On 3 December 2024, this arcade news site reached its eighteenth year. It began at a time when mainstream games media rarely covered the coin-op industry, leaving specialist trade publications such as Play Meter and RePlay Magazine, along with collectors’ forums, to carry much of the conversation.
The landscape has changed. Play Meter is gone, social media has largely replaced traditional forums, and arcade coverage now travels through more channels. The mission, however, remains the same: documenting the releases, companies, venues and developments that can otherwise receive little attention.
The accompanying arcade YouTube channel has become increasingly important too, approaching 20,000 subscribers, with some videos attracting stronger viewing figures than written coverage. The website also remains a substantial archive of 21st-century arcade news, so here is a year-by-year look at its most-read news stories. The list includes familiar manufacturers and licences, along with a few unexpected selections.
The biggest arcade stories from 2006 to 2024
2006 — OutRun 2 Super Deluxe
With the site launching late in 2006, the first year had limited competition for the top spot. The winning story covered OutRun 2 SP SDX, a deluxe racer regarded as a favourite by contributor Ted and widely admired as one of the finest large-format arcade racers of the modern era.
2007 — Gone Fishing from Tsunami
This result may appear surprising because Gone Fishing was not a major hit and Tsunami has since disappeared from the industry. Its importance is personal: the story was Shaggy’s first contribution to the site. Every long-running publication has an opening chapter, and this modest piece became an unexpectedly significant one.
2008 — Sega Rally 3 hands-on impressions
Several non-news pieces eventually gathered more clicks, including discussions about CRT and LCD displays, advice for operating an arcade venue, and a link to an arcade-finder service. Among the year’s actual news reports, the most-read was HeavyElectricity’s early hands-on look at Sega Rally 3 after visiting Sega Amusements UK.
The game represented a powerful return for Sega’s rally series. At the time, Race TV often received more modern discussion, partly because it was technically Yu Suzuki’s final arcade game. Even so, Sega Rally 3 was highly coveted, despite dedicated units and teased conversion kits proving difficult to obtain. The writer could not afford a dedicated Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift cabinet either, choosing kits instead, and Sega ultimately did not deliver the teased Sega Rally 3 kits.
2009 — H2Overdrive announced
This report broke the news that H2Overdrive was heading to arcades for ATEI. Created by Raw Thrills with the Hydro Thunder team at Specular Interactive, it remains one of Raw Thrills’ strongest releases. Specular later produced Dirty Drivin’ and Batman for the company before being sold to Take-Two.
The sale also brought the cancellation of Project Hades, a Specular project with Simuline. There had even been talk at IAAPA of a possible Specular and Sega collaboration, though nothing came of it.
2010 — Round1 opens in Southern California
Coverage of Round1’s first United States venue became increasingly relevant as the Japanese entertainment chain expanded. The Southern California location combined bowling, food, pool and arcade games, marking Round1’s first American opening.
Since then, Round1 has developed into a serious challenger to Dave & Buster’s position in the US family entertainment centre market, helped by further openings and location tests.
2011 — Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 4 announced for Japan
The Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune series has consistently attracted strong interest, particularly when Japanese releases were not guaranteed to reach Western markets. Its dedicated fanbase once gathered through forums and later through social platforms.
Although Maximum Tune 4 did not receive a US release at the time, continued interest helped the series return to American arcades. Fans have still expressed frustration that Western markets do not always receive the Japanese versions at the same pace.
2012 — 40 years of arcade games
Two history features celebrating the fortieth anniversary of Pong remain the most-viewed stories overall. Part one covered 1972–1989, while part two examined 1990–2012, with the second instalment leading the first by slightly more than 1,000 views.
The result demonstrates how strongly arcade history continues to attract readers, sometimes more than current-release news. A similar anniversary project was not produced for 50 years in 2021 because the earlier features already provided broad coverage, although related historical articles continued.
2013 — Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix DX formally announced
Broader articles about the history of arcade first-person shooters and Sega simulators eventually performed better overall in 2013. However, the announcement of Namco’s Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix DX was the year’s most-read news story.
Its enduring production life helps explain the interest: more than a decade later, it remains active, narrowly trailing Global VR’s Aliens Extermination as one of the longest-running arcade releases.
2014 — Luigi’s Mansion Arcade tested in Japan
Capcom’s Japanese test of Luigi’s Mansion Arcade followed a major Mario-themed story and gave Luigi his own arcade spotlight. Sega later brought the game to Western markets. Its vacuum-shaped gun controllers made the cabinet immediately distinctive, even if it was not destined to become everyone’s favourite arcade game.
2015 — Eugene Jarvis discusses Jurassic Park Arcade
An interview and question-and-answer session with Eugene Jarvis became 2015’s leading story. Jurassic Park Arcade remains one of the industry’s strongest video earners, frequently competing with Maximum Tune 5DX+ for the top position at Arcade Galactic.
The game’s continued performance is especially notable because its cabinets can be found in venues across the arcade industry, where the Jurassic Park licence continues to draw players.
2016 — An unknown NEO GEO MVS fighting game is discovered
Although the two arcade-history features still dominate the all-time rankings, this mystery NEO GEO MVS fighting game generated the highest number of views in a single day. The discovery and subsequent dump also highlighted the enduring appeal of lost prototypes and undocumented arcade history.
It was unfortunate that fewer stories about recovered prototypes appeared in later years, as these discoveries offer a different kind of insight into the medium’s past.
2017 — Injustice Arcade reaches general sales
Raw Thrills’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles initially led the year’s view figures, but coverage of Injustice Arcade later overtook it by a considerable margin and became the third most-viewed post overall.
The contrast may reflect declining interest in TMNT after its initial excitement, later compounded by a home conversion. It also raised broader questions about the reduced prominence of beat ’em ups in contemporary arcades compared with earlier eras.
Injustice Arcade first appeared as a Dave & Buster’s exclusive cabinet before sales opened to the wider market.
2018 — Space Invaders Pinball Jam tested in Japan
Major releases such as House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn and the early exA-Arcadia platform could not beat a late report about Taito’s Space Invaders Pinball Jam. The head-to-head battle-pinball concept was tested in Japan but never received a complete release.
That brief period also included other unusual battle-pinball projects. Pac-Man Panic similarly failed to receive a full Western launch, apart from appearances at some Round1 USA locations.
2019 — Marvel: Contest of Champions Arcade unveiled
Dave & Buster’s official unveiling of Marvel: Contest of Champions Arcade led the site’s 2019 coverage. Its superhero licence helped attract attention even though the game was initially exclusive to Dave & Buster’s. It later became more widely available, while newer Raw Thrills releases gradually claimed more of the spotlight.
2020 — ICE introduces ARCADE PRO
During the pandemic-affected “lost year”, the most-read story focused on a home-oriented product rather than an arcade-location release. ICE’s ARCADE PRO line reflected the continued consumer interest in arcade products during a period when the future shape of the location-based industry was difficult to predict.
With more distance from COVID-19, it remains an interesting question which arcade developments would have changed without the disruption, and which would have happened regardless.
2021 — Minecraft Dungeons Arcade launches at Dave & Buster’s
Raw Thrills’ licensed Minecraft Dungeons Arcade became the leading story after Dave & Buster’s introduced it across all locations. It replaced an earlier report by Kevin Williams about the closure of Namco’s flagship London arcade.
Media coverage of major licensed card-based arcade games has increasingly delivered consistent viewing figures, underlining the strength of recognisable intellectual property. A direct capture from Minecraft Dungeons Arcade may also become the first video on the YouTube channel to pass one million views.
2022 — Need for Speed Heat Takedown debuts
Several new racing games reached the market during 2022 and 2023, but Adrenaline Amusements’ Need for Speed Heat Takedown, shown at IAAPA 2022, attracted the most attention.
It and Fast & Furious Arcade appeared to be performing particularly well among that wave of new driving games. Other solid releases also deserved strong results, although crowded product cycles can leave some titles overlooked.
2023 — Taiko no Tatsujin begins US testing
Bandai Namco’s Taiko no Tatsujin location test in the United States became 2023’s leading story. The interest was understandable, especially because Western tests of Japanese-developed arcade games remain notable.
A location test is not a guarantee of a full release, so expectations need to remain measured until a launch is confirmed.
2024 — Taiko no Tatsujin confirmed for US arcades
The test performed well enough for Taiko no Tatsujin to receive a US arcade release in November 2024. Availability remained limited, but the launch was still an important result for fans of Japanese rhythm games and the year’s most significant new US arcade release at the time.
Why arcade coverage still matters
From deluxe racing cabinets and Japanese location tests to recovered prototypes, licensed games and home-focused hardware, these stories show how broad the arcade industry can be. They also demonstrate that historical features can remain as influential as breaking news.
For Australian readers following the scene or considering a machine for home, RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog offers further industry coverage, while the Arcade Machine Buying Guide can help compare cabinet options. Racing fans can explore racing arcade machines, and restoration projects may benefit from the store’s arcade parts range.
Thanks are due to everyone who supported nearly two decades of arcade reporting, including contributors Ted, Oga-Shi and Kevin Williams, whose assistance was especially valuable during 2024.
If you have an arcade venue nearby, visiting and spending there is one of the most direct ways to support the industry. Which arcade story from the past 18 years stands out most to you?
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