NBA Superstars has moved beyond its initial limited rollout and is now being produced and shipped to arcade operators across North America. The 2024 release is one of the most prominent new arcade sports games, with its wider availability following an early Dave & Buster’s exclusive period.
What makes NBA Superstars familiar?
Developed by Play Mechanix and Raw Thrills, NBA Superstars is designed as a spiritual follow-up to Midway’s hugely successful 1993 basketball classic, NBA Jam. Several members of the teams behind the new game previously worked at Midway, helping explain the connection between the two titles.
The link is also audible: Tim Kitzrow, the recognisable voice of NBA Jam, provides voice-over work for NBA Superstars. That combination of arcade basketball, exaggerated presentation and familiar creative talent gives the new cabinet a clear 1990s lineage without being the original game.
North American production and shipping
NBA Superstars had been installed at Dave & Buster’s venues since June, giving the entertainment chain a timed exclusive. That period has now ended, opening the release to the broader North American arcade market.
Raw Thrills has confirmed that the cabinet is actively being built at the factory and shipped to customers. Reports from a couple of locations, including one in Canada, show that some venues have already received their machines.
Operators who ordered a unit should keep in mind that the production run still has to work through existing orders. Shipping has begun, but individual delivery timing may vary.
Online accounts are planned for later
The connected features have not launched alongside the cabinets. The Superstars website and player-account system are in development and are scheduled to arrive later in 2024, although no specific launch date has been announced.
What is happening in Europe?
There had been no confirmed European locations at the time of the update, but the game is listed on Bandai Namco Amusement Europe’s website. The company is Raw Thrills’ official European distributor, alongside other distributors such as Adrenaline and JET Games.
That listing indicates that European operators can order the cabinet, but ordering does not necessarily mean immediate delivery. Units may still need time to reach distributors and then individual venues. A similar pattern was seen with Godzilla Kaiju Wars: its first known European location appeared only recently, at a Namco Funscape.
Venue demand will shape the rollout
Distributor availability is only one part of the equation. Each arcade or family entertainment centre must decide whether to invest in a cabinet, and distributors cannot require operators to buy a particular title.
NBA Superstars follows the broader trend of reviving major 1990s arcade properties, much like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These brands can appeal strongly to experienced operators and players, although Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was not as widely distributed internationally as some other Raw Thrills releases.
Modern venue performance also matters. Driving games and shooters often attract stronger demand than traditional joystick-and-button games, which can make a global rollout harder even when a title has a well-known name.
For more arcade industry updates, visit the RETROCADE Arcade Blog. Operators comparing cabinet investments can also consult the arcade machine buying guide or browse current arcade machines.
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