February sits between EAG in January and Amusement Expo International in March, but the month still delivers useful glimpses of the global amusement business. Three regional events stood out: NJAA Expo in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Family Entertainment Expo in Bergamo, Italy; and DEAL in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
NJAA Expo: New Jersey
The New Jersey Attractions Association Expo, also known as the Annual East Coast Gift & Variety Show, is primarily a gifts and merchandise event. Even so, it remains an important East Coast trade show with an amusement-industry presence, although arcade games are not usually its main focus.
Coverage is often limited because the event is not routinely attended by arcade media. This year, however, arcade tour creator Christopher J., better known as S1ckH4ndsRBN, filmed a detailed look at the show floor.
Pipeline Games was present, while Betson and Player One supplied most of the distributor representation. Player One is expected to be renamed Kiddleton by Genda. Between them, the distributors displayed products from several major manufacturers.
Andamiro attracted particular attention. Its Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade appeared after an unusual early showing at Super MAGFest in January, with developers from Team Infinity also attending. Andamiro’s Dragons pusher also made its first appearance outside a test location.
The redemption game combines a trading-card marble-pusher format with a Plinko-style mechanic, described by Andamiro as “push-inko”.
Other machines included Bandai Namco’s Speed Rider 4DX, Raw Thrills’ Godzilla Kaiju Wars Deluxe and Jackpot Racer, plus redemption titles such as Simon Arcade. NJAA is not among the largest arcade exhibitions, but the early Andamiro displays and the comprehensive video tour made it worth noting.
FEExpo: Bergamo, Italy
The Family Entertainment Expo has quickly become one of Italy’s key amusement events. Its 2026 edition was the show’s fourth year in Bergamo, home to major distributors including Faroplay and ELMAC II.
Italian distributors sometimes secure games before they reach the United States or other European markets. That pattern was visible here, with Phantom Vanguard appearing alongside Godzilla after missing the most recent UK EAG and around the beginning of its North American shipment period.
Faroplay’s wider booth included Monster Eye 3 Unite, LAI Games’ Cyberpunk 2077: Turf Wars and several redemption machines. A VR simulator was also visible behind a pair of ICE products, although its identity was unclear.
Beside two Asphalt arcade machines was Wahlap’s Storm Rider X. The game had not previously been seen outside China. Wahlap revealed it alongside Storm Racer 2 last year; both were developed with 3MindWave and use large 85-inch vertical screens. Storm Racer 2 has received US exposure, while a wider release for Storm Rider X remains uncertain.
ELMAC also represents Ace Amusement in Italy. Alongside Racing Xtreme, Ace displayed Hover Rush, another title that had not been shown outside China. The manufacturer calls it the “World’s First All-Terrain Extreme Racing” game. Its absence from IAAPA was notable, although the company may have chosen to keep attention on other products.
Electrocoin returned with the DDR Universal Model, following its debut at EAG. Videmption specialist RePlay brought several new products, including Talking Tom GoldRush, a game that JET Games distributes in the United States.
FEExpo expanded into a second hall this year, suggesting that the event continues to grow. Alan-1 was not exhibiting, but a deal with an Italian distributor means its products may have a strong chance of appearing at a future edition.
DEAL: Dubai
DEAL remained a quieter event for new arcade reveals in 2026, but it still provided a useful snapshot of the Middle East amusement market. The show is largely shaped by two specialist distributors: Amusement Services International (ASI) and Warehouse of Games.
Warehouse of Games displayed VEX’s Party Dash attraction and the two-player version of Blue Motion Games’ Desert Chase, along with products also seen at the other February shows, including Storm Racer 2 and Jackpot Racer.
ASI’s stand featured Bandai Namco’s Speed Rider 4DX and LAI Games’ Ubisoft All-Star VR in a prominent front position. The distributor also represented products from Superwin, Bay Tek, Coastal, Bandai Namco and Sega Amusements.
Sega’s Daytona Championship USA Motion Edition was among the highlights. Official release information had recently been provided, but the machine was not yet shipping, despite having previously been expected to do so. ASI also published videos covering each day of the exhibition.
Several Chinese companies exhibited directly, including Yuto Games. UK-based UDC also attended because it supplies the Middle East, with StepManiaX appearing as it commonly does at regional events. The title and its team also took part in a special Italian tournament at FEExpo.
DEAL will have a new organiser from next year. Global Links will take over from International Expo-Consults, which had operated the show for 32 years. Global Links already runs other Dubai events, so the change may bring adjustments to the exhibition’s format and product mix.
What February’s shows reveal
These events were smaller than the major first-quarter exhibitions, but together they showed how regional distributors can provide early exposure for new machines. Racing games, redemption products, VR attractions and rhythm titles were all represented, with several products appearing in different markets before a broader rollout.
For Australian operators and collectors tracking new releases, the strongest lesson is that local distribution and regional trade shows can influence which machines become visible—and potentially available—outside their launch markets. For more arcade industry coverage, visit the RETROCADE Arcade Blog, or explore our guides to racing arcades, virtual pinball machines and choosing an arcade machine.
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