EAG 2025, the Entertainment Attractions & Gaming Expo, brought a broad selection of new arcade games and amusement equipment to London’s ExCeL venue. The January event offered an early look at products expected to reach the UK and wider European market in the coming months.
This year’s show sat between two additional events: the Social Immersive Entertainment Expo (SIEX) and the London Casino & Gaming Show. The latter replaced ICE for that industry, which is now being held in Barcelona, Spain. Despite concerns that the expanded format might dilute the arcade show, reports suggested the three events found a workable balance.
Coverage came from attendees including Ted and Kevin Williams, who also appeared as an ambassador for SIEX. Some event photography was supplied by Toby Na Nakhorn of Freeplaycity. For Australian operators and collectors, the show provided a useful snapshot of where arcade hardware, redemption, pinball and social entertainment are heading.
For readers considering a home setup, our arcade machine buying guide explains the practical differences between commercial equipment and home-friendly cabinets.
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe again occupied a prominent position at the centre of the floor. Its display combined recent developments with machines from companies it represents exclusively in Europe, including Raw Thrills, Adrenaline Amusements, JET Games and Andamiro. Prize and redemption products from Leon Amusement and China’s Superwing were also included.
TouchMagix’s Minions Bullseye Mania had been expected but did not arrive, apparently because of shipping delays.
The headline video-game attraction was GoldStorm Pirates, making its first European appearance. Its mounted-gun format combines ideas associated with games such as The Ocean Hunter, Let’s Go Jungle, Island and, at one point, The Walking Dead, while Deadstorm Pirates provides the foundation.
European fans will still need to wait for Taiko No Tatsujin, following the game’s lengthy journey from its initial US testing to major trade-show appearances. In the meantime, the interactive Don Chan kiddie ride was on display, alongside the related Wani Wani, or Gator Panic, attraction. Neither ride was yet available in the United States.
Animal Kaiser Plus returned after its introduction at the previous EAG. This time, the promotional lounge featured a bank of four machines. The UK remains an important territory for the series: its European release was handled there before the US launch, and Hollywood Bowl was reported to be taking the game nationwide.
Electrocoin
Electrocoin remains a significant UK arcade distributor and is particularly visible as Konami’s European partner. Its recent activity has centred on Dance Dance Revolution A20+, which has been available to interested European operators more broadly than in the US, where access has largely been limited to major chains.
No other Konami video game appeared on the stand, including the recently tested Contra Burst. Electrocoin’s wider line-up included Stern pinball, notably the new Dungeons & Dragons machine. EAG 2025 was its first amusement-focused trade-show appearance after debuting at CES earlier in January, with another showing expected at Amusement Expo in March.
Taiwanese developer I-Cing also supplied two child-oriented titles, Race Away and Planet Blaster. They were displayed on the Electrocoin stand but were not being sold by that company. Gary Newman of JNC Sales brought them to the event while seeking a distribution agreement, following I-Cing’s appearance at IAAPA Europe the previous year.
Harry Levy
Harry Levy shared a large stand with distributors including Crown Direct. Much of the display focused on redemption and gaming equipment, but the company also presented Ace Amusement’s more affordable mounted-gun title, Skull Of Shadow.
The game appeared in both a four-player tethered-gun upright cabinet and a two-player mounted-gun sit-down environmental cabinet. At IAAPA, the latter configuration had not been shown; Ace instead displayed a three-player version with mounted guns and stools.
JNC Sales
JNC Sales is best known for used cabinet sales, although its new-equipment distribution business has been expanding through relationships with Chinese manufacturers.
Its EAG selection included ZS Cheer’s Crazy Drone, a racing-and-shooting game previously noted for its similarity to Drone Racing Genesis. The combination may make the gameplay feel busy. Nitto Game’s Dinosaurs World also drew comparisons with Dream Raiders and Jurassic Park Arcade.
Sega Amusements
Sega Amusements made one of the strongest commitments to the new SIEX area, spreading its products across two busy booth sections. The EAG display included cranes and video redemption such as Zombies! Ready, Deady, Go! and SEA’s Big Sea Fishing.
Distributed products included LAI Games’ Asphalt Moto Blitz, developed by IGS/Wahlap, and Ace’s Air Strike. Sega’s own 3MindWave projects, Apex Rebels and Alpha Ops VR Strike, appeared alongside smaller displays for Sega Total Solutions, Sega Prize International and the Sacoa card system.
Alpha Ops VR Strike was still missing its third level and retained the prototype cabinet seen late in the previous year. However, the minor graphical problems observed in the earlier 70% IAAPA build were no longer apparent. A further improvement was anticipated before its projected April or May release window, with another showing expected at Amusement Expo in March.
Apex Rebels was complete, as it had been at IAAPA in November, although the limited booth space meant it was not presented in a four-player configuration. The second expert course, Motorland Sakura, takes players through turns inspired by an ancient Japanese shrine. A less expensive standard version would be welcome, but past examples such as ATV Slam suggest it may be at least another year away.
The second Sega display concentrated on ICE redemption products, including Neon Bowling, plus Leon Amusement’s On Target. SIEX additions included 501 Fun’s augmented-reality darts and a new golf simulator that had not appeared at IAAPA. The company was also believed to have further competitive-socialising products in development.
UDC and Ace Amusement
UDC continues to be one of London’s established arcade distributors and now handles almost every new Ace Amusement title in the UK, apart from Skull Of Shadow and Air Strike. Its stand also included ELAUT and Playmore pushers, StepManiaX, kiddie rides and new gachapon equipment, but Ace products dominated the presentation.
Three Ace games not shown at IAAPA were present: Air Combat, Bikers Madness and Wild West Shootout 2. Although Air Combat resembles After Burner Climax visually, it reportedly plays closer to Sky Target. Bikers Madness recalls Super Bikes while using two screens.
Wild West Shootout 2 has yet to appear in America, despite the original’s relative success. Gameplay differences from its predecessor were reportedly limited. Ace’s Surf League and Wave Riders X-Treme were also represented, while Amusement Source International was due to release Super Drill that month.
SIEX, pinball and arcade history
The SIEX section added free-roaming and competitive-social entertainment to the traditional arcade mix. Hero Zone VR showed its arena format alongside Oculeap’s Zombie Frenzy. The VR game places players against zombie hordes using the VR Agent format, though its more static play style and different themes distinguish it from a direct House of the Dead equivalent. The headset and gun controller felt heavier to operate than the equipment used by VRA and Alpha Ops, while the graphics were considered satisfactory.
Retro Arcade Specialists UK presented pinball from Homepin, Pinball Brothers, Barrels of Fun and American Pinball. Jersey Jack was absent because European distribution is handled by Pinball Heaven, which did not attend.
Cosmic Leisure displayed HY Technology’s whacker toy vendor, first seen at AAA 2024.
Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix had a dedicated area attached to the Bandai Namco display. It featured F&F Arcade, Super Bikes 3 and Big Buck Hunter, along with established products including Halo, NBA Superstars, Godzilla, Angry Birds Boom and Jurassic Park.
A separate exhibition celebrated arcade history in partnership with author Alan Meades of Arcade Britannia. The area included its own interactive game and gave the expanded event a valuable historical dimension.
Notable absences and overall assessment
Instance Automatics withdrew from the event, so UNIS’s latest games were not available to view. Other products missing from the floor included TouchMagix’s Minions Bullseye Mania and IGS/Wahlap’s Kaiju Rampage, despite LAI Games having a European presence.
Several smaller independent companies were also absent, including MonkeySplash Studios, Alan-1 and exA-Arcadia. The reasons included unusual Atari rights circumstances in Europe for Alan-1 and a preference for using IAAPA’s international visitor base for exA-Arcadia’s European sales.
Overall, EAG 2025 appears to have delivered a successful expanded format. The combination of the core amusement exhibition, SIEX and the casino and gaming show created a broader event without overwhelming the arcade-focused displays. Read more arcade news and gaming coverage as the industry’s next releases develop.
The next major event mentioned for the sector was Amusement Expo International in March, followed one month later by the new Amusement & Retail Entertainment Expo in Manchester. Major companies including Bandai Namco Amusement Europe, Sega Amusements and Electrocoin were expected at the latter. For anyone planning a collection around driving titles, RETROCADE’s racing arcade range offers a useful point of comparison with the commercial machines discussed here.
Additional event video tours were available from Pinball News and Arcade Unknown. Among the many machines shown at EAG 2025, the most significant developments were arguably GoldStorm Pirates, the returning Animal Kaiser Plus, Ace’s new releases and the improving Alpha Ops VR Strike.
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