Arcade News Round-Up: ARE Expo, exA-Arcadia and Pac-Man

April ended with a busy mix of arcade and pinball developments, including a new UK trade show, Japanese location tests, tournament news and plans for Pac-Man’s 45th anniversary.

ARE Expo launches in Manchester

The Amusement & Retail Entertainment Expo, or ARE Expo, held its first edition over two days at the end of April at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. The event followed the GTI Southeast Asia Expo in Malaysia.

Compared with EAG, Sega Amusements and Bandai Namco had smaller stands, with redemption equipment forming most of the show. Instance Automatics, which did not attend EAG, was present with new UNIS products. Visitors could play Monster Kart for the first time.

Cosmic Leisure showed several new items, including HY Technology’s video skee-ball game and a Gashapon vending rival designed to compete with Bandai Namco’s established machines.

A visit to the nearby Trafford Centre included the established Namco Funscape, with Gashapon machines and a Taiko no Tatsujin kiddie ride. The newer Archie’s Atomic has an arcade supplied by Sega Amusements.

Among its attractions was the uncommon upright House of the Dead Scarlet Dawn. Its Drone Racing Genesis cabinet also contains unusual prototype elements.

exA-Arcadia prepares for EVO Japan

exA-Arcadia’s latest exALive stream aired at the end of April before the company’s upcoming appearance at EVO Japan. Four major announcements were reserved for the event, alongside the currently announced software line-up. A translated summary of the smaller exALive reveals is available online.

Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Exallent has now entered Japanese location testing, following Cyberblocker R the previous month. The cult Asuka 120% series is receiving its first proper arcade release, and Famitsu’s report covers the tests in more detail.

Participating venues have streamed the game for fans unable to attend in person, including a broadcast from HEY in Akihabara. An unboxing of P-47 Aces Mk. II is also available, although direct capture footage will be delayed because the machine is not currently being operated at its intended location.

Sonic Wings Reunion enters testing

Success and Hamster’s Sonic Wings Reunion, a revival of Video System’s 1992 shooter, has begun location testing at Mikado in Japan. The venue streamed gameplay alongside a Japanese-language discussion with development and location staff.

The current arcade release is for Sega’s APM3 system in Japanese arcades. Console versions are planned from launch, meaning the arcade edition will not remain exclusive. A live broadcast is available to watch, while a separate pre-release glimpse shows the game running at Mikado.

New pinball machines appear at PinFest

PinFest 2025 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, hosted the first playable appearance of Dune since its reveal the previous month. King Kong: Myth of Terror Island also appeared after its public debut at Pinball at the Zoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Turner Pinball’s Merlin’s Arcade was another machine on the show floor, which is covered in a comprehensive event tour.

Big Buck World Championship XVIII heads to Nashville

The 18th Big Buck World Championship will move from Chicago to Nashville, Tennessee, this year. It is scheduled for 10 and 11 October at Marathon Music Works.

The competition will feature 128 participants and a total prize pool of $125,000. Players can seek qualification by signing in and playing Pro mode on an online-enabled Big Buck Hunter arcade machine.

Bandai Namco outlines Pac-Man anniversary plans

Bandai Namco is preparing events for Pac-Man’s 45th anniversary, although it has not confirmed whether a new arcade game will be included. Earlier anniversary releases have included Class of ’81, 25th Anniversary, Pac-Man’s Arcade Party and Pac-Man’s Pixel Bash. The latter arrived in an off-year but covered both the 35th and 40th anniversaries.

The console action platformer Shadow Labyrinth is also linked to Pac-Man’s legacy. On 22 May, Pac-Man’s official birthday, Shibuya and Harajuku in Japan will host anniversary activity.

Bandai Namco will open a temporary Pac-Man venue on the fourth floor of Tokyu Plaza Harajuku “Harakado”. It will feature a retro-style café and supermarket modelled on Shibuya in 1980, with products and artwork extending to the present day. Visitors can also play Shadow Labyrinth, although the announcement does not say whether arcade machines will be installed.

Another dedicated arcade release would suit a character that began in coin-operated venues. Pac-Man’s original Namco game was released under a slightly different name; a history of the Puck-Man PCB documents that early history.

More arcade and pinball headlines

• Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition continues location testing at GiGO and Round1 venues in Japan.
• Konami is testing a new spot-the-difference game featuring Japan’s Sazae-san anime, with photography prohibited. Earlier testing used the Korean title Panpan-Kun.
• Uniana plans to bring that game, Gitadora Arena Model and Apex Rebels to PlayX4 in South Korea.
• Gitadora Arena Model has begun appearing at Round1USA venues.
• LAI Games has announced Cyberpunk 2077: Turf Wars for Dave & Buster’s, launching exclusively at the chain this summer.
• EVO 2025 will again include a large arcade area.
• Stern Pinball has published a service-menu navigation guide, and Arcooda has launched a new LCD arcade marquee.
• Namco once produced an environmentally focused Pac-Man arcade racer with Nissan.
• New footage provides a closer look at Vertexer, Taito’s rare futuristic racing game.
• An ex-Polygon writer has shared previously unseen Eugene Jarvis Cruis’n images following major layoffs.
• Pokémon FRIENDA has exceeded 100 million plays in Japan in under a year.
• Amusement Journal has questioned whether Japanese arcades may move away from prize-based attractions.
• GENDA is becoming more involved with laser tag in Japan.
• Atari’s Gauntlet can now be played with the whole dungeon visible at once.
• A USB-powered miniature arcade room and an unusual way to play Space Harrier have attracted online attention.
• Immersive game rooms are being positioned as a possible alternative to arena VR systems when supplied with suitable games and content.

Home gaming headlines

• Microsoft has raised prices for current Xbox consoles and some games.
• A casual player discovered a previously unknown glitch in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
• Namco’s arcade shooter NebulasRay is coming to PlayStation 4 and Switch.
• Sakura Wars 2 has received an unofficial Sega Saturn fan translation.
• Chrono Trigger has not been announced for a remake despite renewed speculation.
• Earthion has an official website for its home releases. There is no new information about the exA version, although the game is coming to all consoles.
• Star Wars: The Grand Collection has arrived for 4 May.
• A former id Software employee has shared further Wolfenstein 3D history.
• A fan project explores what Metroid 64 might have looked like.
• Wizordum targets players who enjoy “boomer shooters” and games such as Catacombs: Abyss.
• The Livewire Archival Project collects demos from an unfinished Atari Jaguar game.

For Australian arcade enthusiasts considering their own setup, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide explains the key cabinet decisions. Explore racing arcades for driving-focused machines, virtual pinball machines for digital tables, and arcade parts for repairs and upgrades.