#1241 – Shaping the New Audience – Part 1

AI Constructed Brief

Leading investors should note a dynamic shift in the amusement and bowling sectors as 2024 concludes, highlighted by a surge in innovation, venue openings, and evolving revenue models. The International Bowl Expo 2025 showcased a pivot toward boutique, social, and experiential entertainment, with amusement manufacturers emphasizing tech-driven attractions like smart redemption games, innovative crane machines, and trade-up prize concepts. The bowling industry is witnessing a strategic clash between traditional sports lanes and emerging boutique, immersive, and competitive social venues, with significant investments in projection systems, immersive lane tech, and streamlined operations. Notably, the closure of BANDAI NAMCO’s ‘Wincha’ online crane service signals challenges in remote play monetization despite rapid growth in Asia. Meanwhile, the rise of “Competitive Socializing” venues—mini-golf, axe-throwing, and gamified experiences—are disrupting conventional models, driven by gamification and automation. International venue rollouts, including resort collaborations, underscore a global appetite for innovative entertainment formats, signaling substantial growth opportunities amidst sector consolidation and technological advancements.

Full Stinger Report

The momentum as we turn the corner of the year was evident in a flurry of amusement and attraction trade events. Events that proved very telling on the state of the trade, and the new hurdles and issues that will shape what have proven a year of new venue opening and investment, covered in this two-part report. 

Bowling’s Schizophrenia Dilemma 

Taking place at the end of June, International Bowl Expo 2025 (IBE’25) was held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington D.C. – the capital of the country, taking place just before the 4th of July celebrations for the USA. The event schedule comprised conference discussions and then moving to the expo floor at the resort, to then end with final debate. This year’s show, along with a unique location, was also facing major restructuring across the bowling sector. 

Amusement had one of the largest representations in recent years at IBE – the impact in the evolution of the Bowling Entertainment Center (BEC) business, towards the Boutique and Social Entertainment venue with bowling, driving a new investment in amusement. Though it must be the right kind of amusement, as the more traditional approach is cast aside for new thinking. 

Amusement Leads the Charge

Many of the amusement trade deciding on presenting new amusement at the show. With new redemption pieces revealed during the event including Smart Industries, ‘Knock’em Blocks’ and JET Games showing ‘Unlock Mania’ to mention just two. From the rest of the resort show floor, the usual appearance from Betson Enterprises with a crowded selection of previously reported new releases from our friends at Raw Thrills, such as ‘Topgun: Maverick Arcade’ along with the latest software updates for the VR and Minecraft properties. 

SEGA Amusement International (SAI), a division of Kaizen Entertainment, coming to the bowling extravaganza with the latest of their amusement wares, the company also showed ‘High Five’, their brand new and innovative crane machine – with a unique design, comprising five claws controlled by a single joystick. Innovation in crane and claw machines as SEGA Japan marks the 40th anniversary of their own groundbreaking ‘UFO Catcher’ platform. 

Many manufacturers did not make the trip to DC but favoured supporting their partner distributors. AVS Companies represented third parties such as Alan-1, showing the final production version of ‘Soda Slam’, as well as other products. Though not exhibiting BANDAI NAMCO Amusement America (BNAA) was also represented on the AVS booth. BNAA had at the show their updated ‘PAC-MAN Pixel Bash Cocktail’ – the updated retro-throwback game machines laden with 32 classic videogame titles from NAMCO’s history. The system aimed at the “PAC-Mancaves” (consumer) scene, as well as a social entertainment deployment. No other big showing for BNA at the bowling show. 

Off the show floor and reported on at the time of its launch by the Stinger, BANDAI NAMCO Amusement Europe, the titular head operation of the BNE amusement Japanese interests in the West, had been running their own “arcade online” portal. Accessible via an app, players able to play actual skill-based amusement pieces, via a “Live Play” feature – as has been seen operated by other online portals. The Stinger Report was one of the first to report on the 2019 explosion in Live Play apps based mainly round crane machines seen across Asia – players using special apps to connect with physical machines to play remotely. The BNAE experiment into this scene was branded ‘Wincha’ – and saw several units operated from the BNAE (UK) warehouse, running the live play – developed in collaboration with We Play Creative.

Though we were one of the first to report on this back in March, the experiment had been running for the last two-years with hopes to make it a profitable, permanent business. But during May, the ‘Wincha’ social media page announced that the skill-based online crane game service would be closing its doors at the beginning of July. This development came as a surprise, only seeing the service up and running for under 24-months. While the social media statement claimed valuable lessons had been taught to BNAE from the release. This is a premature closing of the service and the smartphone and online app going dark. Many remote play crane game app operators in the Western market run successful Live Play systems, such as Toreba, Clawee and GetLive, and even including BANDAI NAMCO Japan, with their own app (‘NAMCO Online Crane’). That an amusement operator found this difficult may point to a new focus for the UK satellite of the Japanese entertainment corporation. 

Returning to IBE’25 convention floor and other amusement centric exhibitors included, Adrenaline Amusement, TouchMagix and Bay Tek Entertainment. LAI Games who had their own booth underlined the importance of IBE by bringing the game that missed AEI’25, their redemption piece ‘NASCAR Pit Stop’ marking its world debut – along with presenting their MR shooter ‘Cyberpunk 2077 Turf Wars’. The company also had their Environmental Cabinet shooter ‘Kaiju Rampage’. The LAI booth also represented new crane tech from Seasons Games with their ‘Wonder Claw Mini’s’. This reflected the explosion in Claw and Crane machines across the industries and reflected at IBE’25, with presentations from exhibitors such as Upside Games. 

UNIS Technology promoted on their crowded booth their emoji redemption and prize platforms, along with their own new tech crane machine offering. They also showed the video racers ‘Monster Kart’, and ‘Bigfoot Smash’ – alongside videmption ‘Carnival Shot’. UNIS was in the news regarding their investment into the new crane revolution, launching a location-based store concept. Alongside their emoji arcade concept, the company revealed their ‘Trade-Up Crane Store’ brand. Many of the latest crane machines shown on their booth have been configured to work with this store concept which the company plans to roll out as a plug-and-play solution that can be customised. The concept employs the “trade-up” elements of allowing customers to accumulate smaller prizes to trade in for a larger one. UNIS sees this as a concept that can compete at a low cost to the score of new “ClawCades” opening across the country. 

Andamiro USA on their booth included the showing of the Chinese import ‘Marksman’ – a video shooting gallery game, previously seen at IAAPA Europe 2024 – (thanks to our friends at Arcade Heroes for their diligence on reporting the new appearances). While distributors such as newly acquired Player One Amusement Group (P1AG), did not show any outward change following the binding agreement to become part of GENDA. They were representing many new third-party releases, as well as promoting a revenue sharing model for venues wanting to add amusement to their mix.

The IBE is primarily a bowling industry gathering, ranging from the traditional sports bowling community, and all their services and support in attendance as normal, though this year, in smaller numbers. But also, reflects the evolving bowling landscape regarding the less traditional application. Charting deployment of bowling into new style BEC and “Competitive Socializing” venues, along with the whole boutique bowling landscape, including the rise of the string bowling sector. Leading exhibitors included Brunswick Bowling Products, showing their ‘Duckpin Social’ and their immersive lane projection system ‘SPARK’, developed in partnership with Touch Magix. While QubicaAMF Worldwide also had a prominent appearance at IBE’25, promoting their ‘EDGE’ string technology and ‘Fly’n Duck Duckpin Bowling’ as well as their projection ‘HyperBowling’ system.

Bowling Changes Lanes

The battle between the sports bowling and BEC business was evident, as well as the battle between string and gravity bowling platforms. Other prominent exhibitors included US Bowling, along with Funk Bowling – who promoted their new ‘Nexus Funk’ platform, using a projection mapped lanes system – which also boasts AI enabled cloud technology in the visuals represented, and the streamlining of kiosk operation. Immersive bowling lane design was seen from DFX, who launched at IBE’25 their ‘InScore FX’ offering immersive display, and integrated scoring and touchscreen support. New generation bowling venues embracing large screens and intense media. 

The bowling industry has been under the microscope. Questions raised regarding revenue models, after the public delisting and then Chapter 11 protection filing of Pinstripes. Once a prominent member of the explosion in “Eatertainment” business, the corporation had raised $70m and had merged with the special purpose acquisition company Banyan Acquisition Corp last year. But entering 2025 delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and reported losses of $3.2m in the third quarter, with same-store sales down by 7.7-percent. All this culminated in June with reported plans to file for bankruptcy protection – with the executive board attempting to keep their 18-facilities open during the proceedings. The Pinstripes operation had modelled itself on a “bistro, bowling and bocce” approach to social entertainment, but had clearly been in trouble for some time. More on these developments covered by our sister publication – Entertainment Social Arena. 

The timing of the International Bowl Expo was very relevant to the incredible number of roll outs of new bowling entertainment venues internationally; ranging from ‘Maximum Copenhagen’ in Denmark, ‘Fun Center Wormerveer’ in the Netherlands, ‘The Scorpion Club’ in Dubai Festival Plaza. The new ‘Superbowl UK’ opening in Wolverhampton, and in Basingstoke, with ‘Timezone and Zone Bowling’ in Victoria, Australia, ‘Strike 78 Bowling Bar’ in Monte Carmelo, Brazil, ‘Pins Mechanical Co.’ in Dayton, Ohio; ‘King Pins’ in Glasgow and the latest ‘Lane7’ in Newcastle, UK. This just a snapshot of the new bowling venues that opened just in June – as reported in our Open & Shut podcast at LBX. This represents an incredible investment in both gravity bowling and duckpin bowling platforms as the entertainment attraction of boutique and social venues. 

One of the new bowling facility concepts that was revealed around the same time as IBE’25 was ‘Mystery Fun House Arcade Experience’ – developed at Westgate Resorts in Kissimmee, Floria, in collaboration with Chuck E. Cheese. The 21,000-sq.,ft., facility comprises a dedicated bowling area alongside amusement, attractions and food halls (MegaBites). Much of the space hoping to capture the nostalgia of the resort’s previous fun house. This is part of a larger multi-faceted technology and cross-brand marketing agreement between Westgate Resorts and Chuck E. Cheese that will see their collaboration on entertainment spaces across property. This is one of many resort and hotel entertainment facility deployments we have been reporting on recently. Chuck E. Cheese owner CEC Entertainment also announced the roll out of 10-new facilities under the ‘Chuck’s Arcade’ brand – offering a less kid-centric entertainment space and hoping to embrace a more retro arcade playing space vibe. The venues comprise exclusive merch and prizes as well as presentations based on the classic “Chuck E. Cheese” brand.  

The Social Revolution

Major developments in the bowling sector, with the growth in boutique and social bowling, against the more traditional sports bowling approach. Many of the latest “Competitive Socializing” venues including a Duckpin or Boutique bowling presence. Competitive socializing embracing the bowling scene has placed pressure on existing venues to stay relevant in the face of growing upscale competition. 

Traditional bowling replaced for simpler applications, without the need for shoes / socks hiring, smaller more convenient bowling balls, and similar operation / servicing, as well as the embracing of Gamification to increase dwell time and add new secondary entertainment spend alongside the bowling. IBE’25 reflected these changes with exhibitors such as Greenspan Projects, the leading mini-golf developer brought an example of their ‘Puttify’ platform, the company defining as mini golf reinvented through smart tech incorporating scoring and touchscreen support. Gamification of darts, axe-throwing and beyond was represented on the LASERTRONS booth, with the latest software update for their popular ‘Krazy Darts’ system.

Creative Works took a booth at IBE’25, promoting their innovative work in the bowling center business and new developments including the launch of their new ‘Boutique Golf’. Though not at the show, the company revealed the development of this non-technology based mini-golf platform for entertainment venues wanting a simple application. This compliments their tech-infused ‘Lucky Putt’ gamified alternative.   The booth also partnered with their collaboration party partner ValoMotion, both operations celebrating the latest successful installations of the ‘ValoArena’, at the Malibu Jack’s in North Richland Hills, Texas. As well as reaching an important milestone with the installation of their 100th ‘ValoArena’ at the Andretti Indoor Karting and Games at Katy, Texas. Social media devouring player content on the ‘ValoArena’, the company reporting 100+ million views on TikTok, and over 28m views across Reddit and Instagram.

Represented on the BowlMarc Robotic booth, the developer Shuffly showed their modular shuffleboard system, with the latest incarnation with the new ‘Shuffle Showdown’ platform. Also, on the booth was one of the few robotic appearances. The bowling sector has been one of the first service industries to embrace autonomous serving, along with lane cleaning systems. BowlMarc Robotic represented hardware designed by Pudu, with the ‘Bellabot’ autonomous serving robot range, supported by the ‘SwiftBot’ bussing and serving robot. Also showing the ‘CC1’ autonomous cleaning unit.