IAAPA 2024 revealed a strong 2025 pipeline for arcades, family entertainment centres and location-based venues. This second wrap-up examines the Western plans from Bandai Namco Amusements, Sega Amusements International, LAI Games and UNIS.
Release windows below reflect the best information available on 6 December 2024. Items marked TBA had not received a confirmed schedule, and shipping details may change as manufacturers finalise regional plans. For Australian operators assessing new equipment, our arcade machine buying guide offers useful context on cabinets, space and venue suitability.
Bandai Namco Amusements
Bandai Namco’s North American and European amusement divisions presented together, reflecting the international audience at IAAPA. The European operation also distributes equipment from companies including Adrenaline Amusements and Raw Thrills across Europe and selected Middle Eastern markets, so several products on the stand were not Bandai Namco-developed titles.
Two headline video games were Taiko No Tatsujin and GoldStorm Pirates, both of which had already appeared in testing. The US version of Taiko No Tatsujin attracted exceptional attention because it represents Bandai Namco’s first official North American release of the series in 20 years. European distribution may follow, although no date had been confirmed; a 2025 arrival was considered likely.
Taiko No Tatsujin needs an online connection and incurs a 20-cent fee for each song played. Operators can configure one, two or three songs per credit. One Round1USA venue was reportedly running three songs per credit, although faster throughput is likely to be more practical for many FECs. A 10-to-15-minute session can affect earning potential, particularly when the venue is also paying per song.
Despite expectations that the machine would cost more than US$20,000, its price is just under US$15,000, placing it in a similar bracket to Pump It Up. Its mix of US pop and anime music, combined with the large drum controls, gives it a distinctive proposition. The game was shipping at the time of the show, but the initial production run was described as very limited and was mostly sold to Round1USA. Estimates suggested roughly 100 units, although the exact quantity was not confirmed. The next shipment was expected in Q2 2025, with orders able to be placed for that run.
GoldStorm Pirates follows Deadstorm Pirates after testing that began in May 2023. It had reached selected Namco venues in Japan in November 2024, making IAAPA the first opportunity to see the finished machine in person for many Western observers. Rather than the enclosed environmental cabinet used by its predecessor, the new game uses a large open cabinet with a profile reminiscent of a bigger Let’s Go Island. Its footprint may challenge smaller venues, although a standard version would improve flexibility.
The familiar shooting controls and core action remain intact, with additional emphasis on collecting gold. There is no separate item shop comparable to House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn. The opening stage is a remastered section from Deadstorm Pirates, while the remaining stages are new. Japanese subcontractor Xeen Inc handled much of the software work under Bandai Namco’s oversight.
GoldStorm Pirates was scheduled for Western release in Q1 2025, after its Japanese launch in December 2024. Its performance in the West could determine whether it becomes a regular sight at chains such as Dave & Buster’s and Round1USA, and whether Bandai Namco returns to producing more arcade shooters.
Bandai Namco also showed interactive children’s rides themed around Taiko No Tatsujin and the classic Gator Panic whacker. Both had appeared at Chinese trade shows earlier in 2024 and were confirmed for Western markets.
Bandai Namco release list
- Animal Kaiser Plus — now shipping
- Crab Rush — now shipping
- Dead Heat Unleashed — now shipping
- Gator Panic Kiddie Ride — TBA
- GoldStorm Pirates — Q1 2025
- Jumpin’ Jupiter — TBA
- Lolly Crush — now shipping
- Looney Tunes Red Zone Rush — now shipping
- Pac-Man Baller — now shipping
- Pac-Man Power Pellets — now shipping
- Pac-Man Roller — now shipping
- Pac-Man Slider — now shipping
- Pac-Man’s Pixel Bash — now shipping
- Pac-Man’s Pixel Bash For Charity — now shipping
- Taiko No Tatsujin — now shipping; next shipment Q2 2025
- Taiko No Tatsujin Kiddie Ride — TBA
- Tom & Jerry Kitchen Chaos — now shipping
- Tower Island — now shipping
Bike Dash Delivery was not shown, and its Western release remained unconfirmed. A translated version of the Japanese trailer for Bike Dash Delivery provides an early look at the concept.
Sega Amusements International
Sega’s booth combined a dense selection of machines with a prominent Sonic presence, including new prize ranges in the cranes. Its most notable new video game was Alpha Ops VR Strike, a motion-seat follow-up to VR Agent developed with 3MindWave.
The game uses a related hybrid headset-and-gun control system and was presented as an improvement on the earlier attendant-free VR title. The IAAPA build was approximately 70% complete, with minor glitches still expected to be fixed. Its 4K Unreal Engine 5 visuals, 4.1 surround sound and strong seat vibration made a favourable impression. Target shipping was April or May 2025, at US$39,995.
Apex Rebels, another 3MindWave collaboration, returned in a four-player configuration. Unlike its earlier IAAPA 2023 and March Amusement Expo presentations, the game was shown in a complete form, including the fourth track, the expert-level, ancient-Japan-inspired Motorland Sakura.
The electro-mechanical highlight was On Target, a four-player shooting-range game from Leon Amusement. It uses the same style of gun seen in JET Games’ Mega Shot; Leon appears to have originally developed that hardware as Master Sniper. On Target was scheduled for February or March 2025 at US$28,995.
Sega also presented Zombies! Ready, Deady Go! and Big Sea Fishing from SEA Animation, the studio behind Hot Racers. Although Big Sea Fishing initially resembles a conventional 2D fishing game, fish occasionally break through the screen in 3D. Its expected delivery window was February or March 2025, at US$12,795.
Sega release list
- 501 Fun AR Darts — now shipping
- Allstars Air Hockey — now shipping
- Allstars Basketball — now shipping
- Allstars Ultimate Disc — now shipping
- Alpha Ops VR Strike — April/May 2025
- Apex Rebels — now shipping
- Bop It! Arcade — now shipping
- Big Sea Fishing — February/March 2025
- Capto Cranes — now shipping
- High Five — December 2024/January 2025
- Hyper Cross — now shipping
- On Target — February/March 2025
- Sync Pong — now shipping
- Skill Fall Revolution 1P/2P/4P — 1P now shipping; others January/February 2025
- Zombies! Ready, Deady, Go! — now shipping
Sega indicated that more announcements were expected at EAG in January, where it planned a large booth. The company also published its own Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and wrap-up videos.
LAI Games
LAI Games mounted its largest IAAPA booth to date, assisted by its partnership with crane and toy supplier Seasons. The display included a particularly tall walled structure and a substantial redemption offering, including three new pushers from Playmore.
The principal new video game was Kaiju Rampage, LAI’s Western release of IGS and Wahlap’s Monster Eye 3. Apart from the new name, chosen because the first two Monster Eye games did not achieve major US sales, the game remains essentially the same. It retains the enclosed theatre cabinet, unlike the open Western version of GoldStorm Pirates; the latter’s enclosed cabinet was limited to Japanese sales after US testing.
LAI Games release list
- Air Strike — now shipping
- Asphalt 9 Legends VR — now shipping
- Asphalt Moto Blitz DX — now shipping
- Galaxy Hunter — January 2025
- Hyper Pitch — now shipping
- Hyper Shoot — now shipping
- Kaiju Rampage — late January/early February 2025
- Lost Pirate — December 2024
- Mount Shabang — March 2025
- Pearl Fishery — now shipping
- Smash DX — now shipping
- Tornado — January 2025
- Virtual Rabbids UHD — now shipping
- Seasons Range — toys now shipping; Wonder Claws TBA
A projected mixed-reality shooting gallery using projection mapping and a major IP had appeared in pre-show reports but was absent from the booth. LAI attributed this to a communication error and said the project would instead debut at Amusement Expo 2025. It uses VR rather than mixed reality, despite the terms often being confused.
UNIS
UNIS expanded its IAAPA presence and brought a broader selection of new products across video games, motion attractions and redemption. A separate booth promoted its redemption-focused location-based entertainment partnership with Emoji, while the main stand included several new video titles.
Neon Rush is a two-screen motorbike racer and the first major attraction of that type to reach the US market, following the company’s earlier Bigfoot Mayhem and its distribution of Raw Thrills’ F&F Arcade in China. Its glowing visual design recalls TRON Legacy, while comparisons may also arise with the upcoming TRON Ares film. UNIS had not confirmed a shipping date.
Monster Kart takes a different approach: a compact, single-screen motion kart with an original IP. Its small format naturally invites comparisons with Mario Kart, but the motion system gives it a separate identity. The response at the show was strong, and UNIS described it as the “Top Family Racing Game of 2025”. The manufacturer’s sales sheet is available here.
Dino Storm is a competitive rowing attraction disguised as a dinosaur-themed watercraft race. It draws on the basic idea behind Rapid River, but replaces cooperative rowing with side-mounted paddle-stick controls and competitive racing.
Carnival Shot updates the shooting-gallery format by dispensing toys. Earlier examples include Namco’s UK cash-dispensing version of Point Blank and toy-vending shooters from Leon Amusement, but UNIS was presenting this concept for broader current sales. A conventional ticket-redemption version was also planned.
UNIS has reduced its VR activity compared with five or six years earlier, but Sailor’s Quest VR 2 showed that the company remains active in the category. Its development appears to sit alongside the rise of mounted-gun VR attractions such as GoldStorm Pirates and Raw Thrills’ successful Godzilla VR. Sailor’s Quest had previously been one of the few large mounted-gun VR motion shooters before Kaiju Wars arrived. Bigfoot Smash was also displayed, although a fuller video report was still to come.
UNIS release list
- Addams Family 1P — now shipping
- All About Tickets — TBA
- Bigfoot Mayhem — now shipping
- Bigfoot Smash — TBA
- Capsule Station — TBA
- Carnival Shot — TBA
- Dino Storm — TBA
- Dynamic Orbs — now shipping
- Emoji Range — various
- Funko Funcade — now shipping
- Godzilla Vs. Kong Smasher — now shipping
- Prize Dome — now shipping
- Quack King — TBA
- Neon Rush — TBA
- Monster Kart — TBA
- Raccoon Rampage — now shipping
- Sailor’s Quest VR 2 — TBA
- Toy Box 1P/2P/4P/8P — now shipping
- Toy Box Capsule — now shipping
UNIS also published its own IAAPA coverage through Instagram.
What IAAPA 2024 means for operators
The show’s confirmed pipeline spans rhythm games, shooting attractions, VR, racing, kiddie rides and redemption. For Australian venues, cabinet footprint, online requirements, per-play costs and throughput will be as important as the headline licences and visuals. Operators considering a dedicated driving attraction can compare formats in our racing arcade range, while those planning a compact home or venue setup can explore upright arcade machines.
Further shipping windows and pricing were still pending from Bandai Namco and UNIS at the time of publication. The remaining IAAPA coverage was expected to add more announcements and product details.
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