Bandai Namco Tests Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune Ignition & Resident Evil 2: Arcade Again In Japan

This weekend is proving to be a busy one for location tests in Japan, as two of the biggest upcoming arcade games on the scene right now are being trialed again by Bandai Namco. We have seen plenty of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune Ignition and Resident Evil 2: Arcade before, owing to their previous tests (with RE2 even appearing out West before the East), but not many other titles out there command as much interest as them, and there have been some changes made to both. As such, let’s see what the latest is for both of these titles:

Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune Ignition

First up, we have the one that went on test first this past Thursday, and has not been seen outside of Japan as of yet. The next major Wangan Midnight racing game was originally announced and tested early on in 2025 as Speed Ignition, but more recently it has been brought back under the wing of the Maximum Tune series, after some players believed it made too many changes and gave feedback accordingly. Bandai Namco have been beavering away on adjustments in response to that ever since then, and following an early glimpse at some of them last November through Japan’s Amusement Expo, this is the first chance for many to get a better flavor of how the game should look when it finally releases in the coming months.

In terms of the changes, they are both on the hardware and software side; the cabinet, whilst using mostly the same design as before, has now got more of a dash of red, keeping it in line with the Maximum Tune series. The key artwork used in the marquee has also seen a few tweaks, with it looking darker than before (again in keeping with MT’s aesthetic better). As well as that, according to players’ reports on the gameplay, the handling model is now similarly closer to previous entries in the series again; you can find numerous posts praising it now. What hasn’t changed though are the vastly improved game graphics and enhanced audio-visual experience that the cabinet brings, the former of which can be seen in this footage:

Overall, the game is looking very fine, and the anticipation for it is only growing now. Whether and when that will be paid off outside of Japan is a whole other matter – we have mentioned before how there has already been an announcement that Maximum Tune Ignition is coming to China, but exactly when remains unclear, and the word we received a few years ago from Bandai Namco about their intent to launch the next entry in the series in as many territories as possible has been repeated numerous times now. We will just have to wait and see how that all shakes out, but until then, there’s either MT5DX+ cabinets out there in select locations, or Dead Heat Unleashed.

Resident Evil 2: Arcade

Next, a game that surprised us all when we first discovered it had quietly turned up on test in the UK during the summer of 2025, and then went to the US not long after. March was when Japan finally had the opportunity to get their hands on Resident Evil 2: Arcade (known over there as Biohazard RE:2: Arcade), and now they have got a second bite at the zombie (so to speak) as it receives another round of tests this weekend. The initial tests over here only had two out of five stages available to try, but the belated Japanese appearances have notably had the benefit of a newer software build, meaning that the full playthroughs we got last year from the earlier tests are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the game’s content.

Unfortunately, Bandai Namco have been keeping a tighter leash on photos and videos in Japan (which they had problems with in the West – signs were put up forbidding it here too, but only after information had got out about the test online), so we still have few close looks at how those further three stages shake out. However, thanks to a few photos that have surfaced from the two test locations (one is at a Taito Station, the other a Round1), one interesting new detail now revealed is that as well as the new levels, there is also a choice of two modes available: Story (with unlimited ammo) and Survival (only limited). Whether this is a Japan-exclusive feature remains to be seen, but it seemingly wasn’t there on the earlier Western tests. I like the idea, which is similar to what Taito did with Dariusburst Another Chronicle and their unlimited lives mode (it cost more and wouldn’t save your score):

Once again, should all go according to plan, this is set to hit Japan, Europe and North America in late 2026; failing that, early 2027. It’s much more of a certainty that this will soon release overseas than Maximum Tune Ignition, meaning there’s a high probability that it will appear at IAAPA 2026 (and Japan’s Amusement Expo that same month). That show is still a ways off from now, but should it be there in November, we will be sure to have plenty of Resident Evil 2: Arcade coverage.

Jubeat

As a bonus, a quick mention of another recent test out in Japan that we neglected to mention on the blog, but has had some attention out there since late April. After revamping Gitadora and Pop’n Music in recent times, Konami have now taken to giving another of their mainstay rhythm games a refresh, as Jubeat, the cuboid Bemani title, is returning to prominence with a new cabinet. Interestingly this did already receive one courtesy of Wahlap (which retooled a design originally seen at JAEPO 2020) just last year, but for Japan, Konami are cooking up a completely new machine, as can be seen from the below photo:

However, as noted on our Twitter/X account, this design could use some work. What’s clear here is that Konami have tried to solve an issue with the game’s screen – the specific vertical one seen in the older cabinets is no longer usable, which introduces the problem of changing the button sizes. That risks alienating long-time players, and to get around this, they have elected to instead use a landscape screen… but this looks very strange and somewhat incomplete. It would possibly be better if they could cover up the parts that inevitably stick out due to its orientation (maybe turning them into being sort of light display that is flush with the button grid, so that they aren’t wasted).

It also doesn’t help that through the addition of the big LED cube and a second sub-screen, there is a whopping three displays (sure to bring both the price and power consumption up), although that’s hardly a surprise from Konami these days. This is also likely a problem with Bandai Namco’s titles as well… although they have at least openly stated they are trying to find the most cost-efficient routes with Maximum Tune Ignition. It’s a lot harder now to navigate this side of things against the grain of inflation, which is where Bamco suggesting that they are looking to tame the issue is more reassuring than Konami still going ham. But should a overseas release happen for either, there will be challenges in making them affordable.

Also of note, AVATAR LEGENDS: The Fighting Game has been on test on exA-Arcadia. I haven’t seen a lot of feedback on that one, but what I have come across has been positive. It’s also had strong pre-orders out West, so assuming that holds, that will be a strong release this Summer.

Enough of the worries about being priced out on arcade games though – what do you think of Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune Ignition and Resident Evil 2: Arcade (and Jubeat) from these latest location tests? Would you like to see them at a location near you?