Endgame – May 2026

Replay Magazine·article·analyzed·May 1, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Amusement Expo 2026 showcased 22+ new games with Pokémon Stern leading demand and kid racers dominating arcade trends.

Summary

Adam Pratt covers Amusement Expo 2026 in Las Vegas, highlighting at least 22 new arcade and pinball games debuting at the show. Pokémon by Stern Pinball generated the most pre-show buzz with orders already full through September, while a wave of kid-focused racing games (Disney Speedstorm Arcade, Nickelodeon Kart Arcade, Monster Kart) capitalized on strong demand. Other major debuts included John Wick: Continental Pursuit (Blue Motion Games), Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush (UNIS), and several licensed titles from exA-Arcadia and Alan-1's Atari Recharged series.

Key Claims

Pokémon by Stern Pinball orders were already full through September immediately after the show
high confidence · Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com, reporting from Amusement Expo 2026
This year's Amusement Expo 2026 had the most brand-new products ever encountered, with at least 22 new games debuting
high confidence · Adam Pratt's firsthand observation after attending nearly every show since 2008
Mario Kart Arcade GP DX experiences several months-long wait times due to high demand
medium confidence · Adam Pratt citing observed market trend and UNIS discovery
John Wick: Continental Pursuit will launch globally in May with Dave & Buster's exclusivity in North America
high confidence · Adam Pratt reporting from Amusement Expo 2026 show floor
Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush is priced below other twin racers on the market
medium confidence · Adam Pratt's assessment at Amusement Expo 2026

Notable Quotes

“Right after AEI, orders were already full through September, and if demand continues to grow, it could be even longer by the time that you read this.”
Adam Pratt @ N/A — Pokémon Stern demand signal — unprecedented order backlog immediately after show announcement
“Pokémon bridges generations. It's fun and the layout not overly complex, which I think is crucial when you are trying to appeal to a new crowd.”
Adam Pratt @ N/A — Analysis of Pokémon's mass-market appeal and design strategy
“I do sincerely hope that Stern is able to get feature updates rolled out faster than usual for this one.”
Adam Pratt @ N/A — Criticism of Stern's historical code update velocity applied to Pokémon
“It's not always possible to have a game 100% finished for a show.”
Adam Pratt @ N/A — Context on show floor prototypes and WIP status; plea for more complete software at shows
“I'd be grabbing most of these. I'd also throw in DOF Robotics' Compact Flying Theater, but even if I had the money, it wouldn't fit into my space.”
Adam Pratt @ N/A — Personal buying preferences revealing high confidence in multiple 2026 releases

Entities

Adam PrattpersonStern PinballcompanyPokémon (Stern)gameBlue Motion GamescompanyJohn Wick: Continental PursuitgameUNIScompanyCyberpunk 2077: Chrome RushgameexA-ArcadiacompanyG.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobragame

Signals

?
announcement: Pokémon by Stern Pinball officially revealed at Amusement Expo 2026; generated pre-show buzz and immediate sell-out ordering pattern
high · Orders full through September immediately after show; described as generating 'the most buzz before the show even started'
$
market_signal: Unprecedented demand surge for Pokémon Stern; orders backlogged through September post-show with potential for longer wait times
high · Adam Pratt: 'Right after AEI, orders were already full through September, and if demand continues to grow, it could be even longer'
$
market_signal: Converging trend of multiple manufacturers (Adrenaline Amusements, Andamiro USA, UNIS) launching kid-focused racing arcade games, responding to sustained high demand from Mario Kart Arcade GP DX wait times
high · Adam Pratt reports: 'Demand has long been high for Mario Kart Arcade GP DX... there's an opportunity there given the several months-long wait times.' Multiple racers debuting in response.
?
product_strategy: Video game market continues to favor high-profile IP licensing; major debuts included John Wick, Cyberpunk 2077, G.I. Joe, Avatar Legends, and Atari brands
high · Adam Pratt: 'IP is still king of video, as we saw several other high-profile names on the Expo floor'
?
product_launch: Multiple major arcade games targeting summer 2026 launches: John Wick Continental Pursuit (May globally), Cyberpunk 2077 Chrome Rush, G.I. Joe Wrath of Cobra, Avatar Legends all summer 2026
high · Show floor confirmations from Adam Pratt's reporting on multiple titles with explicit May/summer 2026 launch windows

Transcript

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The New Games of Amusement Expo 2026 by Adam Pratt, Arcade Galactic & ArcadeHeroes.com We’re well on our way toward summer, but let’s take this opportunity to see what is leading us there, as found on the show floor of Amusement Expo 2026 in Las Vegas. Many things make me feel rather old these days, and one of those is the realization that it’s almost been 20 years since I first began attending the spring show. My first was in 2008, when it was known as Amusement Showcase International or ASI. I’ve only missed it once during that time. Sure, if you’ve attended IAAPA in the fall, you will see a lot of product repeats. But in recent years, there’s been an interesting change: there are more new-new products to check out that weren’t in Orlando. This year saw the introduction of perhaps the most brand-new products I’ve ever encountered at Amusement Expo. It’s possible that I miscounted here, but I caught at least 22 new games (among video, redemption and pinball) that made a debut at the show…and many are looking to ship before the weather gets toasty. Since I’ve covered all newly introduced products online for almost two decades, I’ve learned that it’s important to emphasize that a lot of these are prototypes – unfinished works-in-progress. Too many route and fun center operators like to make their final judgments on these things, which is unfair to do but still takes place. It’s not always possible to have a game 100% finished for a show. I do wish that we could see more complete software appear in production models of games (especially pinball titles), but that’s a separate discussion for another time. The Newest of the New Taking a look at the games likely to heat things up over the next little while for our businesses, let’s start with the one that generated the most buzz before the show even started: Pokémon by Stern Pinball. I learned that being slow to order that one turns out to have been unwise. Right after AEI, orders were already full through September, and if demand continues to grow, it could be even longer by the time that you read this. Interest in this game isn’t a surprise. As I wrote in last month’s Endgame, Pokémon bridges generations. It’s fun and the layout not overly complex, which I think is crucial when you are trying to appeal to a new crowd. I do sincerely hope that Stern is able to get feature updates rolled out faster than usual for this one. One interesting trend that became more apparent here than at other shows is seeing developers respond to demand for kid-focused racing games. Demand has long been high for Bandai Namco’s Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, and as UNIS discovered not long ago, there’s an opportunity there given the several months-long wait times. They’ve been seeing great sales for their Monster Kart (which was at the show), but now both Adrenaline Amusements and Andamiro USA are throwing their hats into the kid racer ring with Disney Speedstorm Arcade and Nickelodeon Kart Arcade, respectively. Both are based on a widely known IP, although Disney does have an edge simply due to the length of time that many of those characters have been around, plus the greater quantity of films and TV shows that back them. Both games are also based upon home editions that have been greatly modified to fit in with the needs of the arcade. That’s mainly where the similarities in their style ends. Disney Speedstorm Arcade is targeting FECs with its huge vertical display, motion seat and card dispenser/reader feature (the game does NOT require the dispenser to be filled to operate however). Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade uses a cabinet design that reminds me of racers from 10-20 years ago, as it’s something that can comfortably fit into smaller locations. It has a 43” horizontal screen, no motion, no cards and should come in at a considerably lower price point. It will be fascinating to see how both of these will perform on the market, but demand is definitely there. IP is still king of video, as we saw several other high-profile names on the Expo floor. Blue Motion Games made their grand debut at AEI 2025 with Desert Strike and Cannonball Jam, but this time they grabbed headlines by debuting John Wick: Continental Pursuit. It uses a similar concept to their Desert Strike game, which puts players into John Wick’s seat with some nice metal guns, wind effects, and a motion seat. John Wick: Continental Pursuit has generated a bit of buzz online already, as we haven’t really seen a gun game like it in a while, although its whole simulator package also helps it stand out. The model at the show only had one level, while the final will have three, along with a few other changes. It will launch to most of the planet in May, although it will be a Dave & Buster’s exclusive in North America for the time being. UNIS has occasionally dabbled with licenses, such as they did a few years ago with Wicked Tuna, but at this show, they had a big name from the home game world on display with Cyperpunk 2077: Chrome Rush. This puts players onto motorcycles with the added twist of being able to assault your enemies with melee attacks, and the occasional firearm. It reminds me of the somewhat obscure 1990s Motor Raid racer from Sega, but with this license, a strong graphics package and a really cool, detailed cabinet, it’s more than enough to stand on its own two wheels. I can see this being a big hit. By the way, the price is below some other twin racers on the market, which puts it into a very good position when it launches this summer. For a quick detour from licensed IPs, UNIS also debuted Pickleball Rivals. This game, which capitalizes on the still-growing sport, will cost a lot less than installing pickleball courts in your facility. It reminds me of titles like Tennis in Wii Sports. Over at exA-Arcadia, they are also leaning into known names, debuting G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game (based upon the popular anime series, Avatar: The Last Airbender). G.I. Joe is a beat-’em-up in the style of the old Konami games like TMNT or The Simpsons, while Avatar Legends is a 1v1 fighting game more like Street Fighter. Both launch this summer, and are some of the most affordable titles I saw. Alan-1 had a huge booth space – their largest to date – which was filled with familiar names, mostly from Atari. Aside from their Butts on Things cranes and toys, which debuted at IAAPA 2025, they had the Atari PONG Real Mechanical Coffee Table and the return of the Atari PONG Cocktail Arcade Table. Alan-1 also debuted three new games in their Atari Recharged series: Breakout, Caverns of Mars and Yars. These used a very interesting 3D effect by employing a modern idea used in the past on games like Space Invaders. This technique was modified by using a second monitor for the background while the foreground display used angled glass. The effect looked best on Caverns of Mars: Recharged which is my favorite of the three, although most were talking about Breakout since the original Breakout is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Of course, there was a lot more at the Amusement Expo, but we’ll stop here. If you’re curious about what I plan to buy, if money were no object, I’d be grabbing most of these. I’d also throw in DOF Robotics’ Compact Flying Theater, but even if I had the money, it wouldn’t fit into my space. As it is, Pokémon and a couple of as-yet-publicly-unannounced exA-Arcadia titles are the ones I’m considering right now, while I let that the kid racer battle play out in many FECs for a while. 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].