# EAG EXPO 2026 **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2026-01-15 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2026/01/15/eag-expo-2026/ --- ## Analysis EAG Expo 2026 (January 13-15 in London) saw minimal pinball presence with only Stern Pinball represented through distributor Electrocoin, exhibiting five machines. Major UK pinball distributors Pinball Heaven and Retro Arcade Specialists withdrew due to poor ROI (£10k+ stand costs vs. declining home market attendance), signaling a shift away from trade show participation. Stern's new game was delayed past CES and won't appear until mid-February; Star Wars: Fall of the Empire remains unavailable in Europe due to licensing restrictions. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] EAG Expo 2026 featured only Stern Pinball representation through Electrocoin distributor — _Direct observation at show; article states 'Stern was the only pinball company represented at the show'_ - [HIGH] Pinball Heaven and Retro Arcade Specialists withdrew from EAG due to poor economics (£10k stand costs with minimal ROI) — _Direct quotes from Phil Palmer (Pinball Heaven) and David Duncan (Retro Arcade Specialists) explaining withdrawal decisions_ - [HIGH] Stern's new cornerstone game was delayed past CES and will not be revealed until mid-February — _Article states: 'We had hopes finding Stern would have released their new game a week earlier at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas... However, the release of the game was delayed, meaning it probably won't be revealed until mid-February'_ - [HIGH] Star Wars: Fall of the Empire is not available for purchase in Europe due to licensing restrictions — _Article states: 'Stern's current cornerstone game, Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, isn't available to purchase in Europe due to licensing restrictions'_ - [HIGH] 98% of UK pinball sales are to home users, with only 2% to location/commercial market — _Direct quote from Phil Palmer: 'With 98% of sales going into home use, the high cost of having a stand and accommodation at EAG (circa £10k) to potentially capture 2% of the market that remains cannot be justified'_ ### Notable Quotes > "EAG no longer attracts the right market for pinball, especially home users. With 98% of sales going into home use, the high cost of having a stand and accommodation at EAG (circa £10k) to potentially capture 2% of the market that remains cannot be justified." > — **Phil Palmer (Pinball Heaven)** > _Demonstrates fundamental shift in pinball market economics away from trade shows; quantifies home vs. location market split_ > "My own show I decided to do last year was far better attended than EAG has been of late. Myself and all my guests had a great time, we even raised almost £3k for charity!" > — **Phil Palmer (Pinball Heaven)** > _Shows alternative event strategy (open house) outperforming traditional trade shows_ > "We'd like to say we look forward to seeing more pinballs at next year's show, but unless the economics of exhibiting improve, we're not holding our breath." > — **Pinball News** > _Editorial commentary expressing skepticism about pinball's future presence at EAG_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | EAG Expo 2026 | event | UK's largest annual amusements trade show held January 13-15, 2026 at ExCel London; featured minimal pinball presence | | Stern Pinball | company | Only pinball manufacturer represented at EAG 2026; exhibited five machines through Electrocoin distributor | | Electrocoin | company | Stern Pinball's UK distributor; primary exhibitor of pinball machines at EAG 2026 | | Pinball Heaven | company | UK-based pinball distributor; withdrew from EAG 2026 due to poor ROI; sells Stern, JJP, Dutch Pinball, Spooky, Chicago Gaming | | Retro Arcade Specialists | company | UK-based pinball distributor; withdrew from EAG 2026; dealers for Stern, Homepin, Barrels of Fun, American Pinball, Pinball Brothers, Turner Pinball, Pedretti Gaming, Multimorphic | | Phil Palmer | person | Owner/representative of Pinball Heaven; explained withdrawal from EAG due to poor market fit and high costs | | David Duncan | person | Representative of Retro Arcade Specialists; confirmed withdrawal from EAG and planned alternative customer event strategy | | Gary Stern | person | Stern Pinball leadership; attended EAG 2026 for meetings, distributor briefings, and media interviews | | John Buscaglia | person | Stern Pinball staff; attended EAG 2026 and participated in media interviews | | Doug Skor | person | Stern Pinball staff member at EAG 2026 | | Lloyd Dortant | person | Stern Pinball staff member at EAG 2026 | | Star Wars: Fall of the Empire | game | Stern Pinball's current cornerstone game; unavailable for purchase in Europe due to licensing restrictions | | The Walking Dead Remastered | game | Stern Pinball title from October 2025; newest release available at EAG 2026 exhibition | | Dungeons & Dragons | game | Stern Pinball cornerstone title; most recent cornerstone game available at EAG 2026 | | Insider Connected | product | Stern Pinball's digital leaderboard system; connected all five EAG exhibition machines | ### Topics - **Primary:** Trade show economics and distributor participation decline, Market shift toward home users vs. location/commercial players, Stern Pinball new game delay and European licensing restrictions - **Secondary:** EAG Expo attendance and floor traffic decline, UK pinball distribution landscape and strategic changes - **Mentioned:** Stern's European office expansion in Amsterdam ### Sentiment **Negative** (-0.72) — Content reflects significant decline in pinball's presence at major trade shows, with major distributors withdrawing due to poor economics. Editorial tone is pessimistic about future of pinball at EAG. However, Stern's continued participation and staff presence provides some neutral/positive counterbalance. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Trend toward alternative distribution strategies: direct customer events (open house) replacing trade show participation (confidence: high) — Phil Palmer pivoted from EAG to private open day; achieved better attendance and raised charity funds; plans 2027 repeat - **[event_signal]** EAG Expo 2026 experienced significant decline in pinball industry participation; only Stern exhibited (confidence: high) — Article reports only Stern Pinball represented; previous years had Pinball Heaven and Retro Arcade Specialists; floor was described as 'pretty quiet' even at busiest times - **[licensing_signal]** Star Wars: Fall of the Empire unavailable in European market due to licensing restrictions (confidence: high) — Article explicitly states 'Stern's current cornerstone game, Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, isn't available to purchase in Europe due to licensing restrictions' - **[market_signal]** 98% of UK pinball sales directed to home users; only 2% to location/commercial venues (confidence: high) — Direct quantification from Phil Palmer representing major distributor perspective - **[market_signal]** Major UK pinball distributors (Pinball Heaven, Retro Arcade Specialists) withdrawing from EAG Expo due to poor ROI and declining attendance (confidence: high) — Phil Palmer stated £10k stand cost could not be justified given 2% market targeting; David Duncan reported £10k stand cost at EAG 2025 with minimal sales; both withdrew from 2026 - **[community_signal]** Stern leadership (Gary Stern, John Buscaglia) conducting distributor briefings and media interviews at EAG; establishing European office in Amsterdam (confidence: high) — Article reports multiple Stern executives present; conducting meetings and interviews; separate interview about European office strategy planned for February PIN cast - **[market_signal]** Trade show economics unsustainable for pinball distributors at £10k+ booth costs (confidence: high) — Multiple distributors cited £10k stand costs plus accommodation, transportation, and machine wear-and-tear as unjustifiable for market opportunity - **[product_strategy]** Stern's new cornerstone game delayed past CES with mid-February reveal now expected (confidence: high) — Article states game was expected at CES but delayed; 'probably won't be revealed until mid-February' --- ## Transcript HomeSHOWSEAG EXPO 2026 Date: 13th - 15th January 2026 Location: ExCel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, London, UK It’s the middle of January, which means we’re heading off to ExCel London for the UK’s largest annual amusements trade show, EAG Expo. ![ExCel London exhibition centre](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/001-eag-expo-2026.jpg) For a change we took a night time shot of the ExCel London exhibition centre ExCel London is a large exhibition centre on the east side of the city close to London City Airport, with multiple halls along its north and south sides. These halls can be divided in multiple ways to give a variety of different exhibition spaces, with a central walkway for foot traffic featuring multiple catering outlets. ![The central corridor with the North halls on the left and the South halls on the right](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/002-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The central corridor with the North halls on the left and the South halls on the right EAG Expo occupies three connected halls on the north side – N1, N2 & N3, with the main entrance at hall N2. ![The main entrance to EAG Expo 2026](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/003-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The main entrance to EAG Expo 2026 Entry to the show is entirely free. While pre-registration is encouraged, on-the-day registration is also available. There are no checks made to see whether you are involved in the coin-up business. That’s been the case since the show began, as well as before that when it was called ATEI and held at Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre. ![Looking back towards the entrance in Hall N2](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/018-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Looking back towards the entrance in Hall N2 EAG Expo runs for three day – Tuesday to Thursday – from 10am until 6pm. We arrived shortly after opening on the Wednesday, to be greeted by a roaming jazz band. ![The jazz quintet roamed the halls entertaining show guests](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/004-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The jazz quintet roamed the halls entertaining show guests We already knew that the pinball offering would be pretty sparse this year, with only Stern Pinball represented. Still, we had hopes finding a few more machines on some of the other exhibitor stands. So, we headed straight to the stand of Stern’s UK distributor, Electrocoin. ![The Electrocoin stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/014-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The Electrocoin stand There were five Stern Pinball machines in their usual place on the side of the stand. ![The Stern Pinball machines on the Electrocoin stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/008-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The Stern Pinball machines on the Electrocoin stand We had hoped Stern would have released their new game a week earlier at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and then brought it to EAG Expo for its European debut. However, the release of the game was delayed, meaning it probably won’t be revealed until mid-February. In addition, Stern’s current cornerstone game, Star Wars: Fall of the Empire, isn’t available to purchase in Europe due to licensing restrictions. That meant the newest release here was The Walking Dead Remastered Premium model from last October, with the most recent cornerstone game being Dungeons & Dragons. ![The five Stern Pinball titles](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/007-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The five Stern Pinball titles: Venom, James Bond 007, The Uncanny X-Men, Dungeons & Dragons and The Walking Dead Remastered All five machines were connected through Stern’s Insider Connected system to a leaderboard to show the top scores from players who were logged in while playing. ![The Insider Connected display for the five Stern Pinball titles](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/023-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The Insider Connected display for the five Stern Pinball titles Along with the machines, several Stern Pinball staff were at EAG. Gary Stern, John Buscaglia, Doug Skor and Lloyd Dortant were there, holding meetings and distributor briefings in the reserved conference room upstairs. Gary and John also took time to sit down with Martin from Pinball News and Jonathan from Pinball Magazine to talk about the company’s new European office in Amsterdam, why there was no Star Wars: Fall of the Empire in Europe, the company’s plans for 2027, the state of the licensing business, and much, much more. ![John Buscaglia and Gary Stern](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/028-eag-expo-2026.jpg) John Buscaglia and Gary Stern You can catch their interview in the upcoming January 2026 edition of the Pinball Industry News PIN cast, available at the start of February. Stern was the only pinball company represented at the show. In previous years two other UK-based distributors has exhibited at EAG – Pinball Heaven and Retro Arcade Specialists. Pinball Heaven also Stern Pinball, as well as Jersey Jack Pinball, Dutch Pinball, Spooky Pinball and Chicago Gaming, while Retro Arcade Specialists are dealers for Stern, Homepin, Barrels of Fun, American Pinball, Pinball Brothers, Turner Pinball, Pedretti Gaming and Multimorphic. Pinball News spoke to both companies to see why they weren’t taking exhibitor stands at this year’s EAG Expo. In both cases it came down to the economics, where the costs of exhibiting outweighed any addition income from machine or parts sales. Phil Palmer from Pinball Heaven told us, “ EAG no longer attracts the right market for pinball, especially home users. With 98% of sales going into home use, the high cost of having a stand and accommodation at EAG (circa £10k) \[$13.4k, €11.53k\] to potentially capture 2% of the market that remains cannot be justified.“ Phil decided some months ago not to appear at EAG, opting instead to hold an open day at his company’s premises. He said, “ My own show I decided to do last year was far better attended than EAG has been of late. Myself and all my guests had a great time, we even raised almost £3k for charity!” While he is not repeating the event in 2026, he said he has plans for another Pinball Heaven Open Day in 2027. David Duncan from Retro Arcade Specialists echoed Phil’s comments, saying his company previously paid £10k just for their stand at EAG 2025 but achieved minimal sales while also having to pay for transportation, accommodation and machine wear-and-tear. David was considering exhibiting this year and indeed his company’s name appeared on one of the stands, but in the end never signed a contract. As he business has recently moved to new, larger premises, he is looking to host a customer event there instead. ![Retro Arcade Specialists' name on the inside of the marquee of an empty stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/006-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Retro Arcade Specialists’ name on the inside of the marquee of an empty stand Phil’s comments about the lack of visitors to EAG Expo appeared to be borne out this year too. Even at the busiest times the aisles were pretty quiet and, for once, we had no problems getting to play most of the non-pinball arcade games. ![Mid-afternoon, and things are pretty quiet](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/024-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Mid-afternoon, and things are pretty quiet As last year, a significant amount of floor pace was taken up by hospitality areas, including a coffee lounge, a bar area, the large lounge for members of the BACTA trade association and a recharge station for digital devices. ![The Coffee Lounge](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/015-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The Coffee Lounge ![The BACTA Business Lounge](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/011-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The BACTA Business Lounge ![The bar area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/016-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The bar area As has been the trend in recent years, the most impactful new arcade games are the large, LED-festooned pieces – the kind which can’t be replicated in the home. Let’s take a look around at some of them. ![New Sega sit-down racers](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/010-eag-expo-2026.jpg) New Sega sit-down racers ![More new games on the Sega stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/012-eag-expo-2026.jpg) More new games on the Sega stand ![Every the simplest concept like Beer Pong can get the multi-screen RGB LED treatment](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/026-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Every the simplest concept like Beer Pong can get the multi-screen RGB LED treatment ![Shooting games are always popular](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/020-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Shooting games are always popular ![Some stands had such bright games they didn't need any hall lighting](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/009-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Some stands had such bright games they didn’t need any hall lighting There was also a packed seminars schedule over the show’s first two days covering a wide range of issues affecting the entertainment industry. ![The seminars schedule](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/013-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The seminars schedule ![The seminars area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/019-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The seminars area ![The seminars area in the hall](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/017-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The seminars area in the hall Although our report is on the EAG Expo show, and it is certainly occupies the largest part of the floorspace, EAG sits alongside the Socially Immersive Entertainment Expo and the London Casino & Gaming Show. The London Casino & Gaming Show contained a mix of gaming machines and casino equipment, as well as hosting the final heats of the UK Dealer’s Championship. As it was a adult-orientated show, this area was cordoned-off with security making sure no under-age visitors entered. ![Inside the London Casino & Gaming Show](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/021-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Inside the London Casino & Gaming Show ![Some of the many large and impressive video slots](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/022-eag-expo-2026.jpg) Some of the many large and impressive video slots ![The finals of the UK Dealers' Championship](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/eag-expo-2026/025-eag-expo-2026.jpg) The finals of the UK Dealers’ Championship Finally, here’s our exclusive video walkthrough of EAG Expo 2026. Don’t forget to view it in full 4K UHD for the best experience. EAG Expo 2026 - Walkthrough Tour - Pinball News - YouTube Pinball News EAG Expo 2026 - Walkthrough Tour - Pinball News Pinball News Search Info Shopping 0:00 / •Live • So that concludes our look around this year’s EAG Expo. We hope you enjoyed it despite only having five pinballs exhibited. We’d like to say we look forward to seeing more pinballs at next year’s show, but unless the economics of exhibiting improve, we’re not holding our breath. 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