Arcade and Pinball News: Expo, HyperDash, Pinball

Arcade and pinball activity is picking up as the major 2025 trade shows approach. This edition rounds up announcements from Japan Amusement Expo, new attractions from UNIS and VEX Solutions, several pinball developments, and a detailed opinion on Stern’s next Star Wars machine.

It also includes shorter industry and home-gaming headlines, from American Pinball and exA-Arcadia to new releases and updates across the wider arcade scene.

Japan Amusement Expo 2025 begins to take shape

Japan’s Amusement Expo returns in November, continuing the event’s post-2023 scheduling. That creates a difficult clash for professionals hoping to attend both the Japanese show and IAAPA Expo in Orlando during the same month.

Early announcements are now appearing, including an initial look at Taito’s planned booth. Sega and Bandai Namco have also launched event websites, while organisers have announced a special exhibition marking 60 years of Japanese crane games.

The Amusement Music Festival will again bring together the rhythm-game divisions of Sega, Bandai Namco, Taito and Konami. Last year, overseas visitors criticised the ticketing process because purchases required access to a Japanese phone number. Organisers say the process has now been made considerably easier. More announcements and November coverage are expected as the show approaches.

UNIS launches Monster Jet Riders

UNIS is increasing production ahead of the coming trade-show season and has released Monster Jet Riders, a new racing attraction previously shown at AAA 2025 and IAAPA Expo Asia. It follows Top Speed Legend and appears to share a fictional universe with the company’s successful Monster Kart.

Although its motion-control platform initially suggests water racing, the game actually features a futuristic jet-powered craft travelling across ground-based courses. As the title is listed on the manufacturer’s website, it should be available and shipping now. UNIS has also introduced additional emoji-themed redemption games, which operators can discuss with their distributor.

VEX HyperDash brings mixed reality to the arcade

Several companies best known for virtual reality are now moving into augmented and mixed-reality attractions. VEX Solutions, previously associated with VR arenas, is entering the arcade market with HyperDash, its first arcade game.

The attraction is closer in concept to TouchMagix’s Magix Floor than to a fully enclosed immersive room such as Valo Motion’s ValoArena or Inowize’s QBIX. The floor appears to provide most of the interaction, and the game is scheduled to debut at IAAPA Expo Europe. Intergame Online has further details.

Superwing shows more of Mini World

Superwing has released a closer look at the motion-theatre version of Mini World, a shooter with a block-built visual style reminiscent of Minecraft. Earlier material focused on a water-gun edition; this footage gives a better impression of the larger attraction.

The concept demonstrates that a properly developed Minecraft-style light-gun game could have strong arcade potential. The supplied footage appears unusually choppy, although it is not clear whether the issue comes from the capture process or the hardware running the game.

Multimorphic’s Portal pinball kit nears production

Multimorphic announced in March that Valve’s Portal would join its modular P3 pinball platform. Some players appear to have received kits, but the title is still approaching full production and remains available to pre-order through Multimorphic’s website.

It is possible that a small number of units are already in private hands, but it remains unclear whether any have reached commercial locations.

A separate Portal-themed digital pinball machine recently appeared on test in Japan. Initial reports linked it to Multimorphic, but the machine appears instead to be the elusive commercial version of Zen Studios’ Pinball FX2. A version was seen at IAAPA in 2016, although its subsequent development remained largely out of public view. Its current status, official backing and prospects for wider production are still unknown. One report and a second report show the machines under test.

Turner Pinball begins shipping Merlin’s Arcade

Turner Pinball has begun shipping Merlin’s Arcade, an original table inspired by Arthurian legend and the idea of a magical arcade. The game invites players to challenge the Knights of the Round Table, Morgan Le Fay and Merlin through a series of arcade-themed modes or mini-games.

Its artwork is colourful and family-friendly rather than gritty or realistic. Turner is better known for the private-collection side of boutique pinball and does not generally attend commercial trade shows such as IAAPA or Amusement Expo, although its games appear at events including Pinball Expo. The original design Ninja Eclipse was available to play there last year.

Merlin’s Arcade is offered in Arcade and Legend Edition forms, with the latter adding features and extras at a higher price. Even the Legend Edition is positioned below a Stern Premium or Jersey Jack Standard, although the more expensive examples are likely to be directed mainly towards private collections rather than commercial routes.

Opinion: why another Star Wars pinball machine?

Opinion — Stern’s teased Star Wars: The Fall of the Empire prompted questions about the decision to return to the licence yet again. This is the third Stern Star Wars table in roughly seven years, or the fourth if the Star Wars Home pin is included.

The concern is not a judgement on the developers or the eventual quality of the machine. Rather, the Star Wars brand appears less culturally powerful than it was during its earlier peak. The sequel era, inconsistent project planning and a series of expensive or cancelled productions have weakened confidence among parts of the audience. The franchise has also faced disappointing game sales, the closure of the Galactic Starcruiser hotel, uneven merchandise performance and declining viewership across some recent releases.

The argument that a new Star Wars table will automatically attract children is also difficult to accept without stronger evidence. The Mandalorian created a major moment with Grogu, but that attention did not necessarily translate into enduring interest across younger audiences. In one personal example, a child who enjoyed Grogu soon preferred Bluey and older television reruns, while two older children showed little interest in Star Wars. Bluey’s streaming performance offers a broader reminder of where current family attention is concentrated.

Commercial experience can be just as sobering. Star Wars machines in one operator’s collection stopped performing strongly after The Last Jedi; a Star Wars Battle Pod eventually failed to cover its monthly payments and was sold after The Rise of Skywalker opened. These observations do not prove that every location will see the same result, but they do challenge the assumption that the licence remains an automatic earner.

A new table cannot repair a damaged relationship between a brand and its audience on its own. Rebuilding that confidence generally requires time, investment and a meaningful change in direction. The same question applies to the pinball market: why produce four closely related Star Wars games in under a decade when other licensed properties remain available?

TRON could have been a compelling alternative, particularly with John Borg involved after his work on TRON: Legacy. The brand has not attracted the same level of criticism, and TRON arcade projects have often exceeded expectations. Older properties such as Stargate SG-1 and Babylon 5 also show that established licences can work when the audience still has confidence in them.

Perhaps Star Wars: The Fall of the Empire will outperform expectations and draw more players than The Mandalorian. For now, however, the choice feels difficult to justify from a market perspective.

More arcade and pinball headlines

American Pinball: The company is not out of business. Its seventh game is in development, but it is not Cuphead; further information is expected around Pinball Expo 2025.
Alpha Ops: VR Strike has entered an on-location test in Japan, probably involving Bandai Namco Technica after a joint showcase earlier in the year.
Bandai Namco: European channels are promoting Animal Kaiser Plus.
exA-Arcadia: Orders have opened for system upgrades, with a new website and blog also planned.
Coastal Amusements: Hot Wheels: Ultimate Speedway is now shipping.
Industry milestones: RePlay Magazine is celebrating 50 years, as is Jersey Jack Pinball founder Jack Guarnieri.
Pinball updates: Cactus Canyon upgrade kits are shipping, new footage shows Predator from Pinball Brothers, and UK Pinfest 2025 details are available.
Arcade games: QBIX has announced Fright Maze as its eighth game; Big Buck Hunter has a player-spotlights playlist; Golden Tee PGA Tour 2026 has shown its Gunnison Gap trailer; Pop-A-Shot is preparing an American football game; and Retro Arcade Remakes has shown Foot Fight Frenzy.
Hardware and software: Arccoda has a 16.6-inch marquee monitor, while Alan-1 has released gameplay footage of Missile Command Recharged: Arcade.
IAAPA Expo Europe: Leon/Firestone Amusement plans to debut Master Hunter, Yuto Games will attend, and DreamFuns’ preview was not a fighting game.
Other entertainment news: TRON and TRON: Legacy are receiving 4K Steelbook releases.

Home and retro gaming headlines

Hollow Knight: Silksong is setting player-count records without an AAA budget.
Sega’s Shinobi: Art of Vengeance includes music from Yuzo Koshiro.
City Connection has opened pre-orders for R-Type Delta HD Boosted.
The Atari Jaguar is receiving an enhanced port of the European shoot ’em up Wings of Death.
Footage of Human Head Studios’ unfinished version of Prey 2 briefly surfaced before removal.
The Atari GamestationGo is scheduled to launch next month.
The 1982 Vectrex is receiving an official limited-edition mini release.
The first exclusive Super Game Boy game is available free through homebrew development.
Nintendo has added Forsaken 64 to its Nintendo Switch Online N64 collection.
The first Commodore 64 Ultimate has had its power switch installed.

For Australian operators, collectors and home players, these developments underline the range of formats still moving through the industry: racing cabinets, mixed-reality attractions, redemption games, modular pinball and upgradeable arcade hardware. For more buying and maintenance information, explore RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog, arcade-machine buying guide, racing arcades and virtual pinball machines.