Welcome to another Newsbytes, an aggregate collection of arcade news from around the world. If you’re under the stay-at-home quarantine that is affecting millions (including myself), then I hope that you are doing ok…I’ll be trying to focus on good news to help lift spirits. If you’re looking for amusement related COVID-19 news, then scroll to the bottom.
Before we get started though, I wanted to give a shout out to the advertisers here on Arcade Heroes – they have opted to continue advertising on the site in spite of the pandemic shut down, which helps me & the site out given that most of my income has essentially been frozen, but not all of my bills have. Please support them as you can! We need to support each other during these times, finding a way through the challenges and coming out the other side stronger. If you want to stay connected, join Arcade Heroes on Discord (although main channel does focus on my local arcade).
Here’s an industry rally logo put together by Semnox:
AMOA COVID-19 Small Business Resource Center
IAAPA COVID-19 Resources
Dragon’s Lair Going Live Action
Would you be interested in seeing the world famous Dragon’s Lair laserdisc arcade game become a live 
action film? Then sometime down the road you’ll be able to enjoy it on Netflix, as the company has finalized a deal to bring the adaptation to their streaming service. Ryan Reynolds has been in talks to play Dirk The Daring; no mention yet who they are looking to have play Princess Daphne. Don Bluth (the original producer/director of the game) is also involved, so that’s a plus. It would be interesting if this could be made in a way where the viewer can vote to chose the path for Dirk, although if you want to play Dragon’s Lair, it’s already available on practically every platform under the sun.
Game Refuge Wants Your Feedback on General Chaos 2
Game designer Brian Colin & his company Game Refuge is currently working on a re-invention of their classic Sega Genesis title, General Chaos. But this time, you can possibly have an influence on the game by sending your feedback on what you would like to see. That can also include thoughts on a potential “head-to-head” arcade version of the game, although Brian said on Twitter that PC & console versions would be coming along first. I do think that an RTS in arcades would be awesome to see; It can be done, although it’s tough to get the formula down just right for what the coin-op format needs to work. If anyone can get it right though, Brian certainly can – send your thoughts about it to generalchaos@gamerefuge.com:
Stranger Things Premium Unboxing
Since I didn’t do a new post about this, you might have missed it (unless you’re subscribed to AH on YouTube), but here’s my mostly sped up unboxing of a Stranger Things premium pinball machine, along with the installation of the official UV lighting kit:
Raw Thrills Interviews: Joel Seider & Rebecca Smith
Betson posted a couple of interviews with Raw Thrills staff this week, first Joel Seider who is spearheading the development of Nitro Trucks; then there’s a chat with artist Rebecca Smith, who is the designer of the Injustice Arcade cabinet & cards. Enjoy:
Hot Wheels: King of the Road Getting Some Upgrades
What those “exciting features” are is unknown at the moment, but we should find out before too long:
Stay tuned… New exciting features coming soon with "Hot Wheels – King of the Road"! pic.twitter.com/ZfeSJlM7f0
— Adrenaline (@Info_aagames) April 2, 2020
Next Up In Sega Ages: G-Loc Air Battle
Re-releases/remasters of classic Sega arcade titles have been coming along at a somewhat steady pace through the Sega Ages label, and by what I’ve played, the quality is top notch. If you own a Nintendo Switch, and love Sega titles, then you’re in luck as G-Loc: Air Battle is headed to the platform next. If you aren’t familiar with the game, it’s essentially a sequel to After Burner, with improved graphics and a stronger focus on first-person action that was tamed down a little from AB. Of course playing on a console can’t match the glory of the motion simulator arcade cabinet, but this looks like they are making it the next best thing:
Speaking of Sega…
They are really gearing up for a proper celebration of turning 60 in June. That includes Sega branded leather pouches and other assorted…weirdness. This tweet announces the merger of Sega Games & Sega Interactive divisions into one entity: Sega Corp.
https://twitter.com/SEGA_OFFICIAL/status/1244320919431987200
Sega Amusements International (the EUR/USA amusement arm) is now offering Back To The Future plush
Pandemic/Amusement News
Let’s start with a meme that I saw posted by Arcade Belgium:
LAI Games: How Keep Your Sanity During The Crisis / Revenue Generation Ideas
Exa Festival & Additional Exa Appearances Cancelled For Now / EMS Cancels Shipments to 155 Countries, Affecting Exa Orders
Kevin WIlliams Joins The Attraction Pros For COVID-19 Video Series
Dave & Busters Fights To Stay Afloat Through The Crisis / Halts All New Facility Construction
All 103 Round One Locations In Japan Temporarily Closing
14 Shows Rebooked At Orlando Convention Center
Hopefully they invest the time to make G-Loc an OpenGL game on the Switch. This year is a great time to offer another “After Burner” due to the release of the “Top Gun 2” movie. Let’s hope for such an arcade title, because I haven’t seen a good air battle game for a while.