I do not have a lot of time to watch TV given my schedule but not long ago my wife and I decided to check out A&E’s Duck Dynasty that everyone has been raving about. The show has been breaking viewership records for cable TV and is currently the #1 show to be found in the cable space. I was initially skeptical that any show about making duck calls would be entertaining but we were pleasantly surprised with the good-hearted and humorous nature of the content and have checked out many episodes. There is even one episode where two of the main people (CEO Willie and Uncle Si) visit an FEC arcade that is like Chuck E Cheeses, where Si spends his time collecting tickets to win a big prize from the redemption desk.
Well now the show is going to get bigger exposure as their first video game outing will happen thanks to arcades. Raw Thrills has just sent out a press release detailing the addition of a new Duck Dynasty mode to be added to Big Buck HD in October. This will bring “16 rounds of duck hunting and 4 unique bonus games” to the game among some other enhancements. The game already has a bonus game that is an awful lot like the old Duck Hunt but this will fully flesh out the idea. It also will be available on every online connected machine for free, so if you know where to find a cabinet then you will be able to play this soon. If you are familiar with the show, one has to wonder if one of the bonus games might involve blowing up a beaver dam. 😛
Overall it certainly is a good idea – the arcade space really has not done much to market themselves in the pop culture aside from just slapping a license onto a game (much like the pinball side of the industry) and the combination of the most popular video arcade hunting game with the most popular show on TV will provide a win-win-win boost for all sides (Raw Thrills, the TV show and locations with the game). I will create a video of the content when it becomes available on the BBHD machine that I have at my arcade so stay tuned.
For those interested, here is the press release
Raw Thrills Announces Duck Dynasty Added to Big Buck HD
Raw Thrills – September 10, 2013 – Beginning in October, 2013, all connected Big Buck HD arcade video games across the US will automatically receive exciting additional content, based on the #1 cable TV show from A&E, Duck Dynasty. This original new game content will feature 16 rounds of duck hunting and 4 unique bonus games, as well as other important enhancements to Big Buck HD. “Adding Duck Dynasty to Big Buck HD is a sure winning formula, particularly given that the new game will be automatically downloaded to each Big Buck HD at no extra cost”, said George Petro, President of Play Mechanix, a wholly owned subsidiary of Raw Thrills, Inc. Petro added: “Duck Dynasty’s unprecedented popularity and hunting theme will ensure that Big Buck HD will be even more successful in the future.
For more information regarding Big Buck HD and Duck Dynasty together in one amazing arcade game, contact Raw Thrills at sales@rawthrills.com or call 847-679-8373 x29.
About Big Buck HD
Big Buck HD is the first-ever 1080p HD arcade game and a recent release from Play Mechanix and Raw Thrills, developers of coin-operated interactive entertainment products. Combining the best of Big Buck Hunter Pro and Big Buck Safari, HD also offers new challenges, awards and tournaments. All Big Buck HD games feature online connectivity, which allows players to track scores and compete in tournaments against players from across the country for cash prizes, making Big Buck HD a truly interactive experience.
lmao, that show is a travesty!
I have never seen the show but I like the idea of being able to download additional bonus contents for free. I wish more arcade manufacturers would do this to keep people interested in playing their games. Actually I remember some games in the past having a time release feature. After so many hours or plays extra characters or levels would unlock. Do they still do this?
That and tying it in with a show that has grown in popularity is a good marketing move (something the arcade industry really doesn’t do too often).
On time release, no not that I have seen in a long time. That was something they did with some of the later fighting games but nowadays I can’t think of a single game to try it. I have seen password unlocks (SSFIV Arcade and Dariusburst) so apart from those we’re probably just looking at online unlocks in the future.
This is pretty interesting, in that a Duck Commander (the brand owned by the Duck Dynasty family) plug-n-play “light gun” game has just recently hit stores. It’s produced by Jakks Pacific, developed for them by Merge Interactive–and the Big Buck Hunter Pro and Big Buck Safari plug-n-play systems were from that same toymaker/developer pair as well (though Merge was known as Super Happy Fun Fun at the time those two were done).
This is my fourth or fifth time trying to post this comment. Is it my website causing the filtering problem? I’m leaving it out this time. Let’s see if that works.
This is supposed to be a reply to arcadeheroes’ comment-34102, for which I got an e-mail notification, but I don’t actually see it on this page…. Anyway, my website is pnp-info.angelfire.com, which just collects together some results of my research into the plug-n-play market and industry–in the case of my post above, it would have been relevant for once!