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AUTUMN COIN-OP SHOW 2021

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Oct 20, 2021
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.018

TL;DR

Autumn Coin-Op Show 2021: Godzilla makes UK debut, three pinball machines exhibited to operators.

Summary

Pinball News attended the Autumn Coin-Op Show 2021 in London (October 20-21), a smaller companion event to EAG International targeting operators. Three pinball machines were displayed: Stern's Godzilla Pro (first UK appearance, featuring the new Insider Connected system) and Avengers: Infinity Quest on the Electrocoin stand, and a Led Zeppelin Pro on the Game Payment Technology stand demonstrating cashless payment integration. Godzilla received positive impressions for gameplay and rulesets despite incomplete display/lighting animations and a non-functional action button.

Key Claims

  • Godzilla is Stern's first title to include the Insider Connected system

    high confidence · Pinball News reporter directly observed the game at ACOS 2021

  • Godzilla Pro arrived from Elk Grove Village just in time for the show opening

    high confidence · Direct reporting from the event; Elk Grove Village is Stern's HQ location

  • The Godzilla game at the show wasn't connected to the internet

    high confidence · Pinball News reporter observation: 'this game wasn't connected to the internet as far as we could tell'

  • The action button on the lock bar on the Godzilla wasn't functioning

    high confidence · Direct observation during gameplay testing

  • Godzilla had incomplete display and lighting animations at the time of ACOS 2021

    high confidence · Reporter observation: 'There is clearly work still to do on the display and lighting animations'

Notable Quotes

  • “Of the two we found Godzilla to be the more fun title, with a good variety of interesting shots.”

    Pinball News reporter — Direct evaluation of game experience; Godzilla favored over Avengers: Infinity Quest

  • “There is clearly work still to do on the display and lighting animations, but even without all the innovative features of the Premium and LE variants it shot well, had a good ruleset and was our 'go-to' game.”

    Pinball News reporter — Assessment of Godzilla's development status and gameplay quality despite unfinished elements

  • “Electrocoin is the sole UK importer of Stern Pinball products and handles most of the trade sales.”

    Pinball News reporter — Key distribution channel information for UK market

Entities

Autumn Coin-Op Show 2021eventStern PinballcompanyGodzillagameAvengers: Infinity QuestgameLed ZeppelingameElectrocoincompanyGame Payment TechnologycompanyILEC Conference Centreevent_venueEAG Internationalevent

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Electrocoin confirmed as sole UK importer of Stern Pinball with responsibility for operator trade sales

    high · Direct reporting: 'Electrocoin is the sole UK importer of Stern Pinball products and handles most of the trade sales'

  • ?

    community_signal: Cashless payment system integration on pinball machines gaining commercial viability; Game Payment Technology demonstrating Led Zeppelin integration

    medium · Led Zeppelin Pro on Game Payment Technology stand with functional payment system demo at trade show

  • $

    market_signal: Operator-focused trade show exhibiting tier-differentiated Stern titles (Pro models); demonstrates market segmentation strategy

    high · Both Godzilla and Avengers shown as Pro models at operator-targeted event; reporter notes 'this is a show targeting operators than home buyers'

  • ?

    announcement: Godzilla Pro makes first UK appearance at ACOS 2021; officially confirmed as shipping title with Insider Connected system

    high · Direct exhibition and playable demo at trade show; Electrocoin confirming arrival from Stern HQ

  • ?

    product_concern: Godzilla Pro exhibited with incomplete display/lighting animations and non-functional action button at October 2021 trade show

    high · Reporter observations: 'There is clearly work still to do on the display and lighting animations' and 'The action button on the lock bar wasn't functioning either'

Topics

Game playability and gameplay qualityprimaryStern Pinball product launches and distributionprimaryInsider Connected system debutprimaryOperator-focused trade show activityprimaryCashless payment integration for pinballsecondaryUK pinball market and distribution channelssecondaryGame development incomplete features at launch eventssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.72)— Godzilla received favorable gameplay impressions despite unfinished technical elements (animations, non-functional button). Reporters expressed genuine enjoyment and preference. No negative sentiment toward manufacturers or products; tone is professional and constructively critical. Show itself described as well-organized for operators.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Date: 20th-21st October, 2021 Location: ILEC Conference Centre, 47 Lillie Road, London SW6 1UD, UK The Autumn Coin-Op Show is the little sibling of the annual EAG International which is usually held each year in east London at the massive ExCel Exhibition Centre. This smaller Autumn show (also known as ACOS) has been hosted at various venues in the capital but, after skipping 2020 due to the pandemic, has arrived at the 1,260m2 ILEC Conference Centre in west London’s Earls Court, adjacent to the IBIS London Earls Court hotel. ![The entrance to the ILEC Conference Centre](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/001-acos-2021.jpg) The entrance to the ILEC Conference Centre ![This way to the Autumn Coin-Op Show](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/003-acos-2021.jpg) This way to the Autumn Coin-Op Show The ILEC is a much smaller space than the ExCel, allowing just 28 exhibition stands on the main show floor, plus a couple outside in the lobby area. There is a central bar and plenty of seating to enjoy the refreshments or hold an impromptu meeting. While the spring EAG show is a market place for the operators looking forward to the upcoming summer season, the demand for new coin-op equipment heading into winter is somewhat lower. Nevertheless, there is a continuing need for fresh indoor entertainment in family entertainment centres (FECs), inland arcades and single-site locations. ![The centre of the show floor](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/002-acos-2021.jpg) The centre of the show floor ACOS last two days and we were there on the first day to see what pinball was present and if there were any other products of interest. There were actually three pinball machines, two of which were available for visitors to play. The first two of these were on the Electrocoin stand and featured the first appearance in the UK of Stern Pinball’s new Godzilla design. ![The Electrocoin stand at ACOS 2021](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/008-acos-2021.jpg) The Electrocoin stand at ACOS 2021 Electrocoin is the sole UK importer of Stern Pinball products and handles most of the trade sales. The Godzilla game arrived from Elk Grove Village just in time for the opening of the show. ![The Avengers: Infinity Quest and Godzilla](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/005-acos-2021.jpg) The Avengers: Infinity Quest and Godzilla Both titles were Pro models which made sense as this is a more of a show targeting operators than home buyers. Godzilla is Stern’s first title to include the Insider Connected system, but this game wasn’t connected to the internet as far as we could tell. The action button on the lock bar wasn’t functioning either. ![Stern Pinball's Godzilla Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/006-acos-2021.jpg) Stern Pinball’s Godzilla Pro Of the two we found Godzilla to be the more fun title, with a good variety of interesting shots. There is clearly work still to do on the display and lighting animations, but even without all the innovative features of the Premium and LE variants it shot well, had a good ruleset and was our ‘go-to’ game. After a reasonable first attempt with 140M, the second game went much better. ![Grand Champion on game two](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/007-acos-2021.jpg) Grand Champion on game two The third pinball at ACOS could be found on the stand of Game Payment Technology. ![The Game Payment Technology stand](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/011-acos-2021.jpg) The Game Payment Technology stand Game Payment Technology is a cashless electronic payment system developed by the amusement and gaming industries in the UK to create a way to pay for games on amusement or gambling machines, and also pay out any winnings. ![The Led Zeppelin Pro](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/009-acos-2021.jpg) The Led Zeppelin Pro They had this Led Zeppelin Pro machine on their stand, fitted with their payment system to show how cashless credits could be purchased using their app. ![The payment system's details](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/010-acos-2021.jpg) The payment system’s details While the term ‘coin-op’ has traditionally referred to non-gambling equipment, there as been a steady increase in the number of ‘slot machines’ at coin-op shows. The EAG show in the spring includes quite a large number of low-stakes slot machines even though the bigger ICE London show held a few weeks later is the main target for the high-stakes casino slots manufacturers. ACOS also had a high proportion of slots amongst the products on display. ![Lots of slots at ACOS 2021](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/014-acos-2021.jpg) Lots of slots at ACOS 2021 ![There were both digital and mechanical slots to play](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/016-acos-2021.jpg) There were both digital and mechanical slots to play ![Pretty much any theme ends up on a slot machine](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/004-acos-2021.jpg) Pretty machine Fortunately, there were still plenty of other types of amusements to keep us entertained, including shooting games, pushers and assorted skill games. ![It's not Jurassic Park, but it's really Jurassic Park](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/012-acos-2021.jpg) It’s not Jurassic Park, but it’s really Jurassic Park ![Pushers continue to be popular](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/019-acos-2021.jpg) Pushers continue to be popular ![...very popular](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/013-acos-2021.jpg) …very popular ![Somehow we found the sight of these caged bears hanging by a thread incredibly sad](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/acos-2021/015-acos-2021.jpg) Somehow, despite their smiles, their heads incredibly sad There were no more pinball references or particular games of interest to report, so we’ll end this article with our usual video walk around the show in the exclusive Pinball News Six Minute Tour. VIDEO If you’re interested in seeing more new coin-op products, we’ll be visiting the much larger IAAPA trade show in Florida next month and will bring you a full report from there, right here at Pinball News.
Insider Connected
product
?

technology_signal: Insider Connected system introduced as first appearance on production Stern game; represents platform evolution for Stern

high · Pinball News report: 'Godzilla is Stern's first title to include the Insider Connected system'