IAAPA Expo Europe 2023 runs from 25 to 28 September in Vienna, Austria. The European event is one of several trade shows organised by IAAPA and generally acts as an early look at products that may appear at the larger IAAPA Expo in November, held the week before Thanksgiving.
This preview concentrates on arcade video games, pinball, redemption and the increasingly blurred category sometimes called “videmption”. The European exhibition is smaller than the main American show, and many exhibitors keep some announcements private until the November event, so several entries below remain provisional.
The preview was prepared without an on-site visit. Additional photographs, video or manufacturer information from attendees would be useful. Coverage of the main IAAPA Expo was also planned for November, subject to press accreditation.
For readers planning an arcade collection, the show’s mix of driving games, redemption machines, pinball and location-based entertainment also offers a useful reminder to consider space, maintenance and player appeal. Our arcade machine buying guide covers those practical decisions in more detail.
Confirmed exhibitors and likely attractions
TouchMagix — Booth B-203
TouchMagix announced that it would present Pop It! at the UDC booth. The touch-based game launched in the United States at Bowl Expo earlier in 2023, making this a chance for European operators to see it at the Vienna show.
Raw Thrills and Wahlap were not listed with their own booths, although authorised distributors could still display their products.
Ace Amusement — Booth A-1932
Ace Amusement, a Chinese producer with a substantial catalogue of original redemption-oriented games, planned to operate its own stand rather than appear through UDC. Many of its machines can reportedly be configured for amusement-only operation by disabling redemption features. The company had not announced a show-specific line-up, so its current catalogue could provide the best indication of what might appear, including the previously announced Bullseye Crackshot.
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe — Booth B-1110
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe is both a Bandai Namco equipment operation and a regional distributor for brands such as Adrenaline Amusements and Raw Thrills. That distribution role explains why those companies’ products can appear together at major IAAPA events.
No major new reveal had been confirmed for Vienna. Possible attractions included Namco’s Dead Heat Unleashed, Raw Thrills’ Fast & Furious Arcade and Adrenaline’s NFS Heat Takedown. Other titles hoped for at the larger November show included GoldStorm Pirates, Bike Dash Delivery and Taiko No Tatsujin.
Elaut — Booth B-201
Elaut’s main focus remains crane machines and pushers, with occasional entries into video-redemption products. Its published preview listed E-Claw 900 2-player, E-Claw Cosmic 1-plr, Wizard of Oz — Emerald City Edition, Ticket Trail, Fun Zone 2-pl, Surfin Surfari, a ticket station and additional equipment.
Electrocoin — Booth B-1410
The long-established UK-based distributor represents manufacturers including Konami and Stern Pinball. Its stand was expected to be one of the stronger opportunities to find pinball at the European show, potentially including Stern’s VENOM, James Bond 007 and Foo Fighters.
Electrocoin’s promotional material also pointed to the Mr. Do! redemption game and another unidentified redemption machine.
Guangzhou and Guangdong exhibitors
The exhibitor list included 27 companies beginning with “Guangzhou” and seven beginning with “Guangdong”. Most appeared to specialise in broader amusement equipment such as cranes, redemption products, inflatables and large attractions rather than traditional video arcades.
Some exhibitors referenced VR, although several linked websites were unavailable. Oculeap was one VR-related company with an accessible website. Partnerships with European or international distributors remained possible, but no specific arcade announcements were confirmed.
JET Games — Booth B-924
The Florida-based company has expanded from EM redemption games and kiddie rides into videmption. Its recent catalogue includes imported Chinese titles such as Quick Shot, Big Shot and Quick Toss. A new reveal was possible, although nothing specific had been confirmed.
JNC Sales — Booth B-1404
This UK distributor attracted attention at EAG 2023 with Zombie Crisis, a Chinese-made gun shooter also available in the United States through ASI. Its website suggested that the Vienna line-up would lean more towards ticket-redemption equipment, although the exact products were unclear.
Kalkomat — Booth B-1300
The Polish manufacturer is best known for boxing machines but also produces other coin-operated amusement equipment. Its punching and kicking title Hit The Green was among the newer products associated with the company.
LAI Games — Booth B-1307
LAI Games planned to show Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade. A possible partnership involving Wahlap and Asphalt Moto Blitz DX was still unconfirmed, although LAI had created a placeholder page for the game. The company had also indicated that the title would come to North America.
PrimeTime Amusements — Booth A-2822
The US distributor intended to use its stand primarily for client meetings rather than displaying partner products.
Pro-Games Poland — Booth B-2612
Pro-Games Poland appeared to operate as a Polish distributor. It was not clear whether the company also manufactured equipment.
RS-Pinball GmbH — Booth C-1101
This Austrian distributor specialises in pinball and represented a broad group of manufacturers, including Stern, Jersey Jack Pinball, American Pinball, Chicago Gaming Company, Pinball Brothers, Spooky Pinball, Haggis Pinball, Multimorphic, Dutch Pinball and Homepin. Its 6 by 9 metre stand should have room for several machines, although the final quantity was not known.
For Australian collectors comparing formats, virtual pinball machines can also provide a space-conscious alternative to a full-size collection.
Sega Amusements International — Booth B-1603
Sega provided one of the more detailed previews. New redemption and merchandiser products were scheduled to debut, including Ballzania, Win Fall Revolution—known as Skill Fall in the United States—and a revised Capto Crane.
Video attractions listed for the booth included Storm Rider 2 and Drone Racing Genesis. Whether an entirely new video game would be shown remained open.
Tecway — Booth A-205
Tecway, based in Taiwan, has appeared at some IAAPA events and missed others. Its range includes redemption and videmption machines, although recent official distribution in the United States had been limited. One Tecway product with wider visibility was the ball-pit game Snow Day.
Triotech — Booth A-1601
Triotech promoted its booth without initially identifying the products on display. Possible arcade and VR candidates included QUBE, Storm VR and Typhoon, with the larger XD Dark Ride also considered possible because of the stand size.
Later information indicated that Triotech’s principal focus would be new dark-ride experiences for major family entertainment centres and theme parks rather than conventional arcade equipment.
UDC — Booth B-203
The UK distributor was expected to feature TouchMagix’s Pop It!. Other possible products included Step Revolution’s StepManiaX, Ace Amusement’s Bullseye Crackshot and Dinosaur Era. UDC subsequently confirmed that StepManiaX would be present and shared a video of Air Zone Deluxe.
UNIS — Booth B-431
UNIS was promoting products for the November IAAPA Expo but had not specifically confirmed them for the European event. Potential candidates included newer games such as Raccoon Rampage and Dynamic Orbs, or established releases including Over The Edge and Emoji Frenzy.
WIK — Booths B-406 and B-706
This Polish company produces amusement products including boxing machines, which can make it easy to confuse with Kalkomat. WIK has also broadened its range; a previous IAAPA appearance included the alley bowler believed to be called Roll ‘N Jump, although the name was not clear and the game was not listed on its website.
Yuto Games — Booths B-2022 and B-332
Yuto is one of the Chinese factories with a strong public presence on platforms such as YouTube and LinkedIn. Its preview showed a mixture of redemption, videmption and VR equipment. The company was also scheduled for IAAPA 2023 in Orlando, potentially its first appearance there, although that could not be confirmed.
VR and location-based entertainment
Several established location-based VR operators were listed: Hero Zone VR at B-723, Hologate at B-701, Inowize at B-417, Movie Power at B-1804, OctopodVR at C-218, SPREE Interactive at A-2132, Valo Motion at B-2301 and VEX Solutions at B-410.
No major new platform launch had been announced, but the companies were expected to demonstrate recent content for their existing systems. Inowize was also adding games to its non-VR QBIX platform.
What to expect from the show
IAAPA Expo Europe 2023 was set to cover much more than arcade games, including inflatables, photo booths, cranes, rides and other attractions. For arcade-focused readers, the most relevant areas were likely to be driving games, pinball, redemption, VR and distributor activity.
The final line-up could differ from this preview because exhibitors do not always publish complete show plans in advance. The event nevertheless offered an early view of equipment and partnerships that might become more prominent at the larger November exhibition. For home operators weighing an upright or compact cabinet, explore arcade machines, racing arcades and more arcade industry news.
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