Jimmy Dupree, sales top at Smart Industries, will tell you it’s happy times at the Des Moines GameWorks, and a big reason is the success of their new Ticket Ring crane. Jim says the piece is “sure to be the best game of 2019” and he shared an email that he just got which agrees. Here’s what Tim Acord at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Mich. thinks of the piece: “Smart Industries knocked it out of the park with their Ticket Time cranes and hit a grand slam with their new Ticket Ring. If anyone’s FEC doesn’t have at…
Author: Casey Minter
The California operator association’s annual Spotlight Show is going to be held on Friday, Jan. 25, at the Captain’s Arcade Showroom in Anaheim. All California operators and CEMA members are invited to attend. The address is 4411 East La Palma Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92807. The event will begin with registration starting at 8:45 in the morning followed by educational programs from 9 a.m. to noon, which include sessions by AMI, Intercard, Gamer Green, Amusement Connect and Sure Shot Redemption. There will be the also be the association’s annual meeting, a legislative update and a luncheon from noon to 1 p.m.…
VRstudios is continuing its collaboration with Dave and Buster’s with a new, exclusive VR experience for the entertainment giant. Dragonfrost, available nationwide, has players thrown into a winter fairy tale where they befriend dragons. Using D&B’s proprietary VR simulator, the game allows friends sitting side-by-side to see each other’s avatars riding dragons hundreds of feet away, adding more scope and size to the game without the need of a large area. VRstudios’ Attractions Development team has been working for more than a year on the collaboration with D&B. “We set out to create a highly engaging original title that could…
Ralph Coppola, one of coin-op’s most talented and productive game makers, passed away from a massive heart attack the morning of Dec. 28, three days after Christmas. He was 70 years of age and in otherwise good health due to his athletic lifestyle. The company he established back in 1982 in the Buffalo area to produce the original Chexx hockey table became one of the industry’s leading providers of such hits as the iconic Cyclone redemption piece and perhaps as many as 150 other games that ran from ski alleys like Ice Ball to new and inventive novelties like Waterfuls.…
ATV Slam is Sega’s newest game, set to be unveiled at EAG from Jan. 15-17 in London. The game features a custom developed motion platform and air cannons to further enhance players’ immersion, and exhilarating gameplay that pits players against each other in an all-out race. The game has three game modes, five characters, five vehicles and ten maps, all displayed on a 47” LED display. Live face detection cameras, realistic bike control system and clever “rubber-banding” makes the game fun for casual and core gamers. “ATV Slam features a sensational cabinet that will wow players in any location. Featuring…
Stern Pinball is sprinting into the new year with a big return to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 8-11. The pin pros are bringing Beatles and other new pins, and will unveil a brand-new game on the show’s opening day. “CES is one of our favorite events and the perfect place to showcase our games including the very unique Beatles pinball machine,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern. “Both tech and pinball fans alike are in for a special treat when we unveil our latest game on the first day of the show.” Interested…
TouchMagix has a new Sales Manager: Evan Kirby. The company says it wants to create additional sales efforts to benefit its customers and distributors, and chose Kirby to best represent their games. He joins TouchMagix on Jan. 19 and will work to show customers the features of the company’s unique brand of games. The 29-year-old brings experience working as a logistics specialist at CNT and as a game reviewer for Vending Times. By the way, he’s also the son of well-known industry veteran Rick Kirby. For more information on TouchMagix, go to www.touchmagix.com.
Amusement Expo International (AEI) organizers have announced the return of an entire section and educational track dedicated to the emerging LBE VR industry. Organizers say that following the tremendous response at last year’s show, they are doubling down on VR in 2019. (And the future looks bright for the tech in our business: According to figures from Greenlight Insights, the LBE VR industry is set to grow to over $8 billion by 2022, meaning heaps of opportunity for money-making in our industry and beyond.) “Amusement Expo International is the perfect venue for VR content developers and game manufacturers to cultivate…
Andamiro had a big 2018 and recently released an email detailing their successes throughout the year. As a year-end gift to operators purchasing their award-winning WWE Superstar Rumble game, the company is offering 17 boxes (150 ct) of customized player cards to operators who buy a WWE game from an authorized distributor. The company says this is a $550 value free promotion, developed by senior sales director Tony Maniscalco. Customization includes imprinting a venue’s name or unique barcode onto the cards. “Adding a barcode or venue name to player cards improves accountability, increases security and promotes a location’s brand,” Maniscalco…
“Active-tainment” is the new buzz word it seems, with a generation of health-focused spenders taking over. Best American Trampoline Parks is hoping to capitalize on that trend, and is continuing to grow its locations nationwide. The newest, a four-story, 50,000-sq.-ft. center open in Bend, Oregon, features two active entertainment options that the company hopes will appeal to its energetic, sporty community. The first floor of the new complex features a trampoline and adventure zone, with a full-scale indoor trampoline park. The second story has a pickleball zone with eight pickleball courts, a warm up area and a viewing platform for…