The fourth instalment of our IAAPA 2025 coverage looks at Andamiro USA, Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball and UNIS. The Orlando trade show offered a varied mix of dance games, shooters, racers, redemption machines and pinball.
Earlier reports covered Raw Thrills, Wahlap, Alan-1, TouchMagix and Blue Motion Games; Bandai Namco, Sega Amusements and LAI Games; and exA-Arcadia, AVS Companies and JET Games. You can find more industry reporting in the RETROCADE Arcade Blog.
Games shown in bold were being seen at a North American show for the first time in this coverage.
Andamiro USA
Andamiro’s North American branch appeared to have a stronger video-game presence than usual, largely because of the announced Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade. However, the title was held back for its planned debut at Amusement Expo in Las Vegas the following year. Andamiro had already described it as a prototype, so further testing will be worth watching.
The booth still included the company’s familiar redemption range and the long-running Pump It Up dance platform. It was running Pump It Up 2024 Phoenix, without the new software update some fans had hoped to see.
Andamiro’s listed line-up was:
- Pump It Up 2024 Phoenix
- Marksman
- SpongeBob SquarePants VR Bubble Coaster
- SpongeBob Swish
- SpongeBob Wacky Racer
- Star Wars pusher
- Spider-Man pusher
- Avengers pusher
- Crazy Toy cranes
- Redeem Machine 2
Marksman was the newest video game on display. Andamiro is carrying the Superwin product, adding another light-gun title to a busy market. Rather than the environmental shooting format used by The Future and Mini World, Marksman uses shooting-gallery stages, alongside modes that feel closer to conventional on-rails shooters. Its guns are not the realistic metal designs seen in JET Games’ recent machines, but the broader range of play styles helps distinguish it.
There is also a naming detail worth noting. Superwin’s preferred name is Superwing, but an existing Western trademark connected with a children’s television show creates a problem. Western-facing logos therefore use the registered “Superwin” name, while older logos, the company’s their URL and IAAPA listings use Superwing.
Although Nickelodeon Kart Racers was absent, Andamiro showed several SpongeBob attractions. The Rilix VR Bubble Coaster was joined by the new miniature basketball game SpongeBob Swish, which proved tougher than expected for a children’s redemption title. Existing Avengers, Spider-Man and Star Wars pushers completed the property-based selection. A separate physical target-shooting concept based on Star Wars had been tested earlier, but it was not present at IAAPA.
Stern Pinball
Stern Pinball was visited on the final day, with a booth layout that differed from its usual amusement-trade-show arrangement. It was not as expansive as Stern’s displays at San Diego Comic-Con or Pinball Expo, but the extra space around each machine made the games easier to play.
The main Stern line-up included The Walking Dead Remastered, King Kong: The Myth of Terror Island, Star Wars: The Fall of the Empire and Dungeons & Dragons.
The Walking Dead Remastered has attracted mixed online reactions to its colour scheme, but the gameplay was enjoyable during testing. A session lasted more than ten minutes, well beyond the usual two-minute result.
King Kong was also played and filmed for the first time in this coverage and proved similarly entertaining. Star Wars was competent, although the choice of licence had already prompted criticism.
Jersey Jack Pinball
Jersey Jack Pinball’s IAAPA appearance provided an annual opportunity to play its machines, even though the company is no longer attending every amusement trade event. The booth featured AVATAR, Guns ‘N Roses, The Godfather, Toy Story 4 and Harry Potter.
Harry Potter was the only machine in the group that had not previously been played. It draws from all seven books and eight films, with the visual design leaning towards the film series’ best-known presentation. The game was enjoyable despite limited time to investigate its complete ruleset, and it would be worth playing again if encountered elsewhere.
UNIS
UNIS remains one of the major Chinese amusement manufacturers, alongside Wahlap, with Ace Amusement close behind. Its IAAPA presence has grown across multiple booths, traditionally concentrating on redemption, Emoji merchandise, cranes and merchandisers while also making room for video games.
Some UNIS machines were difficult to film at the show, despite the company having published its own low-quality footage and appearing in distributor videos. The booth’s main games, excluding much of the dedicated redemption equipment, were:
- Godzilla X Mechagodzilla
- Jump Master
- Space Float
- Neon Rush Twin
- Raccoon Rampage 2-Player
- Spin City
- Franken Slam
- Monster Jet Riders
- Monster Kart DX
- Turbo Nova
- Phone Case Fever
- Cranes, merchandisers and Emoji ranges
Turbo Nova was the unexpected reveal. Previously promoted only in China, the two-screen supercar racer had not appeared in IAAPA previews. Its design combines familiar arcade-racing features with ideas associated with F-Zero AX and Fast Racing Neo. UNIS has used dual-screen driving formats before in Bigfoot Mayhem and Neon Rush.
The machine was one of several UNIS prototypes and appeared to be functioning reasonably well, but its design could still change or the game may not reach release. Some titles shown by the company at IAAPA 2024 did not return.
Most of the remaining UNIS video games explored different types of racing. The main exception was the two-player Raccoon Rampage, as the company has produced fewer shooters in recent years.
Spin City offered a surprisingly demanding workout through its large trackball controls. Some players experienced problems with them, although the game was still a prototype and may receive mechanical improvements.
Monster Jet Riders has been promoted for several months and works as a companion to the existing Monster Kart. The two games can link together, which is an interesting feature. UNIS has recently highlighted the success of its kart-racing products, potentially signalling more arcade racers beyond this range and Andamiro’s forthcoming Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade.
Jump Master, UNIS’ latest pogo racer, was the least finished-looking title on display and needed further development. It was not confirmed as a prototype, but its presentation suggested that more work may be required.
By contrast, Neon Rush was the strongest UNIS video game at the show. The futuristic hover-bike racer first appeared the previous year and returned in a twin-machine version without the earlier double-stacked screens. It was developed by an external studio, the same team working on Turbo Nova.
UNIS also showed several redemption additions. The Godzilla X Mechagodzilla pusher was a prototype and had not previously been seen in China. It is substantially different from the Godzilla Kaiju Drop machine previously promoted with Taito and other Japanese companies. A skiing simulator called Ski Hero had appeared in previews but was not present at the exhibition.
IAAPA 2025 coverage continues
This leaves the coverage approaching its final stage, with one or two reports still to come. The next instalment will examine Ace Amusement and its two major US distributors, Amusement Source International and Coastal Amusements. A final round-up is also likely to cover remaining redemption specialists and notable immersive attractions.
For readers comparing these machines with home installations, the Arcade Machine Buying Guide is a useful starting point, while racing arcades and virtual pinball machines provide relevant home-arcade categories.
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