China’s 2024 Asia Amusement & Attractions Expo has opened its doors, offering a first look at new arcade games, licensed attractions and amusement equipment that could eventually reach Australian, European and North American venues.
AAA 2024 runs from 10 to 12 May at the China Import & Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou. The exhibition brings together major Chinese arcade manufacturers, smaller developers and companies working across the wider amusement sector. The event also promotes the 2024 World Culture & Tourism Industry Expo.
Whether any particular machine appears in Western arcades will depend on importers and distribution agreements. Chinese-developed games now have a stronger chance of official release in the United States and Europe than many Japanese or other Asian-market titles, although availability remains uncertain.
For Australian operators and collectors, the show is a useful snapshot of where commercial arcade hardware is heading. The displays range from motion-based shooters and augmented-reality attractions to card-driven multiplayer games, rhythm machines and prize equipment.
Asia Amusement & Attractions Expo
Wahlap’s large AAA 2024 presentation
Wahlap occupies one of the exhibition’s largest stands, combining its own projects with officially licensed products from international manufacturers. The company also hosted an evening industry event, with some presentations to introduce the new games.
The company’s line-up includes several new attractions alongside established releases. One of the most significant announcements for Western operators is Monster Eye 3, while a new Kamen Rider experience and a four-player fantasy game show Wahlap and IGS exploring different formats.
Monster Eye 3
Developed jointly by IGS and Wahlap, Monster Eye 3 follows shooting games released in 2014 and 2018. Both earlier entries reached Western markets, although their commercial performance and the number of installed locations are unclear. Amusement Source International previously offered Monster Eye 2, though that machine was not listed on its website at the time of this report.
Photography of the third game was not permitted at the show, possibly because development is continuing or to reduce the risk of piracy. An adjacent image and an English-language IGS flyer nevertheless reveal several features: an Unreal Engine-powered presentation, a 65-inch 4K screen, 5.1-channel surround sound, a motion base and a radar sensor.
The radar system appears similar to the proximity feature used by Sega’s House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn. It is designed to trigger small surprise effects when someone approaches the cabinet. The first two Monster Eye games used Kinect for physical interaction, but the available material does not mention that technology for the new release.
A glimpse of the cabinet can also be seen beside Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX. Other games from the driving series, Moto Blitz DX and 9 Legends VR, were also present. Racing attractions like these sit naturally alongside the wider market covered by RETROCADE’s racing arcade collection.
Kamen Rider augmented-reality game
Another IGS and Wahlap collaboration uses the Kamen Rider licence in an augmented-reality format. Earlier Kamen Rider arcade titles have generally been aimed at Asian markets, particularly Japan, and have often centred on trading cards.
This new attraction uses a camera to place the player inside the game. A child or other player stands on the yellow and orange floor mat, selects or wears a virtual Kamen Rider costume and performs movements to fight on screen. The concept appears unlikely to receive a Western release without a licence change, although Japan seems a more plausible market.
The promotional material lists a 65-inch 4K display and shows a photo-vending unit built into the lower-right portion of the cabinet. Its presentation resembles an expanded version of the camera-based idea used by the Hero of Robots series, which recently reached the market through ASI. A more internationally recognised character brand could potentially make this format easier to export.
the concept already used by their Hero of Robots series
Kingdoms Fantasy
Kingdoms Fantasy is Wahlap’s response to the four-player dungeon-crawling format popularised by Minecraft Dungeons Arcade. The new machine supports four players, uses joystick controls and incorporates cards that can be dispensed or scanned during play.
Unlike Wahlap’s more familiar arrangement—where it manages hardware and sales while IGS provides software—this project is being developed entirely in China by Wahlap. It also differs from the company’s earlier Hong Kong development period, which involved an internal studio led by Pang Shu, now associated with 3MindWave.
The displayed card set appears to contain 83 cards. More could be added if the game proves successful. Its theme draws on the historical Three Kingdoms period, a long-running source of arcade inspiration in East Asia. Sega’s Sangokushi Taisen series also used the setting and trading cards, although those games placed greater emphasis on strategy rather than direct hack-and-slash action.
Bandai Namco attractions on the Wahlap stand
Wahlap also represents selected international manufacturers in China, including Bandai Namco Amusement. New Chinese releases of Taiko no Tatsujin and Sega’s Initial D The Arcade had received prominent launches at earlier shows, but remained part of the supporting line-up at AAA 2024.
A pair of child-focused attractions based on Taiko no Tatsujin’s Don-Chan mascot stood out from the display. The compact ride uses two drum-like controllers and a simplified game designed for younger players rather than replicating the full arcade rhythm experience.
A Taiko no Tatsujin air-hockey table was also shown. The image was shared via Yuancon. It does not combine rhythm gameplay with the puck table, but it extends the licence into another accessible family attraction.
Sega rhythm and racing machines
Sega’s Chinese-market products attracted substantial attention on the stand. Visitors could play Chunithm, Initial D The Arcade and Maimai, with the latter receiving a new annual Chinese update that reflects content from the Japanese version.
The queues for these machines were described as very large. Despite Sega Amusements’ relationship with Wahlap, a Western release through these partnerships remains unlikely. Wahlap did, however, display several Maimai prizes at IAAPA 2023, showing that the brand has some recognition beyond its core arcade footprint.
Yuto Games, drivers and prize machines
Yuto Games documented its participation online, albeit only on LinkedIn so far. Its video shows a broad selection of equipment, including a driving machine apparently called Showtime. It is not yet clear whether that title is an original game, a remake or an imitation of an InJoy racer.
The same presentation includes Volt, a boat-racing machine carrying the older InJoy logo. That suggests it may be a previous Power Boat product rather than a completely new release.
Prize cranes are another major part of AAA 2024. Wahlap has a substantial prize area alongside its Wawa Show cranes, while Dreamfuns has shared a video showing its first day at the exhibition. Other manufacturers displayed machines with more unconventional names, including one called “Naughty Dog”.
For readers comparing commercial hardware with a home setup, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide covers the practical differences between cabinet types, while the Arcade Blog tracks wider industry developments.
What to watch next
The first day provides an early view rather than a complete product list. Further coverage is expected to examine the UNIS stand on day two, followed by smaller manufacturers and additional machines on day three.
For now, Monster Eye 3 is the clearest potential Western candidate, while Kamen Rider, Kingdoms Fantasy, Sega’s rhythm games and the new family attractions demonstrate the breadth of China’s current arcade market. Australian operators will need to wait for confirmed distribution details before treating any of these machines as locally available.
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