK, covering awards, business results and game planning.
Konami announced Bemani Pro League Season 5.
Bandai Namco began the first UK Animal Kaiser Plus tournaments.
Round1USA placed Space Invaders Gigamax R on free play for one month.
Sonic Wings Reunion launched for Sega’s APM3 platform, as well as console and PC, in Japan.
Stern held launch parties for King Kong: Myth of Terror Island.
Pinball Brothers teased Predator Pinball.
Galloping Ghost presented a substantial booth at Chicago’s C2E2 expo, while SEA Expo 2025 offered a line-up broadly similar to DEAL 2025.
Superwing previewed the four-player shooter Lunar Warlord. LAI Games promoted the NASCAR Pit Stop ticket game and tested Dragon Knight; a possible title called Blade Pushers? also attracted attention.
Attractions & More reported positive results for its LPlay Esport Boxer/Football Combo.
An unofficial fan-made Neo Geo port of IREM’s underwater shooter In the Hunt is in development.
Development footage of Namco’s Metro-Cross has surfaced, although parts of the clip may have been staged.
Pac-Man appeared in an Otamatone promotion, a Krispy Kreme collaboration and a 45th-anniversary exhibit. A Pac-Man book and media kit is also available from Cook & Becker.
The AOU newsletter archive has opened online. Historical notes also cover Hang-On being brought to Sega by Coreland and former developers joining Konami for WEC Le Mans.
Former Bandai Namco producer Junichiro Koyama joined Japan XR Center to develop arcade VR, while Bob Cooney launched LEXRA to promote commercial VR, AR and MR technologies.

Home gaming headlines

Nintendo published three Switch 2 compatibility lists covering games with start-up problems, games that launch with in-game issues, and issues expected to be resolved around launch. Several Arcade Archives titles are included.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reached 3.3 million sales after 33 days.
Valve expanded SteamOS support to competing handheld platforms.
Virtua Fighter 5 REVO is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Switch 2.
Sega’s mobile ports are ending service.
New emulator development has improved Killer Instinct 1 & 2.
Images surfaced from an apparently unreleased or unannounced Quake 5 pop-up.
The Dreamcast version of AM2’s Outrigger is back online.
Sony is closing its PlayStation Stars digital loyalty programme.
Fortnite has returned to Apple’s App Store.

For readers considering a home setup, RETROCADE’s arcade machines, racing arcades and arcade parts cover several ways to bring commercial-style play into an Australian games room.