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Video amusement strikes back!

Video amusement game offerings are emerging from both established and new players on different continents.

Image provided by iStock.

December 20, 2021 by Kevin Williams

New video amusement game offerings began to percolate to the surface in the build-up to amusement and attraction trade events, promising an exciting year ahead.

New operation exA-Arcadia recently signed an agreement with developer SNK towards seeing the "Samurai Shodown" brand reappear in the amusement scene. Made famous in 1993, the property was one of the influential titles on the ground-breaking SNK NeoGeo MVS platform. The new partnership will see the 10th game in the series, "Samurai Shodown V Perfect," coming to the exA-Arcadia amusement architecture for 2022.

The platform saw its first appearance to the North American amusement trade during Amusement Expo in June, and it was recently revealed that one of the first U.S. operators to deploy the system in numbers will be Japanese owned Round 1. The entertainment facility chain will be deploying several of the exA-Arcadia systems in its existing Taito "Vewlix" cabinets, and several upright systems including a selection of the 16 games currently available on the hardware platform.

The City of Industry, California location will be the first to see this installation with others to follow. Along with its Japanese rollout, exA-Arcadia has seen units placed in the West, but the deal with Round 1 will mark a pivotal point. The system offers a new lease of life to the perennial favorite of video brawlers and shooters in an effective package.

New gun game from Electrocoin

Another announcement was revealed by Arcade Heroes, namely that U.K.-based amusement distributor Electrocoin will now be selling a new shooting game. This version, wholly developed by Electrocoin and its partners, will incorporate recoiling target pistols for an all-video shooting skill game. This wholly new version will be sold under the Skill Shooter name and will be able to connect to four cabinets for tournament play, supporting both redemption tickets and capsule prize vending for accurate scoring.

Meanwhile, the arcade street racer Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade, licensed from WAHLAP and developer Gameloft, is a four-player network racer with a 43-inch display and illuminated premium cabinet with the game comprising four different game modes and 20 licensed supercars.

LAI Games has signed an exclusive agreement to represent the racer in the Americas and Europe. The original mobile game, developed by Gameloft, saw some 1 billion downloads after being released in 2018. With the new arcade racer, LAI Games is looking towards the popularity of this game to drive interest from operators.

Retro drive in overdrive

The retro drive for amusement properties continues with the zeitgeist. The appearance of classic "retro" amusement being licensed into popular media has never been stronger.

Recent examples of the deployment of classic arcade properties have seen Peacock TV launching a game show based on the Konami classic 1980s title "Frogger," offering actual recreations of the hazards from the video game in real life for contestants to attempt to navigate to win prizes. The program aims to be streamed and building heavily on the nostalgia dividend that many are feeding off — classic video gaming.

There is a need to feed off the existing nostalgia and also to grow new followers.

The manufacturer of the popular rec-room arcade machine recreations, Arcade1Up, announced a new range of products. Called Arcade1Up-Junior, they include recreations of classic gaming for very young players to adorn their bedrooms, growing a new audience for these properties.

Speaking of the diversification of amusement in business, it was reported that a new company had thrown its hat into the ring. Namely, Peanuts Club Co. Ltd., an online entertainment company, launched its Gachi — Online Crane Game.

Entering the crowded water of the online skill-game scene in Japan which already has platforms from Netch, Taito, Genda and others, this latest smartphone and online app allows players to remotely control Japanese UFO machines with other game machines planned to be added.

The Japanese amusement audience, bereft of their favorite pastime, has been turning to the online gaming alternative — another reflection of the impact of COVID on the entertainment scene and the new business that has evolved.

(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.)

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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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