The U.K. bowling chain Lane7 recently launched a new concept – Gutterball Alley – in North Shields last month. According to Chronicle Live, the business occupies the former Star Bowl location in that town. While Lane7 is adults-only, the new Gutterball Alley is aimed at the family market. The new venue features 16 full-length bowling lanes, a 60-game arcade, a 9-hole mini-golf course, several ping-pong tables, batting cages, plus food and a bar. “Gutterball Alley is for the parents who dread a trip to lifeless entertainment venues that only cater for kids,” said owner Tim Wilks. “Our new venue is…
Author: Matt Harding
The esports/entertainment venue GameWorks will host a competition across all seven of their locations tomorrow, Jan. 11, featuring Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Tekken 7. The local prize pools are valued at $1,000 each ($500 per game), making the total prize pool $7,000. Players can register here for the New Year Brawl. Check-in begins at 11 a.m. local time and players can register up until 11:45 a.m. Start time is 1 p.m. GameWorks’ seven nationwide venues are in Chesapeake, Va. (Norfolk), Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis at the Mall of America, Newport, Ky., Schaumburg, Ill. (Chicago) and Seattle. Learn more at…
Stern’s latest pinball machine, based on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things, made its debut yesterday, Jan. 7, at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and it’s definitely turning heads. Wired placed it at #1 on their list, “The 10 Neatest Things We’ve Seen at CES So Far.” They wrote, “It’s a blast, featuring pinball’s first-ever projector screen that displays animations on the playfield. You’ll tell Will to run, bash a huge Demogorgon, and, of course, be treated to the ’80s synth soundtrack that fans of the hit show know and love. You might even get to take…
London’s EAG Expo is happening next week from Jan. 14-16, and Bandai Namco Amusement Europe will be among the many companies exhibiting. From Booth #620, they’ll give prospective buyers a taste of their best-performing games that are available today, plus exciting new 2020 titles. They’ll have their own, plus machines from partner companies they represent in Europe. Games will include Super Bikes 3 and Nerf Arcade from Raw Thrills, Hot Wheels: King of the Road from Adrenaline Amusements, Triotech’s Storm, The Really Big Crane Co.’s Zombie Jam basketball game, Jurassic World Island Escape from Andamiro, Apple Industries’ Marvel Adventure Lab…
Sacoa will be at Booth #736 for next week’s EAG Expo, showing off their latest developments, including the Spark reader and the Kiosk K4. The Spark is a small-footprint, 2.8” HD color reader that comes with RFID and NFC reading capability. The kiosk cabinet uses a 32” touchscreen with an intuitive interface that allows buying, reloading, detailed analysis and supports CRM integration. If you won’t be at the England show, visit them online at www.sacoacard.com.
Electrocoin, the U.K. distributor for Intercard, will be showcasing the company’s cashless technology at EAG Expo 2020 at ExCeL London next week. They’ll be at Booth #515 sharing with attendees the Edge Mobile App Collection and the Blockbuster iTeller for FECs with cinemas. To date, the two companies have completed multiple installations at popular FECs around the U.K. region, including Sega, The Mirage Mablethorpe, Walton Pier and Mumbles Pier. “Intercard is the pioneer of cashless technology in the amusement industry,” said Electrocoin’s Gabino Stergides. “It is the only company in this sector that makes its own hardware and integrates it…
Chuck E. Cheese parent company CEC Entertainment has implemented Play Pass, the tech that replaced tokens in favor of RFID-enabled cards, at all of its more than 500 U.S. corporate locations. Semnox has partnered with them on the project. What started as testing in 2014, “the partnership has yielded mutually beneficial and successful outcomes for both organizations,” Semnox reported. “Partnering with Semnox to roll out our RFID technology upgrade for our concept was one of the best decisions we have made at CEC in the last 5 years,” said Roger Cardinale, president of CEC Entertainment. “We were concerned initially because…
The owners of a bar called Adults Only recently launched a new arcade and pizza place next door. Located in the heart of Hollywood at Sunset and La Brea, Game Over Pizza slings specialty slices from chef Elliott Armstrong, formerly of Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop in Brooklyn. According to TimeOut Los Angeles, he was brought in to complement the “all-out-’80s vibes at Game Over with a pie menu that’s got culinary muscle.” They offer 20-inch whole pizzas, and slices, of course – plus thicker, fluffier Sicilian-inspired square slices, too. As for the games, they’re a rotating selection of ’80s and…
We’re only about a month and a half removed from IAAPA 2019, but show organizers are already hard at work on this year’s main event. IAAPA recently posted a call for presentations on its website, and will be accepting proposals for education sessions at IAAPA Expo 2020 through Jan. 22. Those selected will be notified March 31. “Play an important role in moving the industry forward as a presenter at IAAPA Expo,” the association wrote. “Education sessions at IAAPA Expo are designed to engage attractions professionals and challenge traditional ways of thinking about how business is done.” Click here to…
A recent article from Business Insider declared Fortnite “the most important video game” of the 2010s… and added that it will be for the 2020s, too. With more than 250 million players worldwide, it’s easy to understand why. The game has inspired a cultural phenomenon not unlike Pong and Pac-Man did decades before it. The Fortnite license has infiltrated the amusement industry and the methodology used to catapult the game to great success can translate to the coin-op business as well. As BI said, Fortnite is “redefining the idea of video games as a service by adapting to what players…