Commentary

OOH video entertainment rises on multiple fronts

Classic, sports and retro arcade themes are emerging in new video games extending well beyond traditional arcades.

The Miami Dolphins introduce the Arcade1Up Game Lounge. Image courtesy of the Miami Dolphins.

April 4, 2022 by Kevin Williams

Signs continue to emerge of a renaissance in out-of-home video amusement gaming.

Konami Digital Entertainment recently surprised many observers by revealing it had started location testing at an Osaka Round1 venue on a new member of its Bemani family.

Called "Dance aRound" (that is not a typo), the game is a full body dancing game, using a large screen and player motion tracking, with a dance floor. The music game looks to be the logical evolution of the "Dance Rush: Stadium" series. The machine was also revealed to support the KDE electronic payment and competition app Paseli.

Any discussion of a Western appearance is totally premature, but there's no shortage of amusement innovation on that side of the globe.

The latest version of the Raw Thrills software includes the Chapter 3 "Volcano Battle" adventure, a free update for all 'King Kong of Skull Island' VR games. Raw Thrills reported that additional update kits will become available in 2023 and 2024.
UNIS Technology debuted its new video shooter "Elevator Action: Invasion" as well as a range of eye-catching crane machines with 'Ultra Prize' and 'Grand Prize' variants.

Competitive play is still a strong element in the e-sports world.

ICE Games, along with its extensive prize and redemption pieces, has introduced a product from a third party, Italian manufacturer Tecnoplay, with its "RaceCraft" eight-racer simulator system, featuring its "tournament mode" for facility competition, a taste of the e-sports opportunity, with prizes offered through a QR code app. This system was developed by Sandbox, but is now represented by ICE Games in North America — a first for the developers.
ICE Games introduced a joint development with Play Mechanix, with the Videmption "Ship Wreck" — a ball tossing game.
Adrenaline Amusement introduced its licensed Videmption system with "Twister" based on the Hasbro classic boardgame. The piece involves a four-player cabinet, using the iconic playing style for players to place their hands and legs on the corresponding colors, tying themselves in knots.
Continuing its boardgame licensing spree, the company introduced an enlarged, sit-on "Hungry Hippos" redemption game based on the Milton Bradley/Hasbro board game, an amusement version of the deluxe system previously seen at Dave & Buster's.
LAI Games Inc. introduced "Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade" — the Wahlap title developed by Gameloft to the U.S. The game represents one of the few big new racers in a market which is hungry for this kind of competitive and fun play.
Wahlap and game developers Gameloft and IGS launched a VR version that takes the deluxe motion seat configuration and adds a tethered HP Reverb headset — "Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade VR." The game is reminiscent of the previous VR racer created by IGS and Wahlap, "Overtake VR."
LAI Games also introduced its consumer VR creation from its Singapore studios, "Arcade Legend" — a consumer VR experience that offers players the ability to create their own virtual arcade, placing LAI game machines within a customizable virtual space. The release has been launched in the Oculus store for Quest 2, providing an example of the diverse interests from the operation.
In another example of the joint partnerships shaping the market, Boxblaster VR and Benchmark Games introduced the "VRX-perience" platform, running the game "Gold and Mace." This self-operated upright VR kiosk offers Videmption capability and is one the first of its kind in the market since Chuck E. Cheese experimented with VR redemption in 2016.
Elaut USA/Benchmark introduced a video amusement piece, "Surfin' Surfari" — a physical video game with the player navigating the surfboard they are standing on, developed in partnership with Team Play.
Elaut USA also introduced the TouchMagix line with "Mega Blaster." The new Videmption title offers an impressive cabinet, using the multiple vertically stacked 4K screens, with the player pushing the plunger on stacked TNT demolishing towers.

On the 'eatertainment' front

On the crane machine front, Elaut and U.K. distribution powerhouse United Distributing Co. recently signed an agreement that will see UDC become the exclusive distributor of the operation's range of crane machines, including the new "E-Claw" series. This will also include the recently launched "Big-E" crane machine range.

Speaking of foodservice venue related entertainment, the CEC Entertainment operation has taken steps to re-establish its "eatertainment" brand after emerging from bankruptcy, operating some 559 Chuck E. Cheese and 122 Peter Piper Pizza locations.

The reimaged Chuck E. Cheese venue includes a much brighter venue with heavy deployment of digital screens, alongside great cast member integration, and a game floor populated with the latest Videmption and amusement games. This new approach is expected to be rolled out across the remaining operation.

Wider afield, the explosion in new retro arcade operations opening in the market continued at a fast pace, and a new entrant was revealed with an extensive background in retro amusement.

Enter the NFL

Arcade1Up, owned by Tastemakers, LLC, known for its mini-retro classic arcade cabinets, has rolled out a range of shrunken recreations of the Golden Age of video amusement, under license, that consumers can populate their rec-rooms with at-home entertainment. But recently, an announcement was made that sees the consumer electronics company turning to commercial entertainment operation.

Arcade1Up announced the signing of a multi-year partnership with the Miami Dolphins which sees the creation of the first "Arcade1Up Game Lounge," a retro arcade experience populated with the latest of the company's amusement emulations.

The space is the first of its kind in an NFL stadium — offering an entertainment venue component to the location. The lounge comprises some 50 retro-amusement-recreations and will entertain the public and players alike.

It was not known if this was just a one-off installation, or the testing of a concept they intended to roll out, but this will mark the first time we have seen a consumer electronics company enter the facility operations business.

(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.)

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.

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