Our latest arcade and pinball roundup covers a major Big Buck Hunter tournament, a new Pokémon family game from Japan, American Pinball’s next Legends of Valhalla model, and several industry stories worth catching up on.
Big Buck Hunter World Championships XV reaches its final day
The 15th Big Buck Hunter World Championships entered its decisive second day, with approximately US$100,000 in cash prizes available across the event. The competition was streamed on Twitch and YouTube, giving a broad audience a look at one of the arcade scene’s most established competitive formats. The final action began in earnest yesterday.
For readers interested in the wider arcade business, RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog is also a useful place to follow ongoing machine and industry news.
Pokémon ball-toss machine launches in Japan
Bandai Namco Amusement has released a Pokémon-licensed ball-toss game in Japan. Players throw Poké Balls at Pokémon in an attempt to catch them, making the concept particularly well suited to younger players and family entertainment venues.
The machine takes a less common approach for this type of amusement game by including both a dedicated enclosure and a seat. It also appears to be an updated version of an earlier model, with the display increased to 43 inches. The official product page is available here, while an Article in Japanese is here.
Legends of Valhalla Classic prepares to launch
American Pinball is preparing the Classic edition of its Viking-themed Legends of Valhalla machine after completing orders for the Limited Edition and Deluxe models. The Classic version omits some features and finishes found on the more expensive editions, but is expected to offer the same core gameplay.
A comparison chart outlines the differences between the three versions. For Australian operators and collectors weighing up a pinball purchase, RETROCADE’s virtual pinball range provides another way to explore digital tables for the home.
Fast & Furious Arcade appears as a single cabinet
A distributor listing has provided an early look at a single-cabinet version of Raw Thrills’ Fast & Furious Arcade, along with an advertised price. Online pricing is relatively uncommon in this part of the industry, and the distributor’s figures should not be treated as a universal retail price: costs differ between distributors and negotiations are common.
The listing places the machine broadly in the US$25,000–$30,000 range, matching the figure discussed at Bowl Expo. It positions the game against LAI’s Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX in the family entertainment centre market. A lower-priced standard-definition model may still appear in 2023, but that had not been confirmed at the time.
Operators comparing driving attractions can also browse RETROCADE’s racing arcades for a range of racing and driving-focused options.
Bobblehead Baseball includes an amusement mode
Andamiro’s Bobblehead Baseball includes a non-ticket amusement mode as well as its videmption format. That distinction matters for operators, although manufacturers could make such modes easier to identify in product pages and promotional material.
Roger Sharpe revisits Williams history
A lengthy interview with Roger Sharpe includes the revelation that ICE had expressed interest in acquiring Williams. There is an argument that ICE’s redemption experience could have supported the business if the pinball division struggled.
The discussion also brings to mind two unreleased ideas: Stern once toyed with doing a redemption game, while American Pinball did the same. Neither project reached release. It remains interesting to consider whether established pinball companies could have broadened their revenue with relatively straightforward products such as arcade basketball or other novelty attractions.
The documentary about Sharpe was also offered online for a limited event, but that screening had already sold out. A broader release would be welcome, including a possible cinema run that could introduce more people to competitive pinball and arcades.
Samurai Shodown V Perfect gameplay
New footage shows the arcade version of Samurai Shodown V Perfect. A further comparison between the arcade release and the Nintendo Switch version was planned for the following week.
Fresh Midway footage and NBA Jam history
Insert Coin Doc has continued publishing archival Midway material from the 1990s. Its recent uploads focus on NBA Jam, including the pitch tape used to persuade the NBA to license the series, as well as this ACME Show presentation.
More arcade and pinball headlines
- Stern details the making of the Jurassic Park Home Pin.
- Andamiro releases a trailer for Avengers Infinity Stones.
- The making of In the Hunt.
- A development anecdote about Sega R360.
- TR Fight Stick launches CPS2 and CPS3 custom metal cases.
- Peter Piper Pizza launches a new swing ride.
- Another lawsuit emerges in the Billy Mitchell saga.
- Zero Latency VR opens in Manchester.
- Birdly VR heads to the Big Boy Toys Expo in Las Vegas.
- The Simpsons’ fictional Waterworld arcade game becomes real.
- Sega Sammy and Bandai Namco schedule a Japanese basketball tournament.
- Hurricane Ian damages a game store and arcade.
Console and wider gaming notes
- The Amico disaster.
- Bayonetta 3 voice-actress payment dispute; the reported US$4,000 figure was per session, not the total payment.
- Evil West mixes Westerns and vampires.
- The preservation of the unreleased Atari 2600 Lord of the Rings game.
- Meta Quest Pro is priced at US$1,500.
- Meta’s reported metaverse losses exceed US$15 billion.
- Minecraft Legends receives a new trailer.
- Dragon Ball: The Breakers launches for consoles.
- The lost GBA tech demo Mario Kart XXL is discovered.
That rounds out this edition. For anyone planning a home setup, RETROCADE’s arcade-machine buying guide covers the key decisions before choosing a cabinet.
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