During IAAPA in November, Namco USA Inc. (NUSA) announced it would be greatly expanding its amusement operations in North America under the iconic brand name PAC-MAN. NUSA’s parent company, Bandai Namco Group, said it is committed to expansion in three key global markets over the next 10 years: China, India and North America. Directly managed locations by NUSA will continue to develop, scale and expand, with locations like Pac-Man Zone, Pac-Man Café and Pac-Man Entertainment continuing to pop up nationwide. President and CEO, Kiyoshi Saito, stated, “Over the past few months, we have evolved our full-scale restaurant and entertainment center…
Author: Casey Minter
The leaders in the digital jukebox world have again crunched the numbers to come up with their top artists, songs and genres of the past year. How do they compare with your locations and personal faves? TouchTunes’ 2018 Music Charts With millions of plays and preferences at their fingertips, the data lovers at TouchTunes have continued their annual tradition of releasing the top songs, artists and albums that their customers loved this year. Country still dominates the jukebox with Chris Stapleton taking the #1 spot as TouchTunes’ top-played artist of the year. Stapleton’s hit, Tennessee Whiskey, ranked as the top…
Salt Lake arcade operator Adam Pratt ran the following tantalizing item in his recent Arcade Heroes blog: “I have heard through the grapevine that many locations are moving a lot of cards, with those cards becoming hot items on the eBay trading market. I spoke to a rep at Raw Thrills who said they have extensive plans for a new card series that will go beyond the Series 2 card set to launch in 2019.” Hmmmm! In case you don’t quite get it yet, this is in reference to Raw Thrills’ Injustice game, which Pratt recently wrote about while discussing other news…
The American Amusement Machine Charitable Foundation (AAMCF) gathered a whopping $141,000 through an ad journal and other contributions during, and just after, its recent Gala meeting in Chicagoland. (Pictured is Larry Treankler, AAMA’s honoree this year.) The donations are parceled out mostly to kid charities like the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (reportedly, the CMN network treats one in every ten North American kids each year). The AAMCF also helps support KEEN USA (which stands for Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) and the Sunrise Day Camps for youngsters suffering with cancer. Around 1,400 kids attend the eight Sunrise camps which are located…
The pros at Amusement Products debuted a brand-new way to go-kart at this year’s IAAPA show: Power Up Karting. By using color-changing tiles embedded in the go-kart track, players can now earn “powers” that alter their car and those of their competitors. Much like running over power ups in video games, some tiles give the driver’s car a boost, while others slow the other cars, increasing the chances of winning the race. Additionally, the tiles can be used to create speed zones, obstacle courses and more, creating an even more interactive and immersive experience. Powers include “Boosts” that will increase the…
Pinheads Entertainment Center, one of Indiana’s leading bowling entertainment centers, continues to add to their already diverse array of attractions and offerings for their customers. Over the last 10 months, Pinheads has gone through another major renovation. They have added an all new party space, a luxury arcade bar, 4D theatre experience with XD Dark Ride and 4,500+ square feet of arcade space with the help of Shaffer Distributing. The arcade now has over 75 games for both adults and kids alike and even has an adult party room inside. Pinheads Entertainment Center specializes in everything from family entertainment to…
One Up Arcade Bar recently celebrated its grand opening in the Broad Ripple neighborhood of Indianapolis, according to Fox 59. The bar is arcade focused, with numerous classics available to play, including Multipede, NBA Jam, Donkey Kong and Asteroids (a full list is available at www.oneuparcadebar.com). Owners Michael Martinez and Matthew Smith have a combined 20 years of experience in the restaurant and customer service industry and a lifelong passion for all types of video games. “I always wanted to own a comic book store or arcade or something video game related and Matt had the idea to own a…
New Jersey’s Assembly Labor Committee is considering an increase to the minimum wage today (Dec. 10). The bill would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour for most businesses by 2024. These increases would come incrementally if passed, rising to $9.50 in 2019, $11 in 2020 and then up $1.15 on Jan. 1 of each following year (from 2021 to 2024). Additionally, further increases would be tied to the Consumer Price Index, which is current law. For small businesses, farm workers under the age of 18 and seasonal workers, a different schedule of raises would be in effect.…
It was the former home of a DMV and Tax Collector’s Office site. Now, it’s an entertainment center. Laser Ops Extreme Gaming Arcade, a 24,000-square-foot facility with “something for everyone,” recently opened in Tampa, Fla., according to the Tampa Bay Times. It was originally slated to open in just that old DMV site, but 15,000 square feet of adjacent space became available and the owner decided to expand the plan. Laser Ops offers an 8,000-square-foot tactical laser tag arena, bazooka ball, indoor archery tag, a 55-game arcade, Hologate virtual reality, as well as a bar and grill.
Free Play, a new arcade bar near the bustling University of Southern California, opened its doors in late October, according to Time Out L.A. While playing the games isn’t actually free, despite the location’s name, the nostalgia factor makes it worthwhile with classics like Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Street Fighter Alpha and Star Trek pinball. The 200-seat restaurant-bar, serving up fried chicken wings, tri-tip nachos and gourmet burgers, is located on the second floor of Exposition Park’s new food hall, The Fields LA. Next door? The Coliseum, current home of the Los Angeles Rams and permanent home of the USC Trojans.…