Month: October 2022

The international media has been fixated on the upsurge of interest in terms such as “the Metaverse” – preaching a new religion of virtual commerce and immersive experiences. Many of these developments have been linked, in many cases, to blockchain activity, as well as the need to experience these environments only in virtual reality. This latest Stinger Report takes a snapshot of these developments, and the implications for the future.  Metaverse Falling into Focus The reality of the immersive VR environments being proposed took a hit from continuing criticism. As with the World Wide Web’s aspirations to metamorphosize into the Information Superhighway that would materialize back in the day – only to becoming the open Internet we know today. The dreams of a walled garden for immersive commerce, as a replacement to the internet, has been labelled “Web3” and some […]

The UK saw the last of the major gatherings for the amusement trade before the big events in Orlando and the coming IAAPA Expo. Along with this, great developments in the leisure and social entertainment scene, with several new venue openings and new trends being charted in the scene. Autumn CoinOp Show (ACOS) Over 20 leading UK-based amusement, redemption and services companies gathered at the ibis London Earls Court Hotel ballroom, to present to executives and operators from the bar and pub, casino, seaside arcade, FEC, and Adult Gaming Center (AGC) scenes in a preview of the market. Only a matter of weeks after IAAPA-EMEA’22 and just before the IAAPA Orlando events, the ACOS’22 event offered a chance for UK sales business to be solidified, and those in the trade unable to attend the international offering to have a preview […]

Rundown of trade and entertainment developments that took place after IAAPA-EMEA’22, and the rush to promote the latest developments and licensing opportunities in the digital landscape continued apace. Along with the Tokyo gaming convention, we see the licensing sector in Europe show its attraction colours and much more.   Tokyo Game Show 2022 (TGS’22) The Japanese major consumer gaming event took pride of place in the territory, coming to terms with physical events once again, and the leading consumer game studios and console hardware manufacturers invested heavily on major publicity, promotion, and spectacle. A return to physical events seemed popular with the gaming audience, though active COVID measures were very much in evidence. One of those who took the event as a starting gun for their latest investment into the VR space was SONY Interactive Entertainment (SIE). The company had, […]

A cluster of interesting international trade events took place before the big end-of-year conventions. These offered a snapshot at the investment recommencing into the entertainment and leisure space, as the build-up for the fall season took hold. We also reveal some interesting new aspects and trends that are beginning to impact the sector. Wet and Wild! The 42nd annual World Waterpark Association Symposium & Trade Show (WWA’22), held in Las Vegas, is pivotal event for the waterpark and resort sector of the industry – while much has been consolidated over the years into IAAPA, the WWA is 100-percent focused on the water attraction and entertainment scene. The need to stay relevant was shaping the show floor, as the thinking of the trade gathered.  As reported in our IAAPA-EMEA’22 coverage, the appearance of “VR Waterplay” in floor rides, attractions and special […]