A fresh selection of arcade and pinball news covers Taito’s 70th anniversary events, a new fighting-game location test, industry honours and upcoming releases.
Taito marks 70 years with giant Space Invaders attractions
Taito is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2023 with several eye-catching projects in Japan. One is Space Invaders Gigamax, an up-to-10-player take on the arcade classic that projects the action onto a building or large wall.
The newer attraction is Grand Smartball feat. Space Invaders, an enormous flipperless pinball-style game. It may be one of the largest non-flipper pinball machines ever produced. Both installations appear designed for special events, although a tour featuring the two attractions would certainly draw attention in other markets.
The anniversary program also includes a new crane-machine prize and another game experience planned for CUBE, an interactive gaming room.
Amusement industry Hall of Fame launches
The American Amusement Machine Association has established the Amusement Hall of Fame, recognising influential figures from the arcade and amusement business. The AAMA represents the trade in several areas and is also involved with Amusement Expo.
The organisation is additionally known for creating the arcade rating system that was widely seen during the 1990s. It still maintains a list of rated games, although new releases rarely use the system today.
The inaugural inductees were recognised at the most recent Amusement Expo. The class included familiar industry names such as Eugene Jarvis, Nolan Bushnell and Gary Stern. The event also presented achievement awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award for Jarvis.
Nominations for the 2024 Hall of Fame class are open through the AAMA.
Dynamite Bomb!! begins Japanese testing
ExA-Arcadia and Light-Green have started testing Dynamite Bomb!!, an arcade-exclusive one-on-one fighting game, in Japan. The 2D fighter uses a format comparable to Arc System Works titles such as Guilty Gear.
To help Japanese players learn the mechanics, exA released several instructional videos. The game was also playable at Amusement Expo 2023, and was expected to become available for purchase within the following couple of months.
A six-hour location-test stream provides an extended look at the game in action.
Polycade previews exclusive puzzle game
Polycade has released a trailer for Stripes, a puzzle game being developed as exclusive content for its arcade platform. The company has previously offered a curated selection of games from home distribution services such as Steam, commonly supplied through timed access.
Stripes was previously expected to reach Steam, but at this point it appears to be available only on Polycade systems.
Pulp Fiction pinball gets a gameplay stream
Dead Flip hosted a gameplay stream with the Play Mechanix team for the new Pulp Fiction pinball machine. The title was scheduled to ship in the third quarter of 2023, so buyers waiting for their machines would need to be patient.
Spooky Pinball also published a tutorial covering its Scooby-Doo machine. Further announcements from Pinball Adventures were expected to receive separate coverage.
Arcade release schedule update
The following release windows were being discussed for several arcade titles:
- Halo 4P Tethered — May
- House of the Gundead — May
- MotoGP VR — June
- Pulp Fiction pinball — third quarter of 2023
- QUBE — May, subject to confirmation
There was uncertainty around Triotech’s QUBE. It had initially been expected in April, but distributors were still discussing pre-orders. Reported estimates placed the price at around $100,000, which could make it the most expensive arcade machine released. That figure needs context: QUBE is a compact version of the XD Dark Ride, a much larger attraction starting at roughly $250,000.
More arcade and pinball headlines
- Christopher Cruz discusses House of the Gundead, which was scheduled to ship in May.
- Namco’s Museum of Art presents Pac-Man.
- An update examines the situation surrounding Billy Mitchell’s team.
- Inowize previews its QBIX mixed-reality game room.
- StepManiaX receives content update 38.
- Arcade1Up announces a Fast & Furious racer.
- Golden Tee PGA Tour adds the Target Rush mode.
- Ghostlord and the Quest for Dark Presence reaches its crowdfunding goal.
- Betson announces arcade technician classes in Nashville and Denver.
- Launch parties are announced for Stern’s Foo Fighters.
- A deep dive explores the Japanese-only Left 4 Dead arcade release.
For readers interested in bringing arcade action home, RETROCADE’s arcade-machine buying guide covers the key decisions, while the upright arcade range and virtual pinball machines offer different ways to build a games room.
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