The North Carolina arcade bar chain Boxcar, with existing locations in Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro, will soon have a venue in Winston-Salem, WFMY reported. While an opening date has not yet been announced, more information is expected soon on the company’s website and they’re currently in the process of hiring staff. You can also click here to subscribe for updates. Learn more about the business in general at www.theboxcarbar.com.
Author: Matt Harding
An IAAPA networking experience will be held on May 6 from 6-8:30 p.m. in Orlando. Click here to register. (Members pay $49 and non-members pay $99.) “Whether you’re looking to exchange ideas with industry peers, or connect face-to-face with the IAAPA team, this is your evening,” the organizers wrote. There will also be a special guest announcement featuring executive leadership from the Orlando Magic. Learn more at: www.iaapa.org/event/iaapa-meetup-iaapa-hq.
An arcade game and pinball machine designer with 38 U.S. patents in amusements, bowling systems and casino games, Larry DeMar was one of the recent additions into the Amusement Industry Hall of Fame. Among his video game co-designs were Defender, Stargate, Robotron: 2084 and Blaster. In 1984, he collaborated with Barry Oursler and Joe Kaminkow on Space Shuttle, a pinball game credited with keeping the doors at Williams open and helping launch a resurgence of the pinball industry. By 1986, he moved into pinball full-time at Williams/Bally, serving as the director of pinball engineering and director of slot machine design.…
HTC VIVE recently joined the founding board of directors of LEXRA, which supports the location-based entertainment XR industry. Dave Myers, the senior director of sales engineering at the company, will represent HTC VIVE on the board. “XR is an important part of our work at HTC VIVE, and I’m honored to join the LEXRA board in support of the operators driving this industry forward,” Myers said. “LEXRA provides a direct connection between venue owners and the expertise they need to get up and running, avoid preventable issues, and build more resilient operations. Supporting operator success benefits the broader ecosystem.” HTC…
FEC University Network will host their FUN Conference 2026 at Loveland Laser Tag Fun Center in Loveland, Colorado, from May 11-13. Join Laserforce’s business development officer Chris Epstein, keynote speaker and founder of Fritz’s Adventure Matt Engram, and others to be a part of the “collaborative environment designed for sharing real-world successes, lessons and big ideas.” Click here to register. The cost is $150 per attendee. In addition to the knowledge gained, each will receive a free pass to IAAPA Expo 2026, too. Visit www.fecfun.com for details.
ComicBook.com recently published a Top 10 list of the best arcade shooters from the 1980s, ranked based on reviews upon release, how much fun they were to play and their overall impact on the genre. In the top slot, they put Galaga, followed by Space Harrier and Commando. Rounding out the list were Star Wars, Moon Patrol, Missile Command, Robotron: 1984 (co-designed by recent Amusement Industry Hall of Famer Larry DeMar), Contra, Centipede and Tempest. Which of your favorites wasn’t on the list?
Meow Wolf, the immersive entertainment company, has announced Matthew Henick will be their CEO, effective April 27. The company is preparing to open their largest and most ambitious exhibition in Los Angeles later this year and another in New York City in late 2027. “Matthew brings a remarkable combination of media, technology and immersive experience leadership at exactly the right moment for Meow Wolf,” said Christopher Sobecki, chair of the board. “With the company expanding both its geographic footprint as well as its new media presence beyond the four walls, the board is confident he is the right leader to…
Registration is now open for IAAPA Expo Asia, which will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 9-12. There will be more than 300 exhibitors and 20-plus education events are scheduled. With a theme of “Pursue the Wonder,” the event will feature keynote speaker Su Zhigang, founder and chairman of Chimelong Group. He was inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame in 2025, becoming the first Chinese industry leader in the group. A Women’s Leadership Luncheon is also scheduled and is expected to feature Jeanette Chen of LEGOLAND Shanghai Resort, Lena Lee of Resorts World…
CinemaCon 2026 is next week, April 14-15 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and Sacoa Cashless System will be among the companies exhibiting. They’ll be in booth #938J. The company will have their K5 Kiosk on display and will also be giving demos of KwikPay and their upgraded Redemption & Prize Management Solutions. Sacoa also recently partnered with VenueSumo to expand its presence in Australia, “supporting the operational growth of iPlay Australia as the brand opens its first new FEC of 2026 in Sydney.” The new location is equipped with more than 200 Spark readers, three POS stations and a…
Yoshihisa Kishimoto, the creator of the beat ‘em up arcade Double Dragon (1987) and many others, died on April 2 at age 64, according to IGN. His son reported the sad news on Facebook. While he later made games for PlayStation and other home platforms, Kishimoto got his start in arcades. He made Cobra Command (1984), which was known as Thunder Storm in Japan. The game was released in the U.S. by Data East. Some of his other arcade games included Renegade (1986), Super Dodge Ball (1987), Blockout (1989) and WWF Wrestlefest (1991).