Endgame – April 2026

Replay Magazine·article·analyzed·Apr 2, 2026

Analysis

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TL;DR

Stern Pokémon pinball positioned as multi-generational hit; operators face cost and parts challenges.

Summary

Adam Pratt from Arcade Galactic discusses spring 2026 arcade and pinball trends, highlighting Stern's upcoming Pokémon pinball as a multi-generational IP with strong market potential, tournament organization as a revenue strategy for pinball operators, and broader industry challenges including high equipment costs, parts availability, and tariff impacts. He also reviews new arcade games from IAAPA and Amusement Expo, emphasizing licensing trends and the need for accessible pricing to attract younger audiences to pinball.

Key Claims

Stern Pokémon pinball doesn't cost over $10k for the base model, unlike some other IP pins with kid appeal
high confidence · Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic operator, discussing Pokémon as accessible pricing strategy
Pokémon is multi-generational with no controversy and appeals to Gen Xers, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha equally
high confidence · Adam Pratt analysis of Pokémon IP strengths for pinball market expansion
Pinball tournament organization is one of the few things that helps pinball games make money at arcade locations
high confidence · Adam Pratt reflecting on his three tournaments in February at Arcade Galactic
Bandai Namco's Resident Evil 2: Arcade was set to begin testing in Tokyo at end of March 2026
high confidence · Adam Pratt citing official testing schedule announced by Bandai Namco
Amusement Source International indicated they would bring Wahlap's Storm Rider X to U.S. shores
medium confidence · Adam Pratt reporting on ASI's distribution plans for Storm Rider X motorcycle racing cabinet
Pokémon rumor had been circulating through the industry for a few years before official announcement
medium confidence · Adam Pratt noting prior knowledge of Pokémon from rumor mill before formal reveal
Pinball market demographics are primarily Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, with ongoing concern about attracting younger players
high confidence · Adam Pratt observing industry demographic challenges and IP strategy response
RAM and SSD prices have skyrocketed due to AI trends, contributing to inflated arcade cabinet pricing
medium confidence · Adam Pratt citing factors affecting new equipment prices at Amusement Expo 2026

Notable Quotes

“If you have pinball machines and some regulars, it's worth talking with them to see if they're willing and able to organize tournaments for your location. It's one of the few things that helps my pinball games make some money.”
Adam Pratt @ Early article section — Practical operator strategy for pinball revenue generation during industry downturn
“Pokémon is brilliant because it's multi-generational and has no controversy... it appeals to Gen Xers, Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha all the same.”
Adam Pratt @ Pinball section — Core analysis of why Stern Pokémon is positioned as breakthrough IP for attracting younger demographics
“Now does that guarantee that it'll be a mega-hit? No, but the potential is there since it is in a great position to attract new people to pinball who might not otherwise pay any attention.”
Adam Pratt @ Pokémon analysis section — Measured optimism about Pokémon's market impact despite acknowledging success is not guaranteed
“Stern's Pokémon doesn't cost over $10k for the base model, unlike some other IP pins that have kid appeal.”
Adam Pratt @ Pokémon pricing section — Key differentiator for Pokémon accessibility compared to Harry Potter and AVATAR pricing
“There's a lot to be said. I wish you all a profitable spring and hope you'll check back for next month's Endgame on other notable new games at Amusement Expo.”
Adam Pratt @ Closing section — Industry-wide concern about parts/service costs warrants future dedicated column

Entities

Adam PrattpersonArcade GalacticcompanyStern PinballcompanyPokémongameJersey Jack Pinballcompany Harry PottergameAVATARgameAmerican Pinballcompany Hot Wheelsgame

Signals

?
product_strategy: Stern positions Pokémon under $10k base model pricing to make younger-appeal IP accessible vs. Harry Potter/AVATAR premium pricing; deliberate strategy to expand demographic reach
high · Adam Pratt analysis: 'Stern's Pokémon doesn't cost over $10k for the base model, unlike some other IP pins that have kid appeal'
$
market_signal: Arcade cabinet prices remain inflated; RAM/SSD shortage driven by AI computing demand; tariff changes adding cost pressure
high · Adam Pratt: 'still-inflated prices (not helped by AI trends causing some RAM and SSD prices to skyrocket) and some changes to tariffs'
?
operational_signal: Pinball tournaments organized by local fans are valuable revenue drivers for venue operators; worth engaging community to organize
high · Adam Pratt: 'It's one of the few things that helps my pinball games make some money' after running three tournaments in February
?
supply_chain_signal: Operators reporting high cost of replacement parts and prolonged stockouts (months) of custom/specialized parts; issue significant enough to warrant industry column
high · Adam Pratt: 'operators have been sharing online lately about the high cost of parts for many games and frustrations over the unavailability of custom parts for some games'
~
sentiment_shift: Arcade operators expressing frustration about operational costs (equipment, parts, services); mall arcade business stability challenged despite tournament efforts
high · Adam Pratt: 'my mall arcade business hasn't been the greatest... issues I've been experiencing the past few years remain unresolved'

Topics

Pokémon pinball as multi-generational IP strategyprimaryOperator revenue challenges and tournament organizationprimaryArcade game pricing, costs, and tariff impactsprimaryParts availability and service challenges in arcade industryprimaryDemographic expansion of pinball to younger audiencessecondaryNew arcade game licensing trends and IP strategysecondaryAmusement Expo and IAAPA game showcasessecondaryCashless payment systems adoption (Amusement Connect)mentioned

Sentiment

neutral(0)

Transcript

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Pratt Shares About Pinball, Games & More by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com Spring is here once again, and with the flowers blooming and temps rising, people will hopefully be out and about looking for fun. The winter was an odd one. Most of the eastern U.S. was battered by cold and snow, while the western U.S. felt like it skipped winter and lazily held spring instead. Here in Utah, we had record-low snowfall, which is not a good spot to be in for the summer when you live in a desert. I may sound a bit like a broken record lately, but my mall arcade business hasn’t been the greatest. Thankfully, it’s been stable, but the issues I’ve been experiencing the past few years remain unresolved. I have explored moving, which would really change things up, but I need more capital to make that realistic. One thing we’ve continued to do that has helped maintain stability is run pinball tournaments. In February, we had a tournament on three of the four Saturdays – all organized by local pinball fans. If you have pinball machines and some regulars, it’s worth talking with them to see if they’re willing and able to organize tournaments for your location. It’s one of the few things that helps my pinball games make some money. Also, I finally made the jump and got a card system, choosing Amusement Connect. Here’s where I am right now: I had limited funds, so I couldn’t get a reader for every game (I have 25 readers and 72 game cabinets to convert), and I also haven’t installed all of the readers I do have yet. Because I have fewer readers than games, I can’t gut the coin mechs from all machines (some of them have no space for both coin slots and a reader). So, I’m in a bit of limbo right now, hoping to find the money to add the other 50 or so readers, get them fully operational, and enjoy the higher earnings. On to the Show As you read this, we just had Amusement Expo, where there were more new games than we usually see. But I’m writing this before AEI, so I can only go so deep into the latest amusements and will ask you to tune in next month for a more detailed rundown. It is typical to see a lot of IAAPA repeats at Amusement Expo, and that’s not a bad thing, especially if you didn’t make it to the Orlando show. And even if you did, you might not have had a lot of time to play the games, so it’s nice to get another chance at it. Games I checked out at IAAPA that I’d like to play a bit more include Raw Thrills’ Godzilla Kaiju Wars DX, Wahlap’s Storm Racer 2, Bandai Namco’s Speed Rider 4DX, and exA-Arcadia’s Baki Hanma Blood Arena. Each of these impressed me in some way, whether through their graphics, sound, gameplay, cabinet, or a combination of all four. They’d all be on my game room floor if I had the budget. I hope Bandai Namco had Resident Evil 2: Arcade on hand, since it was to begin testing in Tokyo at the end of March (it has already undergone limited testing in both the U.K. and U.S.). I wasn’t holding my breath for it to be at this event, but if it was, I’ll share my impressions next month. The violent nature of this zombie-shooting game might keep it out of family-centric locations, but you can’t rule out the extremely loyal and vocal fanbase for it. If you had The Walking Dead Arcade on location, this could perform on par with or better than it did. Amusement Source International indicated they would bring Wahlap’s Storm Rider X over to our shores. Developed by the same company that produced the excellent Storm Racer 2, Storm Rider X uses the same kind of cabinet with a giant 85” 4K screen that is mounted vertically in front of the player. Instead of being a car racer, this one is a motorcycle driver, and it faces stiff competition from the likes of the dominant Super Bikes 3 and the aforementioned Speed Rider 4DX (which features an excellent twin cabinet and an innovative sliding bike controller). From what I’ve seen of Storm Rider X, I think it will hold its own. Back to pinball, the biggest news in that arena is certainly Stern Pinball’s Pokémon. I had heard about this one through the rumor mill a few years ago, but from the first moment I heard of the idea, I thought it was brilliant. While the demographics of the pinball business are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, there is always the lamentation that younger people are needed to sustain the market. The new pinball game market isn’t exclusively based on older themes, as we saw with Jersey Jack Pinball’s Harry Potter and AVATAR, and American Pinball’s Hot Wheels a few years back. Still, we do see more older-adult themes than those that can appeal to a younger crowd. Pokémon is brilliant because it’s multi-generational and has no controversy. If you look at a lot of major IPs, there seems to be some polarizing factor that pits old fans against the new ones. Pokémon doesn’t have any of that baggage, and it has been present on TV, movies, card games and video games from the ’90s until now. It appeals to Gen Xers, Millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha all the same. Now does that guarantee that it’ll be a mega-hit? No, but the potential is there since it is in a great position to attract new people to pinball who might not otherwise pay any attention. It’s certainly on my radar, since I do have a few kids who pass through my arcade, rarely looking in pinball’s direction. Also, Stern’s Pokémon doesn’t cost over $10k for the base model, unlike some other IP pins that have kid appeal. Licensing is big in coinland and Amusement Expo had plenty of games tied to big IPs: John Wick by Blue Motion Games, the Cyberpunk 2077 racing game from UNIS, AVATAR Legends from exA-Arcadia, two different G.I. Joe games (a beat-’em-up by exA-Arcadia and an artillery cannon game from JET Games that was shown at IAAPA), and Butts On Things cranes and toys by Alan-1. I’m not certain which might be the best performer of the bunch, but that last one does appeal to kids and young adults, and as was showcased in RePlay’s February issue, it stands to give ducks a run for their money. What else has the potential to be a hit this summer remains to be seen, but there is certainly no lack of content. The problem will be the price. Aside from still-inflated prices (not helped by AI trends causing some RAM and SSD prices to skyrocket) and some changes to tariffs, a lot of games are still on the high end. In addition to new equipment prices, operators have been sharing online lately about the high cost of parts for many games and frustrations over the unavailability of custom parts for some games. (It seems some go out of stock for months on end.) There’s likely enough for an entire column just on the state of parts and service in our industry, but before I write about it, I’d like to talk more with my fellow operators about what they face, both the good and the not-so-good. There’s a lot to be said. I wish you all a profitable spring and hope you’ll check back for next month’s Endgame on other notable new games at Amusement Expo. 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].