In the arcade business, there has always been a slightly busier time for industry expos and arcade trade show events, traditionally spanning from Fall to around late Winter/early Spring with the Summer lull in between. As its size has shrunk in some aspects since the old ‘golden age’, that has become less pronounced over time. But for one reason or another, this early part of the season has in more recent years became increasingly frontloaded and busier than ever – there are now no less than four major arcade trade events happening over the course of the next three months, and a few smaller ones in-between.
It can be hard to keep track of everything going on, but here at AH we have tried to bring it all together in a preview for the season ahead… plus some early glimpses of new games we might get to see at them, from numerous titles that have been on test of late. Do keep in mind though that some may well look very different, or not appear at all yet. Thanks to Ted for helping compile these, and everyone who has snapped photos of them or provided tips (Toby, Ryte, Jdevy, and Krit).
September
First off, September has already given us a trade show that just finished on the 5th – TAAPE, or the Thailand Amusement & Attraction Parks Expo. Held in Bangkok, there hasn’t been a lot of info on what was there that I can find on social media, just one post on LinkedIn from Firestone Amusement. They appear to be one of the originators of all the shooting gallery games we’ve seen out of companies such as JET Games in a rebranded capacity (Big Shot, Mega Shot etc) such as Master Sniper.
Next is the second major annual Chinese arcade show, the GTI Asia China Expo. It will be here in just under a week’s time on the 11th. We had better than ever coverage of the other main Chinese amusement event, Asia Amusement Attractions Expo, back in May thanks to site friend Oga-Shi of Sega Amusements, and it looks like he will able to attend this one too, so expect a decent dive into the show from him. In terms of what will be at this expo, there are one or two possible surprises that we cannot comment on yet, but Wahlap have made some announcements on what they will have. Nothing new-new from them for now, but this video makes it clear Monster Eye 3 will get a more prominent showing:
After GTI then comes the first IAAPA of the season, IAAPA Expo Europe, held in Amsterdam from the 23rd. Though not as significant as the main Orlando show (more details on that below), this event still tends to have a few new pieces to speak of, albeit most often in prize or redemption and not video. When it comes to that, one unusual concept that seems to be making landfall is the multi-claw crane… something that will be represented directly by Leon Amusement out of China with their stab, Big Six, but Sega Amusements have also secured Western distribution on one of the originators of the trend, Playmore’s High Five. This has been seen on test in the UK, and is confirmed to appear on their booth alongside existing titles from SAI and LAI Games (who they represent in Europe), plus a new addition to the Allstars range (Ultimate Disc).
Also at IAAPA Europe will be ELMAC, one of Italy’s main distributors. A recent ad in Intergame shows they have managed to get in early on a few new Chinese releases, as companies in Europe tend to do (UDC and others may have some also). Of these, there is Monster Eye 3 again, alongside a couple that we had previously seen and can reveal now – Skull Of Shadow (the tethered model of which is below) and Air Combat from Ace Amusement. These were on Ace’s booth at AAA in May, but had photo bans, so could not be shown in our coverage. As a refresher, the former is inspired by Deadstorm Pirates, and the latter’s gameplay was described by Oga-Shi as like Sega’s Sky Target. It’s likely at least one or two of these will turn up at the show, but in the meantime, Ace have started up a new YouTube presence with some videos.
Lastly, for a confirmed IAAPA Expo Europe showing, Inowize have been teasing a brand new addition to the portfolio of games available for their QBIX system. That has only been posted out on their LinkedIn profile so far, so no embedded video can be made, but hopefully this link to it works.
One other show happening soon this month will be the smaller AAMA Gala in the US. That tends to be pretty low-key (we didn’t get much information out of what was there last year), although some surprises that are previews to what will be at IAAPA could make an appearance. In the case that something new-new is spotted, it will be mentioned on here when the time comes too.
October
October does at least act as something of a breather, compared to the other two months within our focus here. But there are still a few trade show events happening, and plenty of possible reveals to look out for.
The largest show of the month will be the 40th annual Pinball Expo, being held on the 15th-19th in Schaumburg, IL. Both Stern’s The Uncanny X-MEN and Jersey Jack’s AVATAR: The Way of Water will be showcased here, along with some unique “boutique” creations by collectors and enthusiasts. There is usually an announcement by one of the smaller pin makers too, such as American or Spooky Pinball. While this event is primarily focused on pinball tables, there should be a small arcade presence, including AVS Companies and Alan-1 with Asteroids: Recharged. It also takes place just a few days after Raw Thrills’ Big Buck Hunter World Championships, and as it is in the same region as both RT and Bandai Namco Amusement America, there is a chance that test games will be found at certain arcades in the area.
Beyond that, there are one or two smaller amusement-related shows to take note of. Over in the UK, there is ACOS (Autumn Coin-Op Show) towards the end of the month. This is like AAMA in that it is a lot more business and networking-oriented, and does pale in comparison to their bigger trade event EAG (the next edition of which is still a ways off at the start of 2025). There may be at least one or two new titles from UK-based distributors like Electrocoin and UDC, who have already held their own smaller shows earlier in the year with few reveals. Sega Amusements and Bandai Namco Amusement Europe do tend to attend this one too, though don’t usually unveil much of interest. That said, if there is anything we will again share.
Then back in Europe, their wing of the XR-focused event AWE will be taking place. Some location-based entertainment companies have participated in this, including a name that should be becoming pretty familiar to those who follow recent arcade releases (particularly those from Sega Amusements), 3MindWave. They were there last year with an interesting setup of VR Agent using no cabinet, only a monitor and the gun controller/headset. That actually made it look like it could be getting a home version, but the more likely explanation was all the logistical challenges with shipping a whole machine out. 3MW quietly gave a sneak peek at Apex Rebels there too… but as per Oga and Pang Shu, they will not be attending this year. Nonetheless, it’s possible one or two other outfits are going to be there with LBE VR concepts to come.
Otherwise, October will mainly consist of early pre-show announcements for the following trade shows…
November
November now sees two significant arcade trade show events on two sides of the world, inconveniently enough held in close succession. It wasn’t always this way, with the main trade event for the Japanese arcade industry, JAEPO, traditionally taking place in February… however, since its reformatting last year to become simply Amusement Expo, it is now being held very close to IAAPA in November. This does mean we will have fewer pieces of original coverage, with less of a chance to reach it, but fortunately there will be lots to compile from the Japanese gaming press and social media in the place of that.
Most of the big companies did also still turn up to last year’s first attempt, but it was less expansive because of this and the decision to run it for one day only. Though still held close to the big expo in Orlando, some problems have at least been solved this time around, with the show being held across two days again and several exhibitors back – including exA-Arcadia – who gave last year a miss. They amongst others should be showing off one or two as yet unannounced things, but besides them, known new games to look out for here include Bandai Namco’s upcoming trading card titles Idolm@ster Tours and Dragon Ball Super Divers, whilst Konami may have this three-screen cabinet revamp of their Gitadora series (i.e. Guitar Freaks and Drummania), as well as an odd-looking “spot the difference” game based on a Korean character…
Amusement Expo offers a look at games that are definitely hitting Japan soon, but IAAPA a week afterward will of course have the new releases that will be available out West. In terms of those, not much is confirmed for certain this far ahead, but a little speculation can’t hurt. Keep in mind, we will still do our annual IAAPA pre-show posts and video content, but those will be done as close to the show as is possible. Consider this to be a pre-pre-show to help build up some anticipation…
For a little while now, Bandai Namco Amusement have seemed like the ones to watch at this year’s IAAPA, as with Taiko No Tatsujin launching in the US that month it is highly likely to be prominent on their booth. It was also strongly suggested at IAAPA 2023 that Goldstorm Pirates would be making its US industry debut this time. We haven’t heard as much about it as of late, but it would be surprising if it isn’t there. BNA also have a couple of other offerings that could turn up – Bike Dash Delivery and Jump Racer – plus possibly even more still. They always carry their cards close to their chest when it comes to IAAPA though, so the wait till November for what could be one of their best showings in years begins…
As for the rest, there is less to go off of when it comes to video games, but we have got some new videmption from Raw Thrills that could well be showcased. Their latest collaboration with Play Mechanix, Angry Birds Boom, was seen on test over here earlier this year, and after not appearing at Bowl Expo could make its debut at IAAPA if still on track for release. Raw Thrills have also just begun testing on a new Wizard Of Oz title, fusing a couple successful titles in the redemption scene: the basic concept of Monopoly Roll N Go, with the card vending aspect and licence that made Elaut’s Oz pusher so lucrative. Where the former was made in co-operation with ICE, this appears to be an RT-only effort. It is still on test as of writing, so could yet disappear without a trace – but considering how well the Wizard Of Oz pusher and Monopoly Roll N Go have done, a combination of these looks like a sure-fire redemption hit.
Other possibilities from Raw Thrills could include the final chapters for Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR, and perhaps a new VR-related product altogether, although the latter is speculation on our part. Word on the street right now is that their efforts in VR arcade games are still increasing, but what games they might have in the pipeline outside of these two big licenced videmption efforts is anyone’s guess at this current point in time. All eyes will be on certain arcades and FECs, particularly in and around Illinois, Chicagoland, for location tests (including Dave & Busters’ new location in Lombard, which is opening up next month)…
Elsewhere, not much more is known to speculate on new-new titles that will be shown there by other companies, but there is a little inkling on what Sega Amusements could have in store. In our last Newsbytes, we mentioned glimpses of a new sit-down version of Mission: Impossible Arcade spotted in the UK recently, so the full reveal of that may be something that graces their booth. Other than that, only redemption is known… but one slightly more notable example of that seen on test in the UK of late also is Balloon Circus. This one is a videmption pusher, originally developed and released by Sega under a slightly different name as a medal game in Japan earlier this year. In the same vein, it remains to be seen if SAI will host a showcase for Maimai DX (which just had a new version announced) on behalf of Sega Japan too… although it doesn’t seem likely, with its recent Dave & Busters test receiving less of a buzz than R1USA’s.
As well as other titles that may pop up at GTI this month, we will likely learn who gets to bring Wahlap’s aforementioned Monster Eye 3 over to the States at IAAPA, whether that may be Amusement Source International, LAI, or someone else entirely. Another title out of China, Ace Amusement’s Wave Riders X-Treme, looks set to be going through Ace’s usual US sales partner Coastal Amusements, with it being tested out by them over here and having already released in Europe by UDC earlier on this year. If that tests fine, expect to see it at the show also. Our friends at exA and Alan-1 with their original produce will be in attendance at IAAPA as well, however we shall have to wait and see on any new games from them 😉
Away from pure video and videmption, VR’s presence has been slowly diminishing at these shows, although some companies like Raw Thrills have been picking up slack in that regard. One exception might be Night Heron Entertainment’s Kung Fu Panda: The Warrior’s Gauntlet as reported on last month, although they don’t seem to be on the exhibitor map. They could appear at someone else’s booth however. Lastly, as for pinball, X-Men (Stern) and Avatar (Jersey Jack) already look to be on lock to appear since they’ll pop-up at Pinball Expo… and there could still be one or two other new releases shown.
That about wraps things up for this look at the arcade trade show events ahead this Fall, and the new games that will be at them. Others will likely pop up on test in the coming weeks, so like several readers have done with the titles here, do be sure to send over details if you spot one. In the meantime, which of these new arcade games and upcoming trade shows pique your interest the most?
Balloon Circus was pretty fun! More entertaining and immersive than a western coin pusher.