The Ice Cold Beer Classic Arcade Remake Is Here!

Knapp Arcade·article·analyzed·Dec 2, 2022

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.013

TL;DR

Retro Arcade Remake launching Ice Cold Beer arcade remake in Jan 2023 at $5,499.

Summary

Retro Arcade Remake has announced the imminent production of a faithful remake of Taito's 1983 arcade classic Ice Cold Beer, with full production beginning January 2023 at an MSRP of $5,499. The remake features modernized internals (stepper motors, new boards, additional sensors) while maintaining the original's distinctive two-joystick mechanical gameplay. The company also plans a family-friendly Zeke's Peak remake and is in discussions with Atari about remaking Warlords.

Key Claims

Full production of Ice Cold Beer remake will begin January 2023
high confidence · Company's relaunched website announcement; explicitly stated timeline
Ice Cold Beer remake MSRP is $5,499
high confidence · Directly stated pricing from company
Remake uses new boards and stepper motors instead of belt drives
high confidence · Technical specifications provided by Retro Arcade Remake
Zeke's Peak (1984) family-friendly version planned for future launch
high confidence · Explicitly stated in company announcements
Retro Arcade Remake in discussions with Atari about remaking Warlords cocktail game
medium confidence · Referenced as ongoing discussions; not yet confirmed for production

Notable Quotes

“The new games also have additional sensors on holes to enable potential new versions of the game to be programmed in the future.”
Knapp Arcade (reporting on Retro Arcade Remake specifications) — Indicates forward-compatibility and extensibility of the remake platform
“As the prices for classic arcade machines continue to rise, newer remakes of these iconic machines become more economically viable, at least in terms of the fact that the price for a brand new remake is somewhat close to an original.”
Knapp Arcade (editorial commentary) — Contextualizes market conditions driving arcade machine remakes
“The game is played using two joysticks to control a horizontal bar that balances a metal ball.”
Knapp Arcade — Core gameplay mechanic explanation of Ice Cold Beer

Entities

Retro Arcade RemakecompanyIce Cold BeerproductZeke's PeakproductWarlordsproductTaitocompanyAtaricompany Knapp Arcadeorganization

Signals

?
business_signal: Market conditions making arcade machine remakes economically viable as original prices increase
medium · Author commentary: 'As the prices for classic arcade machines continue to rise, newer remakes of these iconic machines become more economically viable'
?
licensing_signal: Retro Arcade Remake in discussions with Atari regarding Warlords cocktail game remake license
medium · Referenced as ongoing discussions; 'Regular readers of this website will recall that Retro Arcade Remake has been in discussions with Atari'
?
announcement: Official announcement of Ice Cold Beer arcade remake with production timeline and pricing
high · Retro Arcade Remake website announcement stating production begins January 2023; MSRP $5,499
?
product_strategy: Future plans include Zeke's Peak family-friendly version and competition play mode as upgrade
high · Explicitly stated: 'planning on launching the 1984 more family-friendly Zeke's Peak version' and 'plans to add competition play to the game as a future upgrade'
?
technology_signal: Modernization of arcade machine internals: new boards, stepper motors replacing belt drives, additional sensors for future programming
high · Detailed technical specifications provided: 'redesigned boards and screw drives with powerful stepper motors instead of belt drives' and 'additional sensors on holes'

Topics

Arcade machine remakes and reproductionprimaryMechanical arcade game design and modernizationprimaryArcade game pricing and market economicssecondaryLicensing and IP partnerships with original manufacturerssecondaryRetro gaming and classic arcade preservationsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Author expresses enthusiasm for the remake ('much anticipated,' 'I've always liked this'), positive framing of technical improvements, optimistic about market viability and future projects. No criticism or concerns raised.

Transcript

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The much anticipated remake of Taito's 1983 sought after classic arcade game, Ice Cold Beer, is here (almost). The company's recently relaunched website says that it's here, but full production of the game won't begin until January 2023. This is a project that I've had my eye on for a while now. I've always liked this vertical pinball-esque game. The Ice Cold Beer version of the machine will be available soon and the company, Retro Arcade Remake, is planning on launching the 1984 more family-friendly Zeke's Peak version of the game in the future. Both machines look virtually identical to the originals and feature identical leaf switch joysticks, but they use new, redesigned boards and screw drives with powerful stepper motors instead of belt drives. The new games also have additional sensors on holes to enable potential new versions of the game to be programmed in the future. The company also plans to add competition play to the game as a future upgrade as well. The MSRP of the new Ice Cold Beer machines is $5,499. Retro Arcade Remake is going to sell them through a number of existing arcade machine distributors. Regular readers of this website will recall that Retro Arcade Remake has been in discussions with Atari about potentially remaking the highly sought after Warlords cocktail game. I hope that project comes to fruition as well. As the prices for classic arcade machines continue to rise, newer remakes of these iconic machines become more economically viable, at least in terms of the fact that the price for a brand new remake is somewhat close to an original. The Ice Cold Beer arcade game is a cult classic. The game is played using two joysticks to control a horizontal bar that balances a metal ball. The objective is to maneuver the ball carefully up a playfield full of holes, with the goal to deposit the ball into the lit hole. If the player is successful, the bar returns to the bottom to reset. Each round, the game gets increasingly difficult, as the lit hole gets higher and higher up the playfield. If the ball deposits into an unlit hole, the game is over. Anyone who is interested in finding out more information about the ICB remake or ordering one can do so by clicking on the link below: https://retroarcaderemake.com/