Commentary

Asian VR games promise exciting 2021

One of the big trends that had been seen in 2020 and is now gaining full adoption is that of the self-service upright VR kiosks, as evidenced by virtual trade events showcasing Asian game manufacturers.

Image courtesy of iStock.

March 15, 2021 by Kevin Williams

Many exciting virtual reality developments were announced at recent virtual Asian trade events, promising an exciting 2021.

The Chinese ASEAN Virtual Exhibition on Vending, Retail, Games, Amusement, Toys and Preschool Education, organized by the Guangzhou Zhihui cloud Technology Development Co., which took place during the end of January and beginning of February, was the first real adoption of a virtual conference format by a Chinese event, seeing some 95 exhibitors support the five-day event. While missed by many in the trade outside of China, this still proved a valuable event to get up to speed on the 2021 new release roster and trends from the Chinese providers.

The main push was to continue to roll out proven VR platforms. New developments include those seen from Leke VR "Flash Racing," with an update kit to its already released "VR Racing" system, featuring new courses and operator features.

Leke steps forward

One of the big trends that had been seen in 2020 and is now gaining full adoption is that of the self-service upright VR kiosk — Leke VR has its "VR Arcade Machine," claiming a library of some 100 titles.

The upright kiosk concept was also on display from other manufacturers, such as Movie Power with its "VR Agent" immersive arcade game, offering the self-service tethered headset, in a kiosk configuration.

Expanding upon the concept, Movie Power also showed its two-person "VR Shooting Experience." Concerning all these self-service VR kiosks, the manufacturers have incorporated frictionless payment capability with QR codes and swipe cards.

Longcheng Electronic had its selection of VR platforms, ranging from "VR 6 Seat Cinema" to its "VR Flying Simulator." One new addition was the "VR Skiing" platform, with the players using special controls that simulated the ability to pull on their ski poles.

Another new development was trailed by Owatch, with its "VR WOW" ride system.

More capsule prize machines

Regarding amusement, some innovation was on display. The impact of the global health crisis has been seen on vending and prize machines, and the growth in popularity of "capsule" (hygienic) vended prize machines has been charted.

Several new capsule prize machines were presented from manufacturers such as Jiuyou Animation Technology ("Crazy Capsule Toy"). Along with a line of vending, and playground (inflatables and activity systems), the ASEAN'21 virtual show was an interesting first glimpse into the Chinese market trying to embrace the online approach to ensure commerce under the current conditions.

Staying in Asia, the Japanese amusement trade had already cancelled its yearly trade event, but held a JAEPO2021 Online Business Meeting in February for the purpose of having business talks with executives in the industry. Sadly, this was an invite-only event by the 10 exhibitors who took place, reflecting the closed-door nature of the Japanese amusement trade. That said, well-placed sources collected information from each session which we will supply to our readers in coming reports.

The importance of video amusement and its iconic characters can never be underestimated. Those who attempted to write off the importance and influence of this genre are forced to eat their words.

Toy trade event goes virtual

Rather than cooling after the 2020 winter holidays, the importance of arcade IP continues as the first toy trade event in virtual format took place with Toy Fair 2021. The 17th annual trade event, previously seeing some 270 corporations on the floor, was forced to cancel the physical show and host a website for those exhibitors.

On the virtual show floor, several developers reflected on what we had reported on during our Toy Fair 2020 coverage, of using amusement IP. Exhibitors such as John Adam Leisure, a veteran toy and game developer and marketer, included a "Pac-Man The Card Game" in its range, offering a family-friendly card game based on the iconic mascot.

Also at Toy Fair 2021, Toynamics released its nanoblock range including a 150 piece "Sonic The Hedgehog" in its micro-sized building blocks. The selection of Sonic and Pacman in the branding for some products on display reflected not just movie popularity, but also the anniversary/memorabilia elements of these brands.

COVID's impact on brands

An interesting dichotomy between the 2020 event and this year was reflected in the ways the COVID business shutdown had impacted not just the need to hold the trade event as a virtual conference, but on what brands were being promoted.

One noticeable element for those regular attendees of this and the other influential toy trade exhibition will be the grip that the movie industry has on what is shown. Licensed film IP, based on new releases, is an essential for the toy factories — but Toy Fair 2021 illustrated how far the toy trade had regressed as the movie/cinema sector was shuttered, with new releases either on the shelves or appearing through VOD services with their unique market penetration.

The streaming of major blockbusters, along with the impact on revenue, the loss of advertising and cinema revenue, also means an uncontrollable market penetration so that toy brands and advertisers must totally restructure their promotion and IP affiliations.

Anniversaries to remember

2021 marks an important milestone in the video amusement industry's history, with the 50th anniversary of video arcade games — marked by the 1971 launch of the Nutting Associates "Computer Space." Though deemed at the time a failure, the game would inspire the development of the technology and would, in time, see the launch of the phenomenal success of "Pong."

While the video games industry has exploded into the popular culture of our lives, there are some other important anniversaries to mark that also show the changing landscape of amusement in general. We all have many things on our plate now, but it is important to take some time to recognize the birth of an industry that shapes all our businesses.

Two of the gaming industry's leading mascots mark important birthdays this year, with Nintendo's Mario seeing his 40th anniversary, with the launch of "Donkey Kong" in 1981. At the time referred to only as "Jumpman," the character would go on to be given his own title and even introduce a sibling.

Marking its 30th anniversary, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog saw his first appearance in "Rad Mobile" in 1991. The fortune of these two icons and corporate mascots has changed over the years. Most recently Sonic has been mixed, with the success of the movie based on the character only seen after a last minute save. Such was the popularity that it was announced that a new animated series ("Sonic Prime"), starring the titular character, would be appearing on Netflix in 2022.

Meanwhile, Lego announced a set also based on the mascot, all underlying his continued bankability. But it is Mario that has become a global megastar, so much so that he now has his own theme park, with the launch of "Super Nintendo World" also marking the icon's birthday.

Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by KWP and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)

Music & Games

About Kevin Williams

Along with advisory positions with other entrants into the market he is founder and publisher of the Stinger Report, “a-must-read” e-zine for those working or investing in the amusement, attractions and entertainment industry. He is a prolific writer and provides regular news columns for main trade publications. He also travels the globe as a keynote speaker, moderator and panelist at numerous industry conferences and events. Author of “The Out-of-Home Immersive Entertainment Frontier: Expanding Interactive Boundaries in Leisure Facilities,” the only book on this aspect of the market, with the second edition scheduled for a 2023 release.

Connect with Kevin: