Redemption remained one of the strongest commercial themes at IAAPA 2024, alongside expanding simulator and virtual-reality attractions. This final report looks at the companies whose latest products focused on tickets, prizes, interactive video redemption, driving, VR and other location-based entertainment.
In this article, “videmption” means a video redemption game where the screen is central to play. Operators can often disable ticket payouts and run these as amusement-only machines, although winning tickets remain the main purpose of many titles.
For Australian operators and home-arcade fans, the show offered a useful snapshot of where the international arcade industry is heading. Compact prize games, licensed experiences, family attractions and larger multiplayer machines all featured prominently. You can find more industry coverage in the RETROCADE arcade blog.
IAAPA 2024 product updates
Several manufacturers previously covered at the show now have demonstration footage available:
- Asphalt Moto Blitz DX from LAI Games and Wahlap
- Bigfoot Smash from UNIS
- Commando Sniper 3 from Yuto Games
- Godzilla Kaiju Wars – Gigan Attack and River Assault from Raw Thrills
- GoldStorm Pirates Level 2 from Bandai Namco Amusement
- Fast Racing from Ace Amusement
- Minions: Bullseye Mania from TouchMagix
- Print Cases 3D printer phone case vending machine from Amusement Source International
The IAAPA update for Raw Thrills’ NBA Superstars is now available at no cost when the machine is connected.
Adrenaline Amusements
Adrenaline filled its smaller but busier booth with familiar products and one new release, Duck Derby: Pump ‘N Race. Its short play sessions, physical water element and rubber ducks make it a natural fit for redemption locations. Shipping was believed to be under way, although that status was not confirmed. A planned 16:9 flatscreen version of Drakons did not appear.
- Drakons Realm Keepers
- Duck Derby: Pump ‘N Race
- Hungry Hungry Hippos
- NFS Heat Takedown, standard and deluxe
- Tomb Raider Arcade
- Twister
Amega Entertainment and Blue Motion Games
Blue Motion Games shared Amega’s booth rather than exhibiting separately. Its newest attraction was World Rally Simulator, running the 2014 racing title Assetto Corsa. Blue Motion represents Amega products in North America and planned to reveal new arcade titles the following year, but those projects were not ready to show.
Andamiro USA
Andamiro USA presented a largely redemption-focused line-up. Video attractions included Pump It Up Phoenix 2024, Bobblehead Baseball Vs. and a new “Ghost Coaster” ride for SpongeBob SquarePants VR Bubble Coaster. The new Star Wars coin pusher was another major attraction, although the machine appeared to use relatively few Star Wars sound effects.
- Crazy Toy — now shipping
- Crazy Toy Jr. — TBA
- Guardians of the Galaxy — now shipping
- Krazy Balls — now shipping
- Pump It Up Phoenix 2024 — now shipping
- SpongeBob SquarePants VR Bubble Coaster, with the Ghost Coaster ride — now shipping
- Spider-Man single pusher — now shipping
- Star Wars coin pusher — now shipping
- Super Star 2 — now shipping
- Talking Tom whacker — TBA
- Tic Tac Toe Basketball — now shipping
- Wacky Racers — now shipping
Bay Tek Entertainment
Bay Tek required generous booth space for its large attractions. The standout debut was ICEE Slush Rush, a family entertainment centre version of the core gameplay also used by the indie title Perfect Pour. It drew queues at the show and was scheduled to begin shipping in April 2025.
The booth also featured the latest Prize Hub, while VR had a stronger presence through the Hyperdeck system. Bay Tek had acquired the Hyperdeck company, explaining its move from the Creative Works booth. Everything listed below apart from ICEE Slush Rush was available at the time:
- Big Bass Wheel
- Goatz ‘N Ropes, single-player model
- Hyperdeck
- ICEE Slush Rush — April 2025
- Prize Hub 2.0
- Rock The Rim
- Skeeball
- SpongeBob SquarePants Dynamic Duo VR
- Ticket Monster
- Toilet Bowl Toss
Characters Unlimited
The makers of Zoltar Fortune Tellers drew attention with a Donald Trump Fortune Teller near an outdoor entrance. The company has produced tellers for every modern US president and has even displayed an unusual Alien Biden and Alien Trump pairing.
Coastal Amusements
Coastal showed several new redemption products. Its videmption machines can also be configured for amusement-only play. The most prominent video debut was Ace Amusement’s Wave Riders X-Treme, previously seen at Chinese shows in 2023 and at the UK’s EAG event in January.
New crane attractions included Claw Frenzy, which uses one joystick to control three claws with both side-to-side and forward-and-back movement. That differs from some competing multi-claw designs that only permit forward-and-back movement, and the concept was patent-pending. Double Play divides its cabinet between plush prizes and RFID ticket rings. Coastal was also developing a smaller version of Break The Plate, reduced from 118 inches to 96.5 inches and changing four rear monitors to one 65-inch screen. The revised model uses digital targets and enhanced plate-breaking animation instead of physical pieces, with easier play for younger children. A holiday update adds Christmas-themed targets such as snowmen, elves, Santa and snowflakes, with more seasonal content planned.
The new models were scheduled for spring shipping, while existing games were available immediately. Slide Up was also available, although it had not yet appeared on the company website.
- Bullseye Crackshot, one- and two-player models — now shipping
- Break The Plate New Model — spring 2025
- Claw Frenzy — spring 2025
- Dinosaur Era — now shipping
- Double Play — spring 2025
- Jumpin Space — spring 2025
- Level Up — spring 2025
- Ring Toss — now shipping
- Showtime cranes — now shipping
- Surf League — now shipping
- Tilt A Wheel — spring 2025
- Wild Things — now shipping
Elaut USA
Elaut displayed a line-up similar to its Amusement Expo presentation, with two Popeye additions: Popeye Boxer and Popeye Dizzy Divers. Both were shipping, as were the company’s other titles.
ICE
ICE arrived with more new material than expected. Its headline attraction was Neon Bowling, a large mini-bowling game with one model approaching, but not reaching, professional alley dimensions. The company also introduced several redemption games.
- Double Dribble — now shipping
- Down The Clown — now shipping
- ICE Ball FX — now shipping
- Monopoly Roll-N-Go — now shipping
- NBA Hoops — now shipping
- Neon Bowling — January 2025
- Smash N Win — TBA
- Stop The Drop — TBA
- Whack A Clown — now shipping
- Win-A-Ball — TBA
- Yeti Go — TBA
INOWIZE
INOWIZE showed Mummy Twist, the sixth QBIX release. It combines team puzzle elements with an ancient-Egyptian mummy theme. QBIX was already available, and Mummy Twist was available for locations operating the platform.
JET Games USA
JET Games USA followed the success of Big Shot and Mega Shot with the videmption games Quick Bounce and Clown Hit. Quick Bounce uses a personal trampoline to control a jetpack character. It appeared particularly engaging for children, although trampoline-controlled games reportedly perform better outside trampoline-park arcades. Clown Hit is a whacker game where the strength of the hit determines how high the clown rises and how many tickets are awarded.
The six-claw Big Six extends the concept used by High Five with an additional chance to win. JET listed all products as shipping, although some, including Big Six, had a 30-day lead time.
- Big Shot
- Big Six
- Cannonball Drop
- Hit The Clown
- Jet Darts
- Jolly Roger kiddie rides
- Mega Shot
- Quick Bounce
- Quick Toss
OVRDRV Games
OVRDRV Games has operated since 2021 and had acquired VR 360 Action. Its range spans simulators and VR attractions that can support ticket redemption. Key licences included RollerCoaster Tycoon and NASCAR, with the NASCAR product appearing to be a reskin of VR 360 Action’s Crazy Racing simulator.
For readers considering driving attractions at home, RETROCADE’s racing arcade collection provides a useful comparison point, although commercial simulator specifications and deployment models vary considerably.
Player One Amusement Group
Player One Amusement Group attracted major attention with appearances by Jacques Rougeau, Georges St-Pierre, Adam Copeland and Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan said his favourite game was Stern’s JAWS pinball and mentioned owning a WWE pinball machine, while Adam Copeland chose Dr. Mario.
The company unveiled a prize-drop machine designed by Premiere Arcade Games. Each cabinet contains a signed championship belt linked to the wrestler or fighter on its artwork. The concept is niche and may work best as a bank of four separate machines, although a four-sided cabinet with a different fighter on each side could also suit the idea.
Playmind
Playmind presented the Carnival edition of its Playbox game. The IAAPA version was more polished than an earlier 2024 presentation, and it was shipping at the time of the show.
Team Play
Team Play demonstrated a redemption game provisionally called Magic Factory, plus its Pixel Pix photo booth. The conveyor-based game sends gem-like pieces around a belt; players pull a lever to drop them into targets. The theme and name were expected to change before a final presentation at Amusement Expo 2025.
Triotech
Triotech did not debut a new product at IAAPA 2024, but its large booth included established attractions. The company won an IAAPA Brass Ring Award for the interactive roller coaster ride Primordial, installed at Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah. A separate VR arcade title was also being tested but was not shown at the exhibition.
Zooom Studios
Zooom Studios showed a broad range of brightly lit products with vibrant colours. Its debut was Open Ice Air Hockey, described as a spiritual successor to Barron Games’ Galaxy Collision. Zooom had acquired Barron Games earlier in the year.
Companies missed at the show
Even with an additional day at IAAPA, several exhibitors could not be covered: Creative Works, Hero Zone VR, Hologate, Holovis, Komuse, Really Big Crane Co., Rilix, Smart Industries, Superwing and Zero Latency. The scale of the exhibition made a complete visit difficult despite five days in town, with Monday offering limited access while some games were still being prepared.
Final thoughts on IAAPA 2024
IAAPA 2024 demonstrated that redemption remains central to venue revenue, while simulators and VR continue to add premium, high-engagement experiences. The show also highlighted the variety available to operators, from compact whackers and cranes to large bowling, driving and multiplayer attractions.
Many products were already shipping, while others had target dates in January, April or spring 2025; several remained TBA. No single best seller was obvious, but the range gave venues plenty of new options to evaluate. For home users comparing formats, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide, arcade machines and virtual pinball machines offer a starting point for choosing hardware suited to available space and play style.
With shipping dates and prices still subject to confirmation, the next step for operators is to check directly with manufacturers and distributors before ordering. Which IAAPA 2024 release stood out to you?
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