IAAPA Expo Europe 2022 brought arcade manufacturers, simulator specialists and redemption-game developers together in London. Attendance was 30% higher than at the 2021 event, adding momentum to a European amusement market still rebuilding after the pandemic.
Here is a manufacturer-by-manufacturer look at the notable machines and attractions presented at the show. For Australian operators and collectors, the event offered a useful snapshot of the commercial arcade hardware appearing across Europe.
Simulator and VR attractions
Amega Entertainment
Amega Entertainment focuses on simulator-quality attractions, including virtual-reality products. Its Formula S simulator was among the equipment displayed at the booth.
DOF Robotics
DOF Robotics presented its highly visible Grave Digger VR simulator. The attraction first appeared at IAAPA the previous year and had been installed at a limited number of venues. This version used a PICO XR G2 headset.
Major arcade and redemption exhibitors
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe represents several brands in the European market, including Raw Thrills and Team Play. Its display placed the deluxe version of Chompionship prominently on the stand.
Raw Thrills’ Fast & Furious cabinet was also shown, appearing slightly different from the version seen at Bowl Expo and likely running newer software. Team Play’s Carnival Wheel was displayed alongside it.
A short video of Fast & Furious was posted to Instagram; view this post on Instagram.
Electrocoin
The planned reveal of Stern’s James Bond pinball machine was cancelled for this event, but other Stern products were available at Electrocoin’s booth.
Electrocoin also displayed Skill Shooter. In the United States, the same game is known as Quick Shot and is distributed through JET.
The booth included several redemption attractions, including two Mr. Do! redemption games. Electrocoin is also distributing IGS’s Speed Rider 3DX in Europe.
Luck Amusement
Luck Amusement returned with its light-gun game, now titled Battle Heroes. The same attraction had previously appeared under the name Super Firing at a 2019 IAAPA event. The on-screen font and character selection appeared unchanged, although it was not confirmed whether other elements had been modified.
The company also showed Cube World, a video redemption game resembling another established attraction from ICE.
Marsaplay
Marsaplay exhibited a digital pinball machine later identified as Virtual Petaco. Information about its software, licensed tables and platform was not available at the time, although the machine appeared on the Marsaplay website.
Sega’s European showcase
Sega Amusements
Sega Amusements delivered a broad booth featuring MIB, VR Agent and All Stars Basketball, along with ICE’s Ship Wreck.
VR Agent was shown in a single-player configuration, while Sega’s website listed a two-player model. It was unclear whether the single-player cabinet was intended only for trade shows. If offered commercially, its smaller footprint and lower cost could make it suitable for more venues.
Sega also shared a collection of booth videos. A direct video link remains available here.
Slim Luke Games
Booth attribution for these products was difficult to establish. The titles were associated with Slim Luke Games, while some were also listed through Jakar and Wik. The available information identified Bridge Man as a race-themed redemption wheel, alongside the existing Circus Jars and Arcade Buzzz. The booth also featured Bumper, a cocktail-style video game that appeared to be a virtual air-hockey concept.
Slim Luke Games appeared to be working with Polish company Pug2Play, which provides card-swipe services in Europe. The English-language option on the company’s website was not functioning at the time.
UDC
UDC’s booth included Step ManiaX and a new pusher attraction from China’s Ace Amusement called Blocks Store. Rather than using marbles, the machine appeared to dispense small boxes of Lego or Lego-like prizes.
The stand also included products from manufacturers such as Touch Magix.
UNIS
UNIS used the expo to debut Emoji Roller, alongside several other new redemption machines.
Other attractions and industry appearances
Arcade esports was represented by appearances from Walter Day and Billy Mitchell, who spoke about the growth of esports through the arcade medium.
An Italian simulator manufacturer was also represented, although the branding was obscured in the available image.
AR Sniper was another attraction on display. Its Chinese manufacturer could not be identified, but the machine was understood to be priced in the region of $50,000.
What IAAPA Expo Europe 2022 revealed
The show highlighted the breadth of today’s commercial arcade market: VR simulators, driving attractions, pinball, competitive video games and prize-focused redemption equipment all appeared alongside familiar international brands.
For anyone planning a home setup, the same categories translate into different choices, from racing arcades and immersive machines to compact bartop cabinets. Operators and restorers can also explore the arcade-machine buying guide before comparing equipment, space requirements and servicing needs.
IAAPA Expo Europe 2022 offered no shortage of new concepts, even where final specifications, distribution details or shipping plans were still unclear. The event’s wider message was clear: commercial arcade entertainment remained varied, international and strongly focused on interactive group play.
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