Commentary
Bowling entertainment enters a new era
The deployment of secondary entertainment elements in bowling entertainment centers is set to appeal to Generation Z returning to the facilities.
September 11, 2023 by Kevin Williams
Competitive socializing is a dominant factor in the new style bowling entertainment venue.
The traditional bowling real estate is being superseded by deployment in what the industry likes to call "boutique venues." The social entertainment explosion has embraced "boutique bowling" and the high socializing value of this application.
A story from Japan reveals the state of entertainment of much of the traditional bowling sector.
Kushikino Golden Bowl in Ichikikushikino City, Kagoshima Prefecture, will close after 51 years of operation. The reason for the closure is the dilapidation of the site and neglect from the building owner — and not unpopularity with the bowling and amusement venue, that sees, on some occasions, five-hour waits for one of the 16 lanes.
While the bowling operation will be shuttering, the facility operator is forced to close but intends to move its amusement hall to a new site down the road.
Much of the Japanese amusement scene is under pressure, as building owners capitalize on high building prices and a need to modernize — leading to popular entertainment venues closing due to landlord pressures. These pressures are forcing the Japanese amusement and entertainment market to evolve.
A new era unfolds
Globally speaking, bowling equipment manufacturers are exploring the use of immersive technology leveraging mixed reality projection systems with tracked game content integrated directly onto the lanes. The deployment of secondary entertainment elements is set to appeal to Generation Z returning to the facilities.
QubicaAMF Worldwide, the Richmond, Virginia and Bologna, Italy based bowling equipment maker, under the slogan "Vivid, Immersive, Amazing," has introduced its "NeoVerse" and "HyperBowl" platforms including a massive video wall and kiosk support of the bowling experience.
Brunswick, the Muskegon, Michigan based bowling equipment manufacturer, has introduced its Spark mixed reality bowling on-lane immersive interactive scoring technology.
Spark's energy begins at the scoring tablet and flows through the settee area down the lane to the pins and surrounds the bowler in engaging graphics. Such engaging games encourage socialization while letting bowlers choose their own adventures.
US Bowling Corp., a Chino, California based manufacturer and distributor of bowling centers, features a pin deck lighting system that can produce more than 15 million colors and special effects to enhance the guest experience while maintaining the integrity of league bowling in white mode. A user console controls the effects to create a versatile LED lighting environment.
Sega Amusements International Ltd. recently signed a distribution agreement with 501 Entertainment, an Aylesford, U.K. based provider of social entertainment technology, to introduce yet another concept to the changing bowling landscape with 501 Entertainment's "Smart Darts Interactive" — a social entertainment element seen at many of the new boutique bowling venues.
Smarts Darts Interactive delivers a pub darts experience with steel-tipped darts and video game components. The commercial grade physical dartboard delivers automatic scoring and projects graphics on a TV screen.
Inowize, the Romania based immersive enclosure provider, has introduced its QBIX platform, a six-player game in a 13-square-foot space with 5D effects like a motion floor and wind blasts at its first two U.S. sites in Texas and New York, as well as its first U.K. installation in London at the All Star Lanes White City site and boutique bowling facility.
TouchMagix Media Pvt. Ltd., a Pune, India based mixed reality developer, has introduced its projection-based "MagixLanes" AR bowling lane technology represented through a partnership with Brunswick with the "Brunswick Spark" platform. Building on TouchMagix's video projection mapping and tracking skills, the company also revealed the launch of "MagixPool" — an AR pool.
FECs come on board
The market has also seen increased deployment in family entertainment venues. Some observers have coined the phrase "hybrid" to reflect what most call "mixed-use-entertainment" combining boutique and entertainment styles of deployment in one venue. These developments have seriously impeded the traditional, league-style, bowling business.
Bowling and food entertainment chain Pinstripes, based in Northbrook, Illinois, recently announced plans to go public on the New York Stock Exchange following its merger with SPAC Banyan Acquisition Corp. This deal now sees Pinstripes and its 13 locations valued at $520 million — and was undertaken with the express plan to take the operation public as soon as possible. The acquisition also saw equity investment of some $20 million from Middleton Partners.
This is all part of a move to be associated with the growing "eatertainment" facility trend to establish an IPO, charted in recent years — and this chain focused on its boutique bowling core.
The secondary entertainment offerings now support the modern bowling sector in transition from its legacy roots.
(Editor's note: Extracts from this blog are from recent coverage in The Stinger Report, published by Spider Entertainment and its director, Kevin Williams, the leading interactive out-of-home entertainment news service covering the immersive frontier and beyond.)
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.
