Unis Broadens Market Reach With New Kiddie Rides And Value Games

New from Universal Space (Unis) is a range of amusement machines streamlined for more compact size and lower price. Thanks to expanded capacity at its new factory in Zhongshan, China, Unis is able to devote full resources to building attractions of all sizes for entertainment centers and street operations alike.

Headlining Unis's new kiddie ride line are Fire & Rescue, Cargo Express and Racing Jet. Each unit is fabricated of color-impregnated fiberglass and fitted with a full complement of bright translucent LEDs and audio-effect generators.

The three kiddie rides run onboard interactive game engines, each with a program corresponding to its theme: aircraft, train and fire truck -- all perennial favorites in the kiddie category. Cargo Express invites users to play an age-appropriate videogame, while Fire & Rescue and Racing Jet offer mechanical games with topical play action. All three rides are bill-validator-ready and ship with ticket dispensers installed.

Also new from Unis is the Value Series of arcade games, each costing less than $5,000. This line is designed for locations in which the gameroom is not the primary attraction. Unis pointed out that these venues tend to have much smaller game budgets, and less space, than redemption-specific locations. Therefore, in a market in which new mainstream redemption machines are approaching the price of a car -- $15,000 to $20,000 -- Unis strived for and attained a low-budget profile, keeping all Value Series games priced below $5,000.

"We've been looking at the market to see where there is growth, and we noticed that opportunity in ancillary areas" -- fun centers themed to other attractions such as trampoline parks, said Unis's Debbie Gonzalez. The value line is targeted to locations where coin-op may not be the primary attraction, she explained.

Value versions of some existing Unis games appear in the new line, including Ring 'Em, Toss Up, and Monkey Shakedown Jr.; Pirate's Hook and Safari Ranger also are available in prize-dispensing versions. Brand-new titles in the Value Series are Tiny Tunes, Jolly Crane, Bunny Pond, Whacky Froggy and Neon Air Hockey.

All 12 Value Series games include redemption ticket dispensers; two of the titles come with a prize-vending option. They all have a small footprint to match their modest price tags.

Founded in 1993 as Universal Space Video Game, the company is known around the world by the short form of its name, Unis. It is one of the amusement industry's largest contract manufacturers and licensors of original games; its redemption novelties, kiddie rides, prize-dispensing machines and videogames are distributed in more than 50 countries. Unis's new 427,000-sq.ft. production, R&D and business complex opened in May 2015.