March has brought a busy run of amusement-industry events, pinball announcements and arcade news. Here is a concise roundup for Australian arcade fans and operators.
Trade shows open the month
Two major events began the month: IAAPI in Mumbai, India, and GTI Asia China Expo 2023 in Guangzhou, China. The IAAPA Middle East Trade Summit was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, followed by the NJAA East Coast Gift & Variety Show on Monday, where UNIS was expected to attend. Italy’s Family Entertainment Expo was set for 10–12 March.
Later in the month, Amusement Expo and the Bar & Restaurant Expo were due to take place. Many arcade manufacturers attend the latter event, previously known as the Nightclub & Bar Show. IAAPI had finished by this point, while GTI Asia China Expo 2023 was still under way, with limited event media available.
IAAPI 2023
TouchMagix exhibited its latest versions of Carnival Cups, SpaceWarp 66 and Hop ‘N Stack.
Sega Amusements brought a small booth featuring Bop-It Arcade, while LAI Games attended with Slam N’ Jam Ultra and Let’s Bounce.
Regional distributor ASI also presented several redemption titles, along with Triotech’s Storm VR. For operators assessing new attractions, our arcade machine buying guide covers the practical considerations involved in choosing commercial hardware.
GTI Asia China Expo 2023
UNIS shared a photograph of its GTI setup while also discussing other events taking place during March.
Wahlap previewed its show presence in a video. The presentation did not reveal previously unseen video games, but it did include new redemption products that may eventually reach Western markets.
DreamFuns, a Chinese company concentrating on colourful cranes, capsule vending and redemption equipment, also posted footage from the exhibition.
Pinball announcements
Jersey Jack Pinball prepares The Godfather
Jersey Jack Pinball announced that it would reveal its next machine, The Godfather, on Tuesday. The announcement arrived during a month when Stern was also receiving attention for Foo Fighters.
Pre-release updates from designer Eric highlighted the machine’s very large parts count. Jersey Jack also said the units were already packed and ready to ship. That detail was notable after several years of severe pinball stock shortages and lengthy lead times.
Pinball fans comparing full-size tables with home-friendly alternatives can explore RETROCADE’s virtual pinball machines range.
American Pinball teases Galactic Tank Force
American Pinball continued to release details about Galactic Tank Force. The original teaser videos later became unavailable on YouTube, possibly because one used licensed music, so replacement uploads were made available. No cabinet or playfield images had been shown yet, with the Texas Pinball Festival suggested as a possible venue for further information. American Pinball’s attendance at Amusement Expo was still uncertain.
More arcade developments
Dark Presence livestream
Galloping Ghost streamed gameplay from Dark Presence, a project that had been in development for almost as long as the blog covering it. Its production status remained unclear. The footage showed a modern take on Mortal Kombat-style combat using digitised characters, although it was not confirmed whether the game still required a terabyte of storage as previously suggested.
The stream can be viewed through the archived broadcast.
Arcade and pinball headlines
- Pinball – Effective Layoff Therapy?
- The arcade scene from The Last Of Us television series
- Sword Art Online Arcade was no longer being supported
- Mutagen, a zombie shooter for Arkadia VR, received a new trailer. The game itself had launched at IAAPA 2022.
- DSM Arcade’s game and location finder helps players locate its releases.
- A discussion of 3D-printable arcade parts offers a useful reference for repair and restoration projects.
- Sega’s Congo Bongo reached its 40th anniversary.
- A visit to the arcade in Jitsu Squad was published.
- The 7-Eleven and Pac-Man collaboration was running through May.
- Enter the Gungeon Arcade remained the subject of further announcements.
- Arcade Repair Tips questioned why Steven Spielberg might not own an original Star Wars arcade cabinet, while acknowledging that it could be located elsewhere.
For hands-on projects, upgrades and maintenance, RETROCADE also stocks arcade parts and provides arcade repair services.
Leave a Reply