YESTERcades announced on Jan. 2 that it will open its third arcade this spring in Westfield, N.J., according to the website TapInto.net. YESTERcades, which has two other New Jersey locations in Red Bank and Somerville, offers arcade video games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders and NBA Jam, as well as classic pinball machines. They also have classic and modern gaming consoles – from the Atari 2600 to Nintendo’s Wii U. “Whether you want to relive your teenage years popping quarters into machines for hours upon hours at your local arcade, or you just want a classic gaming experience in a…
Author: Casey Minter
Apex Entertainment, the two-story, 80,000-square-foot FEC billing itself as New England’s largest, opened just before Christmas with limited attractions, according to the Worcester Business Journal. The Marlborough, Mass., entertainment center features a bowling alley, arcade, laser tag and sports simulators. The company plans on opening its go karts, a ropes course and bumper cars by the end of January. It also has a full-service restaurant, Pit Stop Tavern, that should be open by that time as well. The FEC will max out at about 200 employees, and is the primary tenant in the brand new Apex Center of New England,…
The upcoming EAG International expo in London (Jan. 16-18) will see LAI’s newly-minted Virtual Rabbids: The Big Ride game, which the factory calls a “fully-functioning, attendant-free VR ride that operates like a traditional coin-op game.” The ride, which previewed at the IAAPA Expo, is still in its location-test phase here in the States pending official production rollout. Also on display from LAI at EAG will be the AMOA Innovator Award-winning Let’s Bounce redemption game. LAI will show its wares in the Harry Levy Stand, booth #600.
The Jukebox License Office (JLO) has set its latest rates for 2018 licenses covering CD and vinyl phonographs. Despite the dominance of digital Jukeboxes, many industry members still have a few older machines on their routes. AMOA members, as well as nonmember companies, will pay $495 for their first license. After that, however, AMOA members save on subsequent licenses by paying only $84 for each additional machine; nonmembers pay $114. Despite the fact that there are far fewer CD jukes than years back (and vinyl jukeboxes have to be nearly nonexistent on routes!), it’s just another perk of being a…
Toppers at the AMOA and AAMA will be broadening the definition of fun at the March Amusement Expo International, welcoming VR entertainment ecosystems as a new potential area of growth. Companies representing some of the most innovative out-of-home entertainment will dot the show floor, as always, but this year a “VR Pavilion” will house some new faces in the rapidly-developing virtual reality market. In the past, Expo leaders have successfully targeted similar markets like laser tag and bulk vending, effectively growing the impact and reach of this spring trade show. Now, they hope to do the same with VR. The…
Stern Pinball has its eyes on the Japanese market, announcing a partnership with Hot Toys Japan Co., as the exclusive importer and distributor of Stern pinball machines in that country. Hot Toys Japan has a history of selling licensed products, and began a relationship with Stern by distributing its newest title, Guardians of the Galaxy, along with other new titles. “We selected Hot Toys Japan as our exclusive importer and distributor because of their established success with related businesses, financial strength, knowledge of our industry, and passion for Stern Pinball products,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO. Hot Toys Japan…
Bay Tek Games recently announced the acquisition of a Bay Area-based licensing and branding firm called Dimensional Branding Group (DBG). Bay Tek toppers look at the acquisition as a way to develop beyond solely designing and manufacturing amusement games, and move more toward a “multi-platform entertainment company. “With DBG now in house, we will be able to greatly expand their customer base and servicing capabilities,” said Larry Treankler, Bay Tek’s chairman. “In addition, the expertise of the DBG team will be of tremendous value as we create new brands, products and content and extend our company’s reach to a broader…
In November of last year, the Timezone Group (run by the famed Steinberg family) partnered with Quadrant Private Equity to create The Entertainment and Education Group (TEEG) and accelerate its growth in the family entertainment business. A recent acquisition of Ardent Leisure’s Bowling and Entertainment (B&E) Division – in a $160-million deal – has done just that in a major way. The transaction unites the businesses of Timezone, AMF, Kingpin and Playtime to form one of the world’s largest FEC groups. (TEEG operates across six countries with over 250 locations.) TEEG says its strategy is to invest significant capital across…
Tony Maniscalco celebrated the close of 2017 by taking a position as senior sales director at Andamiro USA, the company where his brother, Drew Maniscalco (president of sales), has been a fixture for years. With nearly 27 years of experience in the industry, Tony will be responsible for expanding the firm’s sales across North America. “I’ve known Tony for a long time,” joked Drew Maniscalco. “While Tony left the industry, he never left the friends he made in the coin-op business and maintained contact with many of them over the years. His return to the amusement industry and his joining…
Some things never get old, and collaborators UNIS and Calinfer realized that thanks to the massive reception their PONG Table received at IAAPA this year! The two companies are now eyeing the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as the next event to make an impact at. CES, held Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas, is the biggest consumer tech event of the year, bringing thousands to Sin City for days of the most innovative tech presentations. On top of inspired, nostalgic appeal, the PONG Table is innovative indeed. Taking the classic ball-and-paddle idea of the original game, Calinfer and UNIS transformed pixels…