The Fun Factory at Florida Mall in Orlando was once again selected as a Readers’ Choice “Best of the Best 2026” in the Family Entertainment category by Orlando Family Magazine. Fun Factory offers indoor carnival rides, carnival games, video games, redemption machines, cranes and more. They also initiated an Honor Roll program 20 years ago “as a way to motivate and recognize our youth and their efforts to achieving academic excellence.”
Author: Matt Harding
The Willamette Week recently reported that, for the first time in 100 years, business owners in Portland, Oregon, will no longer need a special permit to operate a pinball machine or pool table. The policy is slated to sunset next month following the Oct. 14 passage of code changes proposed by City Councilor Steve Novick. Currently, around 200 Portland businesses pay anywhere from $50-$1,000 for an annual permit to operate the games. “It’s understood many establishments skirt this particular law, but for some, like pool halls and arcades – with the machines in their business model – this is more…
AMOA’s On the Road Program was in Chicago this week from Oct. 28-29 and their Day 1 stop was at the Stern Pinball factory. More than 50 attendees heard from the company’s chairman, Gary Stern, Alex Eddy (director of consumer sales), Roper Fuentes (director of commercial sales) and Michael Grant (director of global entertainment). They gave a presentation on “all the innovative technology that Stern Pinball creates to enrich routes and put more money in an operator’s cash box.” Among the topics were Insider Connected/Insider Connected Pro, the Stern Army and their catalog of new releases like Pokémon and Fallout.
From Nov. 17-20 at IAAPA Expo, SEGA Amusements will be in booths S4602 and S4803 with their latest and greatest games, including the attraction House of the Dead Reawakened, which debuts just ahead of the original game’s 30th anniversary. (Be sure to check your mailboxes in the next few days for your November issue of RePlay, where this SEGA game is on the cover.) The 2-player, attendant-free horror attractions “brings the terror to life in a chilling, theme park-inspired manor cabinet.” “We’re proud to bring this quintessential horror game back to arcades in our most impressive build to date,” said…
Quality Plush, which was purchased several months ago by Pipeline Games, is now back online with a new website. You can see it at www.qualityplush.com. The company has a special shop launch offer through Nov. 8, where buyers can get up to $300 in savings for bulk orders. “Have you noticed that most generic mixes out there are starting to look like Grandma’s quilt?” said Quality Plush CMO Jay Willingham. “We want our plush to look and feel like the stuffed animals people would buy in a store. Our new pricing makes that quality more affordable for operators.” Added Quality…
Redemption Plush recently brought aboard Derek Lovato as their vice president of sales and business development. He brings nearly three decades of experience across the amusement, attractions, entertainment and hospitality industries. “Derek brings a rare combination of industry knowledge, leadership and relationships built over nearly three decades,” said CEO Michael Nowak. “He understands this business from the ground up, and what stands out is his ability to connect people, recognize opportunities and turn ideas into results. His experience and perspective will be instrumental as we continue to expand our reach and strengthen our position in the industry.” Lovato has held…
The Big Buck World Championship XIX winner is Kattey “Buckle Bunny” Pass from St. Petersburg, Florida. She was crowned Oct. 24 at Milwaukee’s Turner Hall Ballroom as the first-ever woman to win the BuckFest tourney. She also took home $30,000 – $25,000 as the world champ and $5,000 from the Ladies Division. Second place, with a cash prize of $12,500, went to Maxx Van Hoomissen of Vancouver, Washington; third place and $10,000 to Derek King of Atlanta; and fourth place and $7,500 to Jamie Rundall of St. Cloud, Minnesota. In the Ladies Division, second place and $5,000 went to Lauren…
The VR Collective recently reported that Sandbox VR has opened its first New York City venue, which is the company’s 100th location overall. (The VR Collective previously reported on its 10-year lease at the Midtown Manhattan location.) “Times Square is where the world comes together, so it is the perfect home for the most social VR experience in the world,” said Carolyne Chan, co-owner of JLG Ventures, a group that invests in and operates hospitality and entertainment brands. She added that they plan “more locations across New York City.” The Times Square location has six private VR rooms, each holding…
Pixel Plush recently touted that their Pals collection (with characters Byte the Bunny, Pixel the Panda, Digit the Dog and Flash the Fox) has been popping up on eBay and is listed at higher prices than Pokémon’s 30th anniversary Pikachu pixelated plush. “We’re as surprised by the Pals success as anyone,” said Dave Schwartz, the director of sales at Pixel Plush. “That is until I received word our Pals are offered on eBay for more than 30th anniversary Pikachu. Pokémon released their commemorative pixeled Pikachu to retail earlier this year.” He added: “Lack of trademark enforcement, combined with restrictions on…
Sacoa Cashless System, in collaboration with Schwab Spielautomaten AG, now has its technology at the Bowling by ARENA attraction at ARENA Cinemas in Basel, Switzerland. The venue features Switzerland’s first HyperBowling center along with arcade games, pinball, air hockey and other attractions. The installation included 35 Spark RFID readers, a K4 Kiosk a POS terminal and RFID PlayCards, all of which allow guests to purchase, recharge and use their cards throughout the arcade. Visit www.sacoacard.com for more.