# Endgame – July

**Source:** Replay Magazine  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2026-07-02  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.replaymag.com/endgame-0726/

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## Analysis

Adam Pratt, owner of Arcade Galactic in Utah, reflects on a challenging 2026 mid-year operating environment marked by cash flow pressures and supply chain delays affecting arcade game availability. Despite headwinds, he celebrates 18 years in business (originally The Game Grid Arcade since 2008), implements a new card payment system via Amusement Connect, and announces work on a multi-decade arcade history book series starting with the 1970s.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Cash flow has declined year-on-year over the past few years — _Adam Pratt, owner of Arcade Galactic, discussing his financial situation in the mid-year review_
- [HIGH] Many games announced at Amusement Expo are delayed due to parts shortages and cost factors — _Adam Pratt describing the current arcade game availability situation_
- [MEDIUM] LAI Games will begin shipping Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX Plus around end of summer/beginning of fall 2026 — _Adam Pratt reporting on AAA Expo 2026 announcements from China_
- [HIGH] Adam Pratt sold his Star Trek (Stern) pinball machine earlier in 2026 to help cover business expenses — _Adam Pratt disclosing personal asset sales to manage cash flow_
- [HIGH] Arcade Galactic operates 70+ game cabinets and initially ordered 25 card readers for Amusement Connect system — _Adam Pratt describing his card payment system rollout strategy_
- [HIGH] The first arcade history book draft is approximately 80,000 words and may reach 90,000 after editing — _Adam Pratt discussing his book project timeline and scope_
- [HIGH] Adam Pratt is targeting completion of the 1970s arcade history book by IAAPA in November 2026 — _Adam Pratt stating his publication timeline for the book project_
- [HIGH] The 1980s draft for the arcade history series is already over 95,000 words — _Adam Pratt noting progress on subsequent decades of arcade history book series_

### Notable Quotes

> "2026 has been a ride so far, although not one that has me jumping for joy."
> — **Adam Pratt**, opening paragraph
> _Sets the tone for a challenging business year despite being mid-way through it_

> "I know that it is beginning to sound like a broken record given how things have gone over the past few years, and I have to admit that there are times when it gets a little discouraging (especially when the cash flow keeps finding a way to go down instead of up, year-on-year)."
> — **Adam Pratt**, early in article
> _Emphasizes persistent financial challenges beyond just 2026, suggesting multi-year downturn_

> "But while I draw breath, it's important to find ways to keep a 'glass half full' view of my business, and I do my best to find those things that can equal a better profit."
> — **Adam Pratt**, early section
> _Shows determination to maintain optimism despite difficult circumstances_

> "I still have a way to go to get back to a comfortable point."
> — **Adam Pratt**, Anniversary Time section
> _Indicates recovery from a previous comfortable operating state, not initial startup struggles_

> "It would be really nice to get to a point where I'm debt-free, which would make weathering the storms of inflation and competition much easier to deal with. Sadly, it's the one area where I find it tough to feel optimistic."
> — **Adam Pratt**, Anniversary Time section
> _Debt is identified as primary ongoing business challenge and psychological burden_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Adam Pratt | person | Owner and operator of Arcade Galactic near Salt Lake City, Utah; also publishes Arcade Heroes blog; author of arcade history book project |
| Arcade Galactic | company | Video arcade venue near Salt Lake City, Utah, located in a mall with no ticket redemption or party room; operates 70+ game cabinets; originally founded as The Game Grid Arcade in 2008, renamed to Arcade Galactic in 2020 |
| The Game Grid Arcade | company | Original name of Arcade Galactic, operated from 2008 until rebranding to Arcade Galactic in 2020 |
| Arcade Heroes | company | Blog/website published by Adam Pratt covering arcade industry news and analysis |
| Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Adam Pratt owned and sold a Star Trek (Stern) pinball machine in 2026 |
| LAI Games | company | Arcade game distributor/publisher; will begin shipping Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX Plus in late summer/early fall 2026 |
| Amusement Connect | company | Card payment system provider for arcades; recently implemented at Arcade Galactic with 25 card readers on premium-earning cabinets |
| Roger Sharpe | person | Pinball industry figure; consulted with Adam Pratt about arcade history book project at Amusement Expos |
| Replay Magazine | company | Arcade/amusement industry publication; Adam Pratt references back issues as research resource for book project |
| Eddie Adlum | person | Editor/contributor associated with Replay Magazine's Replay Retro feature; cited as research source for arcade history |
| Amusement Expo | event | Annual industry trade show where new arcade games are announced; multiple mentions of delays affecting announced titles |
| AAA Expo 2026 | event | Arcade industry expo held in China in 2026 where new games including Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX Plus were announced |
| Wahlap | company | Arcade game manufacturer; mentioned as having potential game releases coming to Western markets |
| Ace | company | Arcade game manufacturer; mentioned as having potential game releases coming to Western markets |
| ExA-Arcadia | company | Arcade platform/game manufacturer; showed new titles at EVO Japan 2026 and planned EVO 2026 Las Vegas announcements |
| EVO Japan 2026 | event | Fighting game and arcade event where ExA-Arcadia demonstrated new titles |
| EVO 2026 | event | Major esports/arcade event held in Las Vegas where ExA-Arcadia planned to make announcements |
| IAAPA | event | International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions conference; scheduled for November 2026; Adam Pratt's target deadline for completing arcade history book |
| Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX Plus | product | New arcade game by LAI Games announced at AAA Expo 2026, shipping late summer/early fall 2026 |
| Star Trek | product | Stern Pinball machine owned and sold by Adam Pratt in 2026 to help manage cash flow |

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Arcade operator reports year-on-year cash flow decline over multiple years and ongoing debt burden as primary challenge limiting growth and equipment purchases (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt states 'cash flow keeps finding a way to go down instead of up, year-on-year' and identifies debt as 'the bane of my existence'
- **[supply_chain_signal]** Multiple arcade games announced at industry expos are experiencing delays due to parts shortages and cost factors, creating 'hurry up and wait' situation for operators (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt notes 'many of those are locked into a hurry up and wait kind of situation, as parts or other cost factors have caused delays for several titles'
- **[operational_signal]** Arcade operator implementing card-based payment system (Amusement Connect) alongside traditional coin/token play, initially rolling out to premium-earning machines to manage capital constraints (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt describes ordering 25 card readers for 70+ cabinet venue, focusing on 'newest/best-earning games' while maintaining token acceptance
- **[venue_signal]** Arcade Galactic celebrates 18 years of operation (since 2008 as The Game Grid Arcade) in mall-based venue competing against adjacent FEC facility (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt states 'On June 8, my business – which started as The Game Grid Arcade in 2008 and changed to Arcade Galactic in 2020 – celebrated 18 years in business'
- **[content_signal]** Arcade industry operator launching multi-decade arcade history book series, starting with 1970s volume targeting November 2026 IAAPA completion, with plans for subsequent decades (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt announces 80,000+ word 1970s draft 'ready that is around 80,000 words' with 1980s already exceeding 95,000 words, targeting IAAPA in November
- **[historical_signal]** Arcade historian using RePlay Magazine back issues and Eddie Adlum's archive work as primary research sources for comprehensive decade-by-decade industry history (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt cites 'back issues of RePlay and reading Eddie Adlum's RePlay Retro feature' as key research resources
- **[product_strategy]** Arcade operator selling personal collection items (pinball machine, vintage PCBs) and exploring revenue share models to improve cash flow and reduce debt burden (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt discloses 'selling things like my Star Trek (Stern) pinball earlier this year' and 'selling off some of the old arcade PCBs'
- **[market_signal]** Arcade operator reports general industry slowdown despite positive overall arcade news, with capital constraints limiting new equipment acquisition (confidence: high) — Adam Pratt states 'I'm plugged into arcade news, of course, and for the most part, that's positive, but with the downside being in a little slowdown' and 'I'm still not in a situation to buy anything new'

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## Transcript

A Mid-Year Review A Look at Operations, Celebrating a Milestone & Writing a New Book by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com 2026 has been a ride so far, although not one that has me jumping for joy. I know that it is beginning to sound like a broken record given how things have gone over the past few years, and I have to admit that there are times when it gets a little discouraging (especially when the cash flow keeps finding a way to go down instead of up, year-on-year). But while I draw breath, it’s important to find ways to keep a “glass half full” view of my business, and I do my best to find those things that can equal a better profit. I’m plugged into arcade news, of course, and for the most part, that’s positive, but with the downside being in a little slowdown. While we had plenty of games pop up at Amusement Expo, many of those are locked into a “hurry up and wait” kind of situation, as parts or other cost factors have caused delays for several titles. There were some new games announced at the recent AAA Expo 2026 in China, such as Asphalt 9 Legends Arcade DX Plus (what a mouthful), which LAI Games will begin shipping around the end of the summer/beginning of fall. Some of Wahlap’s and Ace’s games also might show up here before too long, although nothing else was announced for the West so far. ExA-Arcadia also showed off some new titles at the EVO Japan 2026 event, and planned to announce more at EVO 2026 in Las Vegas at the end of last month. Again, a bit like a broken record, I’m still not in a situation to buy anything new. In fact, to help cover expenses, I’ve taken to selling things like my Star Trek (Stern) pinball earlier this year. I’ve also begun selling off some of the old arcade PCBs that have been collecting dust instead of tokens for far too long. I still have a bit to clean up in that regard, but once I get those parts and games into new homes, I hope to find myself in a slightly better spot. I’ve also been talking with people about revenue shares, something I haven’t been super keen on. Owning my own location, I’d rather own every piece of equipment that I can. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to cover shipping yet, so while I haven’t had any luck with that as of now, I am hoping to have a new piece or two in place before the summer is out. Anniversary Time On June 8, my business – which started as The Game Grid Arcade in 2008 and changed to Arcade Galactic in 2020 – celebrated 18 years in business, a milestone that makes me feel a bit old. But for a video arcade with no ticket redemption or party room inside of a mall with a giant FEC down the hall, I’m doing all right! I am very grateful to God, my family, friends, customers, industry colleagues and organizations that have all made it possible to get this far. But as alluded to earlier in this article, and too many articles to count in recent times, I still have a way to go to get back to a comfortable point. One thing that I recently launched is a new card system, going with Amusement Connect. With over 70 game cabinets, I couldn’t afford to supply all of them with readers at once, so I ordered 25 and set them up so they can still take tokens. It’s too early to tell how this will work out, but my focus was on putting them on the newest/best-earning games, so I think that will be a benefit. We still get some people who appreciate the physicality of having a coin in their hands, and with that we do offer refunds. In contrast, gameplay via cards won’t be refundable but we will have a bonus points system, so it should be interesting to see how that works out. I hope this will help us catch up, putting us in a position to buy more readers. The area where I aim to make progress is debt. If you’ve read my column for a while, you know this is still the bane of my existence. It would be really nice to get to a point where I’m debt-free, which would make weathering the storms of inflation and competition much easier to deal with. Sadly, it’s the one area where I find it tough to feel optimistic. A New Book Is Coming! I’ve been focusing a lot more on writing lately and I’m happy to report that I’m working on another arcade book. Originally, this was going to be an all-inclusive history of the entire arcade game industry from Computer Space to whatever ends up being the most recent releases when it’s wrapped up. When I talked to Roger Sharpe about the project a couple of Amusement Expos ago, he said, “Good luck, that’s a lot of work.” He wasn’t wrong about that and eventually, I decided to write a separate book for each decade, starting with the ’70s. I have a solid draft ready that is around 80,000 words, including some trivia questions. By the time the editing process is finished, it may be up to 90,000. (I’m already over 95,000 words in my draft for the 1980s.) By the way, among my resources are back issues of RePlay and reading Eddie Adlum’s RePlay Retro feature. My hope is the first book will do well and I’ll continue through the other decades, eventually putting them all together which, circling back, was my original plan. And no, I haven’t used AI for the content. I experimented with it early on and found it to be very unsatisfying. It got too many facts wrong, missed important historical context, and was written in an unnatural way which meant using it would require a lot of rewrite time. Perhaps it’s foolish to try finish such a massive undertaking before I turn old and decrepit, but I’m learning a lot, and the process is also sharpening my mind and forcing me to be more disciplined with my time. So, despite this taking forever, there are pluses! Well, time to jump back into it, especially since I want to have it ready by IAAPA in November. Until then, let’s hope we all stay cool and profitable this summer. Adam Pratt is the owner and operator of Arcade Galactic near Salt Lake City, Utah, and also publishes the Arcade Heroes blog site. He can be reached at [email protected].

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v5)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: 62e4b027-43e6-4f93-a74a-5375e0390a77*