Atari’s co-founder Ted Dabney (second from left) with former Atari techies Dan Corona, Larry Baks and Marty James at a company party in 2012.Ted Dabney, who with the more famous Nolan Bushnell, founded a tiny electronics company called Syzygy (soon renamed Atari) back in 1972, has died at the age of 81. The two youngsters had previously partnered to program Computer Space. . . the very first coin-operated video game ever brought to market. It was produced at a Northern California trivia game maker called Nutting Associates after its owner Bill Nutting. At Atari, Ted played his part, along with…

The prominent pinball pro Doug Skor has found a new home at Stern Pinball, the company announcing today (May 29) that Skor will take up the job of Director of Export Sales. Reporting to Chief Revenue Officer John Buscaglia, he will work alongside CEO Gary Stern to service and grow export markets. Skor comes to Stern with a long background of pin experience, including his most recent gig as VP of Chicago Gaming Company. Previously he’s served as VP of the Skor family-owned distributor World Wide Distributing, President of Deutsche Wurlitzer USA and VP of EDC Gaming. With a combined…

“At long last,” proclaims the Tucson Foodie, “Tucson will soon have its first bar arcade.” A partnership between co-owners Ariel Bracamonte, Chuckie Duff and restaurant group Genuine Concepts, Cobra Arcade Bar will open in late May or early June. The 5,000-square-foot location may be the first in Tucson, but it’s the second under that name (the other is in the Arizona capital Phoenix). Bracamonte has a personal collection of about 300 games and will bring about 50 to Tucson’s Cobra Arcade Bar. The most popular games will stay, while a few will be rotated in and out every month. Among…

Incredible Technologies’ Golden Tee 2018 World Championship is headed to Vegas’ Orleans hotel and casino from June 8-10, and a lot more than pride and bragging rights are on the line this year: $100,000 more to be exact! After months of competition on interconnected Golden Tee’s nationwide, 63 players out of a field of 64 have already been selected to compete at this tourney. The final qualifying spot will be determined by the winner of a special Closest to the Pin contest scheduled for Friday, June 8. This Championship qualifying took place throughout the months of February, March and April…

The Pinball Expo is ready and rearing for a reboot this year, and that process has already begun! A new organizational structure is in place and has been on-location in Wheeling, Ill., making arrangements for the big event. Attention was also given to producing and releasing new website that will be launched this coming Friday (May 25). The Expo team has also welcomed two new members Jeff Ohler, a long-time pin collector and YouTuber under the moniker Arcade Hollywood, and Roger Sharpe, the man who hardly needs an introduction! Keep an eye out for the show’s new website coming Friday.

The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, N.Y., recently acquired a collection of tens of thousands of pages of archival materials documenting the history of three of the most important American coin-op game and pinball manufacturers of the 20th century — Bally, Williams and Midway. The records span nearly seven decades and document the manufacturing, engineering, and design of hundreds of pinball machines and other coin-operated games. “Bally and Williams in particular are integral to the story of American pinball, and along with Gottlieb, they are to the pinball industry what Ford, General Motors and Chrysler were to the American…

Raw Thrills, in collaboration with Play Mechanix and 343 Industries, is about to introduce a new arcade game based on the wildly-popular Halo series, an Xbox exclusive franchise. Called Halo: Fireteam Raven, it’s a four-player shooter where people join in the events of the original Halo storyline from an all new perspective, assisting the titular character Master Chief defeat a horde of alien forces. According to the company, players will have access to an arsenal of weapons from the Halo universe, all within a 4K world generated on Play Mechanix’ NexaGen arcade game engine. The environmental cabinet, which is always…

West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo, N.D. is getting some new tenants this summer, including Game On, an arcade with a planned opening date of June 1, according to the Grand Forks Herald. It will feature “the latest in themed video games, innovative redemption games, self-merchandisers and more.” One of the arcade’s owners, former AMOA President Rick LaFleur of IF LaFleur and Sons, told the Herald that the arcade will operate on a stored value card system where players will be able to accumulate points on multiple games with one card. Points can be redeemed for prizes through an automated…

About 40 attendees filled a small conference room at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas this morning for the beginning of the second annual Future of Immersive Leisure conference (FOIL). With a laser focus on the future of entertainment, show organizer Kevin Williams kicked off the event with a quick rundown of what the show’s goals are, highlighting the expansive field of products, strategies and technologies that are reshaping the way people around the world enjoy themselves outside their homes. “VR is just one of the many components we see driving immersive entertainment,” Williams said. “Gamification throughout the entertainment sector…

Last Sunday (May 13), Brady Distributing patriarch Jon P. was admitted to the hospital after suffering what looked a heart attack, but which turned out to be a complication from the diabetes he’s had for many years. After being admitted, he came around a bit, but then fell while getting out of bed, fracturing his skull. He was moved to the Neurosurgery ICU at Carolinas Medical Center where his son, Jon W. Brady of Player One, said his dad was placed on a ventilator after suffering two strokes. Gratefully, he has since improved enough to have the ventilator removed. Young…