Resident Evil 2 Arcade Tests and Pinball News

Arcade and pinball news has been moving quickly beyond Amusement Expo 2026. This roundup covers the Japanese location test for Resident Evil 2: Arcade, major announcements from the Texas Pinball Festival, Konami’s cautious rhythm-game expansion in North America, an independent hockey pinball project and further Amusement Expo updates.

Resident Evil 2: Arcade begins Japanese location testing

Capcom’s Biohazard RE:2, known internationally as Resident Evil 2: Arcade, has entered location testing in Japan. Testing began on 19 March at a Capcom-owned venue in Narita, rather than a Namco site or another commonly used test location.

Visitors have shared cabinet photographs and early gameplay impressions. A strict no-video-filming rule has applied from the beginning, unlike the United States and United Kingdom tests held in 2025. A third official trailer arrived alongside the Japanese test and includes additional gameplay footage.

The cabinet artwork has also been revised, with more decoration visible in the latest promotional material. The game was not present at Amusement Expo, as expected. Trade-show appearances are more likely towards the end of 2026, when the title should be closer to its projected late-2026 or possibly early-2027 release window.

Texas Pinball Festival delivers several announcements

Pinball increasingly operates through dedicated events rather than general amusement trade shows. Stern Pinball was the only pinball manufacturer represented at Amusement Expo, while the 2026 Texas Pinball Festival provided a much larger platform for new reveals.

Turner Pinball unveils Yukon Yeti

Turner Pinball presented Yukon Yeti, its third release, at the festival. The company had published gameplay footage before the event, and production is limited to 500 machines.

HEXA Pinball previews The 3 Musketeers

French manufacturer HEXA Pinball returned with its second game, The 3 Musketeers, inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ classic story. The machine was intended to appear at the festival, but its container was delayed in customs. As a result, the manufacturer’s preview materials are currently the main source of information.

American Pinball announces two post-buyout projects

American Pinball announced its first releases under new ownership. The confirmed project is a 100th-anniversary edition of Houdini: Master Of Mystery, the company’s 2017 title. It has been fully unveiled and is limited to 100 units.

The second project is a remake of Bally Midway’s Cirqus Voltaire. It has been announced but not fully shown; a complete reveal is planned for a later date. American Pinball’s sister company, Orbit Games, is also pursuing amusement products including Whirl-O-Ball.

Konami rhythm games reach more North American venues

After several delays, Konami rhythm titles have begun reaching North American locations beyond Round1USA. Beatmania IIDX, Sound Voltex and Pop’n Music are now operating at selected venues, with the new DanceDanceRevolution Universal Model also expected at some of them.

Three independent arcades long rumoured to be receiving Konami cabinets have now done so: Ikigai Arcade, Red Note Gaming and Soft Landing. A fourth venue, Max Funland in Brooklyn, has also received Beatmania IIDX. That cabinet is somewhat unexpected because the venue’s existing line-up is largely made up of Chinese imports.

Konami’s approach remains deliberately limited. The company has not yet demonstrated broad distributor support and had no product on the Amusement Expo floor, although Konami personnel, including the CEO, were reportedly present and speaking with selected operators.

The e-Amusement network and Japan’s revenue-sharing model make a large-scale United States rollout difficult. Some specialist venues can support that arrangement, while larger family entertainment centres generally cannot, apart from the guaranteed Round1 business.

By comparison, Sega’s Maimai DX has received more open North American distribution, with the first Canadian cabinet arriving during the week. StepManiaX has also continued selling broadly. Upcoming competition may include Pump It Up Phoenix II, expected this summer, and further rhythm-game products from Step Revolution and other developers.

Monster League Hockey enters production planning

Monster League Hockey is an independent head-to-head pinball project created by Jake Danzig and his Killdozer Studios team. Danzig, who runs a custom-pinball community and has built other projects, developed the game during 2025 before it began attracting attention at events and arcades in Arizona.

The machine is now moving towards production through Florida-based newcomer Ramp’s Pinball, which is also developing its own title, Road Trip. Both games are targeted for construction by the fourth quarter of 2026.

The hockey-themed game supports one or two players, or three or four players when split flippers are used. Its design focuses on direct competition and combat inspired by the sport. Further coverage includes an interview with Danzig, a showcase from Marco Pinball and additional details and photographs from Knapp Pinball.

Projects such as this demonstrate how smaller teams and specialist manufacturers can bring unusual concepts into the pinball market. Readers interested in the wider category can also explore virtual pinball machines and the practical considerations in RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide.

Amusement Expo 2026: post-show developments

Triotech’s updated Typhoon Shockwave motion ride simulator was announced just before Amusement Expo and therefore received little advance attention. The latest version continues the established Typhoon format while using two screens. Some observers have criticised the lack of an interactive game component, but Typhoon machines have traditionally functioned as virtual roller-coaster experiences rather than conventional games. Existing units continue to generate solid operator returns.

New footage is now available for Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush, Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade and DOF Robotics’ Compact Flying Theater. Further booth coverage is expected from companies including Raw Thrills, Bandai Namco and Sega Amusements, even though they did not present newly announced games.

A long Amusement Expo discussion was also recorded for the LBX Collective’s weekly podcast. The event’s coverage is expected to continue through a full article and a possible livestream discussion.

More arcade and pinball headlines

Amusement Expo attendance was lower, but exhibitor sentiment remained positive, with severe weather and airport disruption affecting travel.
Eugene Jarvis received the AAMA Lifetime Achievement Award.
The producer of Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition marked one year since the game’s location test, while further teasing continues.
New videos show a celebrity playing Taiko no Tatsujin and Initial D at a GiGO venue in Shibuya.
Sega released Maimai DX Circle Plus in Japan; the international version is expected to receive the update several months later.
Konami released Gashaaaan!, while Sazae-san Spot the Difference launched in Japan.
Pokémon pinball, John Wick Pinball version 1.0 and update 75 for StepManiaX also received recent coverage.
Other industry stories include arcade displays at IAAPI 2026, Superwin titles at ENADA 2026, Mark Turmell’s birthday, the 35th anniversary of Street Fighter II and a look at Sega’s OutRun series.

Home and retro gaming headlines

Mojang shared several Minecraft announcements, including a trailer for Minecraft Dungeons II. This is not expected to change the separate development of Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, for which Series 5 recently launched.
The Game Boy Advance reached its 25th anniversary.
Avian Knights launched on Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Classic Sega racing music from Daytona, OutRun and other games is being added to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Several Switch games received improved Switch 2 compatibility and performance.
The United States National Videogame Museum acquired the Nintendo PlayStation prototype.
Additional stories covered low-budget game development, the hidden Pac-Man stage in Wolfenstein 3D and a new exclusive horror game for Sega Dreamcast.

For Australian arcade enthusiasts, these developments underline the range of the current market: location-tested video games, specialist rhythm cabinets, motion attractions, competitive pinball and independent hardware projects. RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog tracks more industry news, while its arcade parts and arcade repair services cover the practical side of keeping machines in play.