April has become a busier month for the amusement industry, with three recent trade shows presenting arcade, redemption, virtual reality, pinball and family entertainment equipment. This round-up covers GTI Southeast Asia in Malaysia, ARE Expo in Manchester and Taiwan’s long-running TAGE Expo.
GTI Southeast Asia: a regional preview
GTI is best known for its major exhibitions in Taiwan and China, particularly the large Chinese event held each September. Since last year, the organiser has also run a smaller Southeast Asian show in Malaysia. The event gives companies from the region with more modest production scales an opportunity to promote their products.
With AAA in China taking place not long afterwards, GTI Southeast Asia was not a major launchpad for new products. Instead, the show provided an early look at equipment likely to receive more attention in mid-May.
3MindWave
3MindWave supplied much of the coverage from Malaysia. The company has built a profile through collaborations with Sega Amusements on titles including ATV Slam and Apex Rebels, and with Wahlap on Storm Racer 2 and Rider X.
At the previous GTI Southeast Asia show, 3MindWave promoted Alpha Ops VR Strike. Its banners were still visible this year, but the only product on its stand was a highly detailed classic-car kiddie ride. The same ride had apparently appeared at IAAPA in Orlando the previous year.
3MindWave also helped document the event, with particular assistance from Aaron. Another exhibitor at the show was responsible for displaying its two newest games.
Joint Fun and Daka VR
Joint Fun continues to operate alongside its Daka VR division, which commonly occupies a separate but neighbouring booth. Neither name is among the best known in the wider arcade market, although some of its products have begun appearing in European locations.
One of the more unusual examples is Running Ostrich, an unconventional concept that could attract a distributor in North America in the future. Daka VR’s Ace Rider was also on display, using motorcycles that visibly resemble those associated with Super Bikes 3.
Semico
Malaysian distributor Semico occupied a smaller area, but its stand included several notable machines. Visitors could find Wahlap and 3MindWave’s Storm Racer 2 and Rider X, along with two Godzilla Kaiju Wars DX cabinets from Raw Thrills.
The machines were reportedly offered at a special price and sold quickly. Other exhibitors, including Palm Fun, concentrated mainly on redemption equipment.
ARE Expo in Manchester
The UK’s ARE Expo was created to complement the larger EAG exhibition held each January. Rather than being staged in London, ARE takes place further north in Manchester. The second edition concluded after its opening day on 28 April, which was attended by Ted.
Several exhibitors from the 2025 event did not return, including Bandai Namco. That may partly reflect the approach of IAAPA Europe, which is also scheduled to take place in the UK in September.
Electrocoin
Electrocoin presented one of the most prominent new attractions at ARE: Stern’s Pokémon pinball machine. Since the game was unveiled after EAG, this was its first opportunity to appear on a UK trade-show floor. It had already reached locations including Electrocoin’s Funland arcade and Chief Coffee elsewhere in London.
Dance Dance Revolution Universal was absent from the stand because Electrocoin was simultaneously showing it at Spain’s gambling-focused Interazar exhibition.
The company also showed a UK version of a football-themed videmption game. The US release, sold through JET Games USA, is called World Football Frenzy; the UK edition is titled Football Champ.
The cabinets differ in several visible ways. The American model has a different marquee and coin box, is larger and uses an 86-inch screen. The UK cabinet has a 65-inch screen, appears to include two balls and uses a redesigned coin box that allows players to kick from the left. The Vegas version was seen with four mini-games, although software differences between the two releases have not been confirmed.
Instance Automatics
Instance Automatics, the UK’s main UNIS distributor, returned to the same rear-wall position it used in 2025. Most of UNIS’s newer products were not present. This included Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush, which was not yet shipping, while the size of titles such as Turbo Nova may have made them impractical to transport.
Spin City appeared to be the principal new addition compared with the previous ARE, while returning products included Monster Kart.
Sega Amusements
Sega Amusements had a relatively limited selection of new equipment. Its main fresh item was a football-themed variation of ICE’s Slam-N-Win. Simon Arcade was also displayed, initially without its marquee; later photographs indicated that the marquee had been fitted. Redemption products such as the out-of-shot Mini Cube Prize World filled out the remaining space.
Sega’s newest titles, including Daytona Championship USA Motion Edition, were confirmed to be approaching shipment after several delays.
TAGE Expo in Taiwan
TAGE has been Taiwan’s principal amusement and gaming trade show since 1993. It has received less international attention in recent years because detailed event coverage is not always widely available. For this edition, co-organiser AGIS published extensive exhibitor views on Facebook, providing a useful look at the show floor.
Feiloli
Feiloli is one of Taiwan’s most prominent crane-game manufacturers and brought a substantial selection of crane equipment to TAGE, alongside other specialists such as Paokai. The company has also expanded into videmption and appears to be working closely with Iowa-based Smart Industries.
That relationship was represented by JJ Bot and Scream N Win. Feiloli also presented Beast Pull, a new concept in which the player pulls a real rope connected to an in-game creature. Its graphics appear to make extensive use of generative AI, with mixed visual results.
IGS
IGS remains a major Taiwanese arcade developer, although it generally leaves exhibition work to companies distributing its games. Its TAGE presence focused on recent racing and shooting products rather than a new debut.
The displayed range included Speed Rider 4DX, Phantom Vanguard, Monster Eye 3 and the Asphalt series, produced with partners including Wahlap and Baohui. A side view also showed the similarities between the Speed Rider 4DX and Asphalt Moto Blitz cabinets, while highlighting differences in the upper section of the Asphalt machine.
Shain You
Shain You does not develop its own games, but it deserves mention as an apparent official Stern distributor in Taiwan. Rather than displaying Stern’s newest Pokémon machine, the company brought The Walking Dead Remastered, King Kong, X-Men and Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye.
What comes next
These three exhibitions showed a broad mix of new and returning arcade equipment, from racing cabinets and VR attractions to pinball, cranes and redemption games. May is expected to bring more announcements through EVO Japan 2026 and the AAA Expo in China, with further coverage to follow in the RETROCADE arcade blog.
For Australian operators and home collectors, the displays also underline the variety of formats available today, from racing arcades and virtual pinball machines to full arcade cabinets. Anyone assessing equipment for a venue or games room can also consult the arcade machine buying guide before comparing options.
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