As part of the grand reopening at their Lake Creek location on April 27, Pinballz’ CEO Darren Spohn announced a $3,500 donation to Gamers Outreach, an organization that provides portable go-kart video game kiosks. Built specifically for medical environments, the units will provide bedside recreation at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas, home of Pinballz. “We have so many kids that are part of our Pinballz family,” said COO Mikki Spohn. “It makes us very happy to be able to do something to make their time in the hospital a little bit more enjoyable.” The company is online at…
Author: Matt Harding
Ralph Baer, whose “Brown Box” prototype went on to become the first video game console, will be memorialized May 10 with a statue in Manchester, N.H., where he died at age 92 in 2014. According to Boston.com, Baer also created the precursor to Pong and the electronic memory game Simon. His basement lab was recreated at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., and now his sculpture will be placed in Manchester’s Arms Park, where he’ll be shown seated on a bench holding the Brown Box. Fifty-five backers pledged $14,771 on a Kickstarter campaign last year to turn the idea into a…
The global association for the attractions industry, IAAPA just announced the promotion of David Mandt as their new executive VP and chief engagement officer. The newly-created position is responsible for association member engagement, global marketing, communications and education. Mandt most recently was the organization’s senior VP of marketing and communications. He began his long career in the attractions industry in 1981 as a ticketing and parking host at Paramount’s Carowinds theme park in Charlotte, N.C. More information about IAAPA is available at www.iaapa.org.
World-famous toy chain Mattel has plans to create its first multi-branded entertainment centers featuring Barbie, Hot Wheels and Mega Construx. According to Worldscreen, the centers will bring the popular brands to life by “combining physical and digital play, featuring immersive, hands-on activities and entertainment experiences.” Geared toward families with children aged 4-10, various types of gaming and content will be available. The first center is a planned 25,000-sq.-ft. location in Toronto. Slated to open spring 2020, it would have themed areas for those three Mattel brands. Learn more about the company at www.mattel.com.
Cobra Arcade Bar in downtown Phoenix will be opening a second business later this year in the area, a pinball lounge called Stardust. According to the Phoenix New Times, the pinball-only Stardust Lounge will be located next to one of the city’s most popular live music destinations, The Van Buren. Cobra co-owner Ariel Bracamonte said the focus at the new place will be on pinball, but there will also be a fully-stocked bar, lounge seating and other nightlife elements like a DJ booth. “There are already arcade bars around like Cobra that are more about video games and we wanted…
A vacant Kmart in San Antonio will soon have America’s Incredible Pizza Company as a tenant, as the Missouri-based FEC will be expanding in the Texas city, moving from its north side to a location 15 miles away on the west side. The current facility in San Antonio is 57,000 sq. ft. Incredible Pizza Company will take up 73,000 sq. ft. of the old Kmart’s 172,000 sq. ft., according to the San Antonio Business Journal. The company’s executive consultant Don Potvin reported that they’d been looking to expand for some time since party rooms at the current facility sell out…
The first Barcade on the West Coast opened its Los Angeles location today (May 6) in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood. RePlay Magazine was at this past weekend’s soft opening to enjoy the atmosphere and meet with one of the owners, Paul Kermizian, pictured here with Key Snodgress and Matt Harding. The new location is the Brooklyn-based company’s largest yet, with 58 vintage video games and 12 pinball machines in around 6,000 sq. ft. Be sure to check out our June issue for a full feature profile on Barcade. In the meantime, go to their website www.barcade.com to learn more.
The bowling, bocce and bar venue Pinstripes has a deal to move into a new 20,000-sq.-ft. space near Washington, D.C., in Reston, Virginia, and will be an anchor in a massive new ground-up build at a multi-use project. According to the Washington Business Journal, it is the first retail tenant to sign on to the Halley Rise development after grocer Wegmans. The entire development will have 250,000 sq. ft. of retail once completed. The publication reports that developers are also in talks with high-end movie theater Cinepolis. “We decided to build a couple more entertainment anchors into the project as…
Bandai Namco expressed delight at the first-ever InterFun Expo in Leeds, U.K., held there from April 30-May 1. The company was the first to fully support the trade show, taking the biggest booth and sponsoring and co-hosting the popular exhibitor social event. Namco UK Ltd.’s Trevor Sutton was also a seminar panelist. “We could see the benefit of a show that covered the wider leisure industry, incorporating other forms of play attractions at this time of the year,” said James Anderson, the company’s commercial and sales director. For more information, visit www.interfunexpo.com and click on the “register” tab to show…
A longtime amusement and waterpark in Middlebury, Conn., just started up for its 111th season on April 27 with new attractions. Quassy’s arcade building has an updated redemption center and several new games added to the lineup. The arcade switched to a Game On card system years ago, which allows guests to use barcoded cards to play games. They also announced new “Bouncing Buggies,” a family ride supplied by the Italian manufacturer Zamperla. Visit www.quassy.com for more information about the park.