Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade Leads Arcade News

This week’s arcade round-up covers the Japanese launch of Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade, a new Chunithm version, a ticket-free update for Men in Black, Sega’s console revival plans and a broad selection of industry headlines.

For more arcade news, explore the RETROCADE arcade blog, or browse the arcade machine buying guide for advice on choosing a cabinet.

Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade gets a Japanese launch date

Players in Japan, along with visitors to locations such as Round1USA, will soon be able to play Street Fighter 6 in an arcade setting. Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade will launch on the 14th.

The arcade edition has reportedly exhibited slightly more lag than the console and PC versions. However, reports from later testing suggest that the issue has been substantially reduced compared with the lag seen in Street Fighter V Type Arcade.

Its value to operators and players will depend heavily on pricing, exclusive features and long-term support. Without substantial arcade-only content, the release may function partly as promotion for the home versions of Street Fighter 6. Taito and Capcom are also staging special tournaments in Japan, giving local venues an additional reason to feature the game.

Those considering a dedicated home cabinet can compare options in RETROCADE’s arcade machines collection, although commercial fighting-game systems are a different proposition from a home arcade cabinet.

Sega updates Chunithm and Men in Black

Chunithm Luminous arrives in Japan

Sega is preparing the Japanese release of Chunithm Luminous, the latest version of its music and rhythm arcade series. The update adds new songs, including music from Undertale, alongside a visual refresh.

Chunithm has recently expanded into other parts of Asia. Like Maimai, however, its prospects for a wider international rollout remain uncertain.

Men in Black adds a play-for-fun option

Sega Amusements International has changed the operating model of its licensed Men in Black shooter. When the game launched in 2021, it was configured solely as a ticket game. A software update is now available for it, allowing venues to run it as a standard video arcade game without ticket redemption.

The update announcement does not confirm whether the game’s content has changed. In particular, it is not clear whether the experience still ends after 90 seconds.

Sega looks to revive its classic game brands

Sega has announced a new initiative bringing several major properties back to consoles. A number of these brands began in arcades, although series such as Crazy Taxi and Golden Axe have already received home-focused sequels or revivals.

The company is reportedly seeking to recapture the creative energy associated with the Dreamcast era. That comparison is complicated by the Dreamcast’s commercial difficulties, so a return to Sega’s 1990s arcade identity may be a more useful description.

Interest will depend on execution, with Shinobi and Golden Axe standing out as particularly appealing choices. It is not yet clear whether this initiative will influence Sega’s Japanese arcade operations. Some of the projects appear to draw on development resources that have been combined with other parts of the business, while Sega Amusements International remains separately managed.

The Game Awards also included several references to arcade-related properties, even though arcade games were not represented in an award category.

IAAPA 2023 video coverage continues

Nearly a month after IAAPA 2023, the remaining video coverage is being completed. Despite concerns about the broader market, the show itself was described as a strong success. A livestream was planned for the following Monday to review the new games shown at the event and answer viewer questions via the arcade video channel.

Is the amusement business recession-resistant?

November delivered the weakest monthly earnings of the year for one arcade operator, an especially worrying result after 15 years in business. November is typically the second- or third-best month of the year, and even the lockdown uncertainty of 2020 did not produce revenue at this level.

Other operators have reportedly noticed a similar decline. Knowing that the problem is not isolated offers little comfort when it may indicate wider pressure on the amusement sector. Marketing activity remains important, while the industry’s economic resilience is being debated in the Sound Off episode from the LBX Collective.

Arcade and gaming headlines

Benchmark Games launches the VRX Arcade cabinet.
Joypolis Tokyo has revealed new paint for Transformers: Human Alliance Special; the software reportedly remains unchanged.
LAI Games is offering Virtual Rabbids: The Big Ride at 15% off until 31 December 2023.
A new ValoArena promotion has been released.
Bandai Namco’s second-generation Gundam pods are scheduled to end service in March 2024. This is one of several costly recent failures for Japanese operators, alongside Square Enix’s Starwing Paradox.
Andamiro’s Chrono Circle is also due to go offline from 2025.
DOF Robotics’ IAAPA 2023 press conference is available to watch.
A video examines a major disadvantage of e-payments and e-tickets.
A Looney Tunes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre Q&A livestream is available.
The world’s last Chuck E. Cheese animatronic band remains in the spotlight.
More information is sought about the EM game Monster Maze.
Johnny Fairplay tours the Stern factory.
A Christmas song may have appeared on an arcade dance game, although its place in the Dance Dance Revolution and Podium song lists is uncertain.

Console and VR links

That concludes this week’s round-up, with Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade leading a varied set of developments across arcade, amusement, console and VR gaming.