Japan Amusement Expo 2025 offered a useful snapshot of the country’s current arcade market, from major rhythm and racing releases to prize machines, family attractions and experimental formats. The event was held at Tokyo Big Sight, continuing the November schedule introduced in late 2023 after the show moved from February at Makuhari Messe.
Although the exhibition is considerably smaller than major Western and Chinese trade shows, it remains an important meeting point for Japanese operators, manufacturers and distributors. Prize equipment occupied a particularly prominent position on the floor plan, while Bandai Namco, Konami and Sega retained some of the largest dedicated spaces.
For Australian enthusiasts, the show also provides useful context when considering the types of arcade machines and cabinets that may eventually reach international markets.
The layout made the industry’s priorities clear: a large central area was devoted entirely to prize products, balanced to some extent by the substantial booths belonging to Bandai Namco, Konami and Sega.
Bandai Namco Experience
Bandai Namco now officially trades as Bandai Namco Experience, although the updated branding is not strongly emphasised and its overseas arcade subsidiaries retain their existing names for now. The company remains one of Japan’s largest amusement exhibitors.
Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition
The centrepiece was Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition, a substantial revision of Bandai Namco’s long-running driving series. A Nissan GT-R helped anchor the display. After an initially mixed response to earlier testing, the Expo build benefited from revised gameplay and confirmation that existing Maximum Tune player accounts will support data transfer.
Bandai Namco has also released an official trailer and announced plans for a dedicated overseas producer to visit arcades. A Chinese release through Wahlap has already been announced, while broader international availability appears increasingly likely. The timing remains unconfirmed, however.
One Piece Dawn Strike
One Piece Dawn Strike, a punching game, and a related coin pusher received prominent placement near the front of the booth. Luffy was represented by a large statue between the two machines, and voice actors from the anime made appearances. Despite the franchise’s growing Western presence in cards and merchandise, these particular games are currently understood to have limited prospects outside Japan.
Penlalive
Penlalive is Bandai Namco’s original rhythm title, designed for casual players and built around brightly coloured wotagei penlights. Its smaller presentation suggested that the company may still be evaluating the concept, although visitor interest was strong, with reported waits reaching 70 minutes.
Additional Bandai Namco releases
Taiko no Tatsujin returned alongside a children’s ride, a compact air-hockey table and Pac-Man Baller Jr. The unusual Tekipaki Kitchen placed a touchscreen, saucepan and knife controllers on a tabletop cabinet aimed at younger players.
Another new attraction was a video redemption goldfish-catching game with a distinctly Asian presentation. Meanwhile, Bike Dash Delivery and Magi Blast, both previously tested titles, were absent. Their future is therefore unclear.
Konami Arcade Games
Konami Arcade Games presented one of the more confident showings of the Expo. The company has recently increased its arcade output and restored fuller musician credits in its rhythm titles, earning stronger responses from Japanese operators and players. Whether that momentum continues remains to be seen.
Pop’n Music High Cheers
The pre-release Pop’n Music High Cheers cabinet was a major attraction for Bemani fans after summer testing. The software name is now settled, and the title is confirmed for the United States through orders placed with selected independent arcades.
Konami also showed recent Gitadora Arena cabinets and three Bemani Pro League titles. In addition, Sound Voltex Nabla was announced as the rhythm series’ seventh major edition, following the four-year run of Exceed Gear.
Demon Slayer Nichirin Battle
Demon Slayer Nichirin Battle is Konami’s first arcade title based on the popular franchise. Its straightforward, child-focused trading-card gameplay is enhanced by a sword controller. Demand was high enough for ticketed play sessions to sell out within hours.
Super Punch Mania
Super Punch Mania revisits the idea behind Fighting Mania as a redemption game with less of the earlier series’ Asian styling. Machine stickers indicate that it is intended for overseas sales, though its appearance at future Western trade shows has not been confirmed.
Other Konami exhibits
Konami’s medal-game range occupied much of the remaining space, with many machines appearing too large for widespread Western deployment. The returning Gashaaaan! ball-toss redemption game is expected to launch in Japan and overseas, now using one vertical screen rather than two landscape monitors. The revision should reduce cost and maintenance, and it adds a character from Mahjong Fight Girl.
Sazae-san Machigai Sagashi, or Sazae-san Spot the Difference, was another unusual inclusion. It follows an earlier Korean presentation using the Bbangbbang’s Daily Life cartoon, but the Japanese version uses the closely guarded Sazae-san licence, a classic television property in Japan.
Sega Fave
Sega’s Japanese amusement business now operates as Sega Fave, following the sale of its locations to Genda and the merging of some arcade development teams with console operations. Its Expo presence nevertheless remained substantial, with large LED screens framing an impressive booth. Sega Amusements International is a separate Western company, although some Japanese products, including Maimai DX, do reach international markets.
UFO Catcher Immersive
With crane games now among the most important earners in Japanese amusement venues, Sega marked both the 60th anniversary of the crane game in Japan and the 40th anniversary of UFO Catcher. A museum display traced the machine’s design history, while UFO Catcher Immersive offered a more experimental attraction.
Inspired by mixed-reality experiences, the attraction turns players into the prizes. Participants dodge a virtual UFO claw across several rounds before it captures and beams them away. With additional polish, the concept could suit a permanent Joypolis installation.
Giganithm
Sega also celebrated 10 years of Chunithm with Giganithm, a travelling oversized version inspired by the large-screen treatment used for Space Invaders Gigamax. The installation returned after first appearing at a Tokyo event dedicated to the rhythm series.
The success of Maimai DX in the United States raises the question of whether the standard version of Chunithm could receive a Western release. Initial D The Arcade, which already has a localised Asia-Oceania build, is another possible candidate for renewed international attention.
StarHorse Party and family attractions
StarHorse Party adapts Sega’s horse-racing series for more casual players. Its cabinet combines a large upper LED display, a main gameplay screen and touch-enabled side screens. The format may have international potential, particularly given the following that Derby Owners Club developed outside Japan despite deployment challenges.
Sega also promoted family attractions based on Paw Patrol and Curious George. The themed areas combined video kiddie rides, ball-toss games, prize machines and redressed UFO Catcher units. The approach showed that Sega Japan is investing in more than crane games, although a new Sonic arcade attraction would be especially timely with the character’s 35th anniversary approaching.
Sega again helped organise the Amusement Music Festival, bringing together sound teams from the major Japanese rhythm-game companies. Composer and musician Takenobu Mitsuyoshi was among the performers.
Taito
Taito’s arcade development operation is smaller than it was before Square Enix acquired the company in 2006, but its Taito Station venues and varied amusement businesses continue to support a regular trade-show presence.
Enter the Death Game
The company’s attraction work includes Bootverse sport-tainment venues, Rakugakids children’s centres and larger Taito X-Station locations using the CUBE immersive system. Enter the Death Game was the latest example on display: a horror-themed experience with an escape-room structure rather than a direct Squid Game adaptation.
Prize games and Zuntata
Taito’s booth also highlighted prize equipment, including Taiwanese The Little Bull cranes and the Getter Spin D machine, which Wahlap is promoting internationally. Taito’s music label Zuntata remains active across a broad range of projects, including self-service beer systems for Taito barcades.
Hopes for a new arcade version of Bubble Bobble were not realised. Instead, the franchise appeared as a demonstration beside an Egret cabinet running the original game and a small historical display.
Other exhibitors
Japan Amusement Expo is roughly one-fifth the size of the largest Western and Chinese events, but it still attracts a useful collection of distributors, parts suppliers and specialist manufacturers.
Bandai Namco Technica displayed imported products from Chinese and Western makers, including 3MindWave’s VR Strike, a reduced cabinet version of Alpha Ops VR Strike. The company has previously shown titles such as Adrenaline’s Drakons and TouchMagix’s Minions Bullseye Mania.
Capcom has returned to Japanese trade shows after several quieter years, although its Expo display focused mainly on the home version of Street Fighter 6 rather than arcade-specific releases. Recent shows had included arcade VR versions of Street Fighter and Onimusha, but neither appeared this time.
Enheart presented Bang! Bang! Bandits, a four-player light-gun shooter originally released on Nintendo Switch by Nippon Columbia and now being adapted for arcades. The company is also known for medal and video-redemption equipment.
Marvelous brought Wahlap’s Kingdoms Fantasy card battler, the new TryWall prize game and its popular Pokémon title. Try Catch and Naruto Emblem Battle were scheduled for representation at IAAPA 2025 through Player One Amusement Group.
Kaga Amusement showed Raw Thrills’ Top Gun Maverick and the smaller Monster Eye 3 cabinet. The size and height requirements of Top Gun Maverick may limit its use in Japanese venues, while the compact Monster Eye 3 could suit locations with tighter floor plans.
Kita Nihon Tsushin promoted Ace Amusement products including Parkour Motor 2, Fast Racing and Jet Ski Racer. Ace’s Skull of Shadow has appeared at a small number of Japanese venues, but the wider reception of the range remains uncertain.
Traditional joystick-and-button games were absent with exA-Arcadia not attending, but Sanwa Denshi was present with its familiar arcade controls and parts. For operators and restorers, reliable components remain just as important as new cabinets; Australian owners can browse arcade parts for repairs and upgrades.
Several companies displayed crane equipment, including Safari Games, Standby Amusement, Beyond, Andamiro and Dreamfuns. One of the most distinctive concepts came from a university team led by former Bandai Namco developer Junichiro Koyama: an AI companion-powered crane game.
The machine uses an anime-style character to communicate with players and automate stock-related functions. It differs from the Western JJ Bot concept, and its future adoption by larger manufacturers will be worth watching.
What the Expo says about Japanese arcades
Prize games clearly drive much of the Japanese amusement economy, but the exhibition showed that the market remains broader than cranes alone. Family attractions, rhythm games, racing cabinets, medal equipment, immersive systems and unusual redemption formats all had a place.
The absence of exA-Arcadia was disappointing, yet Bandai Namco and Konami supplied a healthy selection of new arcade software, while Sega and Taito demonstrated how established companies are adapting their remaining amusement businesses. Visitor numbers also reportedly improved compared with the previous year, although the exact increase was not specified.
The next edition will remain in November rather than moving to summer. The announced dates are 6 and 7 November, placing the event approximately a week before the likely IAAPA schedule and creating a small gap between the two major shows.
For readers tracking the wider industry, our arcade news and editorial coverage follows the machines, formats and technology shaping modern amusement venues. Home collectors can also compare the practical differences between upright arcades and compact cabinets before choosing a setup.
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