Halloween Newsbytes: GoldStorm Pirates Updates, ACOS 2024, Headlines & More

Welcome to Newsbytes, our running series of posts at AH that round up all the latest news from across the arcade and pinball worlds. While we generally hold these posts for the weekend, the end of the month can be a good time (especially in a more news-heavy period like this), so here we are. Also, Happy Halloween – we hope that everyone has a fun evening tonight. We sadly don’t have any spooky items (only the skeletons in GoldStorm Pirates kind of count)… but in the absence of that, there is a lot else to get through. Also, one of these pumpkins is of an arcade character…

Thanks to anyone who has sent these stories in across our social media channels and messages. A number are still developing, so don’t be surprised to see dedicated posts on them soon…

GoldStorm Pirates Updates

Following our coverage of it turning up back on test in the US, several more details have came out on the upcoming GoldStorm Pirates. Although little has been said by Bandai Namco Amusements themselves regarding its all-but-certain Western release (so far – expect something to come from them sooner than later…), a page with a link to some brief details has appeared on their UK Funscape locations website, and they have at least confirmed that it will be fully launching in Japan in December. Before that, the game will appear on their booth at the next Japan Amusement Expo in November, alongside Bike Dash Delivery.

It also seems that some cabinets have already been starting to reach a small number of Namco locations (including Kabukicho, Tokyo and Lazona Kawasaki) in Japan. Thanks to this, there are some new impressions and videos of the game out there from early Japanese players; much of it sounds positive, and this clip of the first level gives us our own chance to form some initial impressions:

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As well as that, someone has even uploaded the ending and credits in full. Big spoilers there of course, but one interesting thing about the latter is that a big chunk of the software development team seems to have not been Bandai Namco, but a little Japanese company called Xeen Inc. They’re not very well-known, but since the 2000s they have pitched in on a ton of games, including arcade ones. GoldStorm would be their first proper shooter though – they did contribute to Luigi’s Mansion Arcade and Sega’s Primeval Hunt, but besides those their arcade forte has been more in racers (Nirin, Hummer, Dead Heat Unleashed, Initial D).

ACOS 2024

One of the smaller industry trade shows recently happened in the UK, being their equivalent of the AAMA Gala, ACOS (Autumn Coin-Op Show). ACOS typically doesn’t have many major video games as such, but can feature some that haven’t turned up Stateside yet via UK distributors like UDC or Electrocoin. This year’s was no exception, as UDC had Ace Amusement’s new aircraft piece, Air Combat. This seems to be its first overseas appearance (it certainly wasn’t at IAAPA EU 2024, unlike other Ace games), with only Italy’s ELMAC II confirmed to be carrying it until now. UDC also posted this video of it on their Facebook.

For other ACOS 2024 exhibitors, Sega Amusements were around at the show too with a very redemption-heavy lineup, and Electrocoin also had their usual selection of redemption with DDR A20+ from Konami.

A New Name From Australia – Monkey Splash Studios

Every once in a while we do get a newcomer in this industry, and one out of Australia has recently started to emerge. Thanks to a location test post on the Dave & Busters subreddit and Jdevy, Monkey Splash Studios and their new arcade exclusive cooking game, Chef It Up, has come to our attention. Not much is known about them currently (their official websites are still only holding pages for now), but a comment left by their very own account on that Reddit post says they are trying to “build something for high score chasers like us who still expect deep and engaging gameplay from their arcade” – which is an interesting philosophy.

Monkey Splash will also be around soon at IAAPA 2024; that and the D&B test should be enough to show they most definitely have their sights set on the worldwide market (though Chef It Up units will be limited). Expect to hear more from them in the near future…

Sega Amusements Reveals First IAAPA 2024 Games

As just mentioned, IAAPA 2024 is edging closer, and with that more companies are starting to reveal their lineups – or at least part of them. We covered LAI Games the other day, and now Sega Amusements have revealed some of what will be gracing their booth. Besides existing games (Apex Rebels, Zombies! Ready, Deady, Go!) and a few multiplayer models of Win Fall Revolution, the only new standout 100% confirmed so far is Big Sea Fishing, a two-screen, four player competitive fishing videmption piece. This is coming from SEA Animation, whose very lucrative Hot Racers kiddie game was previously sold by SAI:

The news release on their website does say to look out for further announcements though, and we already have a good idea of what some of those may be about. Their latest collaboration with 3MindWave, Alpha Ops VR Strike, seems likely, and there is also the electromechanical shooting range On Target from Leon Amusement that was seen at IAAPA EU 2024. Why these haven’t been shown yet can be for a variety of reasons – it’s possible things aren’t certain on the shipping or development side of things. Sometimes games revealed for trade events can still end up a no-show because of those, so this is understandable.

Fire Destroys The Amusement Guy’s Facility

Very sad to report that the warehouse and facility for The Amusement Guy has been destroyed in a fire. Located in Indiana, the facility and the games are a total loss. Owner Scott Wright shared the tragic photos on his personal Facebook page, although as of this time I have not seen if there was an explanation of what started the blaze. Fortunately they are already looking at building it all back, but I am sure it will be a long process. If they post anything to offer financial support for the rebuild, we’ll share it here.

Insert Coin Exhibition

Since production started up on it several years ago, we have shared information and media on the Insert Coin documentary about the history of arcade game development at Midway from time to time here on AH. Now, its name is attached to a new temporary museum exhibition on their games, currently underway at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art in IL’s College of DuPage. If you’re in or around the same area, be sure to grab a ticket and give the display a visit before it concludes in February of next year:

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Also, to celebrate hitting 10,000 subscribers, they have put the full documentary up on YouTube. Note that this is similarly temporary though!

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Headlines

LAI Games Uploads Kaiju Rampage Trailer, With Added AI Music

INOWIZE Showcases The Six QBIX Games

Kevin Williams Looks At Five Trends In Amusement

Gitadora New Cabinets Going Back On Test In Japan At A Taito Station

Konami Also Tests Odd Spot The Difference Game Again In Korea

Bandai Namco Location Tests Sweet Land 6

A New Arcade Build Of Avian Knights Is Headed To IAAPA

Sega Reveals More On Japan’s Amusement Expo

Japan’s AM Expo Also Has A Employee Seminar

Five Points To Look Out For At Japan’s AM Expo

Player One Teases Wrestling Game For IAAPA…

Tron Costume Reunites With Bruce Boxleitner At An Arcade

House Of The Dead Is Getting A New Feature Film Adaption

The Fighters History Vs. Street Fighter II Lawsuit Vid That Went Viral

There’s A SegaSonic Popcorn Shop Still Running In Niigata, Japan

3MindWave Are Looking For A Game Concept Artist In Hong Kong

An Interview With Sega’s Earliest Video Game Developer Yoji Ishii

Extra Footage From The Big Buck World Championships

Another Pirate Themed Arcade Game, Although Focused More On Videmption

[Console Headlines]

Nintendo Launches Video Game Music Streaming App For Subscribers

Sony Shutters Firewalk Studios Weeks After Concord Closes

Netflix Also Closes Its Only AAA Gaming Studio

First Trailer For The New Tron Catalyst Releases

Rayman Remake Reportedly In Works At Ubisoft

Retro Gamer Magazine Looks Back On Sonic Generations

Masahiro Sakurai Posts Final Game Development Video

Monster Hunter Wilds Opens Online Beta Test – Looks like it’s doing very well out of the gate

The Atari Jaguar Game Alien Vs. Predator Turns 30

I Highly Doubt That Meta Will Continue To Subsidize VR Like This Forever

Steve Ross Was More Responsible For The Industry Crash Of ’83/’84 Than Most Realize

That’s it for this Newsbytes; the next one may take a little while due to the big news cycle really heating up in advance of IAAPA. For now, which of these arcade news stories (e.g. the GoldStorm Pirates updates) interest you most?

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