A new family entertainment center is planned for the Maine town of Sanford this fall, to be opened by the proprietors of Smitty’s Cinema. The FEC will be located right next to Smitty’s Cinema and will feature 10 bowling lanes, more than 50 arcade games, air hockey and a 100-seat bar and lounge area, according to the Journal Tribune. An entertainment center is a first for Smitty’s, which also has four other locations. The one in Sanford, owner Milton Smith said, is their most popular so it made sense to add something new to the mix. “We’re part of such…

Manufacturer LAI Games recently opened their doors to the local developer community with a recruitment night at their studio in the heart of Singapore’s tech hub, according to the company. The night of dinner and drinks was co-hosted by Wantedly, an agency connecting talent with prospective employers. It allowed them to see the inside of LAI’s state-of-the-art facility there and meet the team face to face. “LAI Games has experienced tremendous growth in the past six months and is dedicated to creating innovative and excited experiences and enhancing the out-of-home entertainment industry,” the company said. Available positions can be found…

It’s that time of year – the Valley National 8-Ball League Assn.’s (VNEA) 39th Annual World Pool Championships begin this week at Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Starting tonight, May 22, there will be mini tournaments and Scotch Doubles sign-ups. The event will go through June 1 with a final match and evening banquet. Some other notable dates: 8-Ball and 9-Ball finals on May 27 (also the date the World Team Competition starts); the Hall of Famers Party from 6-7 p.m. on May 29; and the May 30 president’s reception dinner held at 7 p.m. You’ll be able…

The Fashion Show mall on the Las Vegas Strip has a new tenant: Arcade City Food & Fun Restaurant just started dishing out, you guessed it, food and fun in their 10,000-sq.-ft. facility. Featuring indoor and outdoor entertainment, Arcade City has a little bit of everything. There’s a 54-game arcade, a full-service bar and restaurant, virtual reality experiences, and even classic basketball competitions outside, according to Las Vegas Eater. Player cards store winnings on the arcade games and can be replenished at multiple kiosks throughout the venue. Their redemption counter features top prizes like Michael Kors handbags, Apple AirPods and…

Built for game rooms, sports bars and street locations, Andamiro USA announced yesterday (May 21) that its fast-action arcade unit Basketball Pro began shipping this week. “The game’s compact footprint is a perfect fit for bars and other street locations, and it will stand out on the game room floors in the largest of family entertainment centers,” said company execs. The machine ships as a ticket redemption game, but can be modified for non-ticket play as well. The game’s two controllers are the size and shape of real basketballs. Players smash those down to shoot the mini basketballs inside the play…

The Australian arcade bar chain B. Lucky & Sons recently opened its fourth location and first in Sydney. Hidden behind a vintage pawn shop façade, the themed venues have luxury bars, classic arcade games and the most modern offerings. Designed by Funlab, the Australian radio station 101.9 The Fox called it “a sophisticated adult playground and the perfect place to blow off steam.” Game players can trade tickets for collectibles in the “pawn shop” – some top-tier items include vintage Chanel bags, classic cameras and rare vinyl albums. On the bar side of things, B. Lucky serves up boozy bubble…

The famous video game Space Invaders turned 40 years old last year, and now, celebrating its status as one of the greatest arcade classics ever, original publisher Taito has partnered with 612 Entertainment on a new board game. Space Invaders– The Board Game, which has already well-surpassed its $45,000 funding goal on Kickstarter, aims to “invade your living room tables” with its mix of deck-building and strategy. The board game comes in multiple editions, and is for 2-4 players. Funding on the Kickstarter project will end on June 14, so be sure to head over to kickstarter.spaceinvadersbg.com to get yours.…

Later this year, the Disney-backed virtual reality company Tyffon plans on opening its first “free roam” VR room in the Los Angeles-adjacent beach city of Santa Monica. The company, which already has two Tyffonium venues in Tokyo (and one more coming soon), recently raised $7.8 million in funding to accelerate its expansion, pushing their overall investments to $12 million to date, according to Variety. Their existing VR rooms in Japan combine VR technology and multi-sensory effects including the horror walk-through attraction Corridorand the fantasy-themed Tarot VR. For more information on the company, visit www.tyffon.com.

A laser tag-anchored family entertainment center, Area 52, is expected to open this June in Roswell, N.M., a quirky tourism hub that’s home to a supposed 1940s UFO crash site. According to KOB 4 and Area 52’s Facebook page, the 28,000-sq.-ft. facility is an indoor-outdoor venue with 12 rooms, three outdoor “combat shelters,” virtual reality gaming, two private party rooms, banquet space and more.

The laser tag educational conference from Lasertron hit Rochester, N.Y., May 7-8, receiving glowing testimonials from its attendees. Beth Standlee was the keynote speaker, and based her presentation on her new book, People Buy From People, now available on Amazon. Ben Jones, Harold Skripsky, Ann Krull, Britannie Betti and Bradford Doolittle were the other industry speakers “The quality of this conference is reflected in the quality of operators in attendance, further raising the value we get every time we come back,” said attendee Patrick Murphy. Added John Ricciardi, it was an “outstanding opportunity to live in the operations of the…