Kevin Williams

The movement in the eSports and Skill Gaming scene has continued to gather momentum, including after the suspension of the international lockdown measures with the end of the Global Health Crisis. Many observers expected that the interest in streamed eSports would have subsided, but many now are seeing the entertainment move to a new phase of adoption. And now we chart some of these developments.  Emergence of Skill Gaming There are some questions that have risen to the surface about the once fabled new concept of “Skill Gaming” (first reported in 2014). The concept of offering videogame play with a gaming/wagering element had been promoted as the next big thing only a few years ago – and had seen incredible investment, with even major amusement brands licensing their content to be incorporated into these systems. By 2020 the shine had […]

So begins the expansive coverage of Europe’s biggest amusement, attractions, and entertainment expo, along with details of developments impacting the international scene. In this first part, we cover the build-up to the show, and the Immersive attractions on the show floor, along with the appearance of SimRacing and eSports elements. European Attraction Extravaganza IAAPA Expo Europe 2022 (IAAPA-EMEA’22) – The 15th anniversary of this event returned to the previous planned London schedule after the change in plans following the global lockdowns. The European premier event for the theme park, attraction, amusement, zoological and leisure entertainment sectors, made landfall at the ExCel Conference Center near the heart of London during October. The IAAPA Europe organization team were promoting over 500 companies exhibiting at the show.  Much has changed in the European amusement and attraction scene since the travails of the Global […]

Continuing our expansive coverage of Europe’s biggest amusement, attractions, and entertainment expo, along with details of developments impacting the international scene. In this second part, we cover the continuing VR impact across the attractions, rides, and even waterpark entertainment aspects of the sector. IAAPA Expo Europe 2022 (IAAPA-EMEA’22) VR Attractions The latest “Virtual Reality” (VR) developments at IAAPA-EMA’22 were front and center and, as we have touched upon before, the current VR LBE sector is split into at least five core sections – these being “VR Attractions”, “VR Rides”, “VR Kiosks”, “VR Arenas”, “VR Free-roam” and even “VR Waterplay”. The development of compelling “VR Attractions” has gained momentum, as experience is learned from previous iterations. Frontgrid presented the latest version of their technology with ‘ParadropVR - Pod’, with the compact motion paragliding experience offered a unique game, with players able […]

Our next section of coverage of Europe’s biggest amusement, attractions, and entertainment expo, along with details of developments impacting the international scene. In this third part, we conclude the VR coverage and developments, and then look at MR’s appearance on the show floor. IAAPA Expo Europe 2022 (IAAPA-EMEA’22) VR Headset Developments While still impacting Out-of-Home Entertainment VR development, the consumer VR headset revolution has seen major developments as the performance and capabilities of these headsets improve. Most recently, the VR community has been awash with speculations following the growth of Eye-Tracking being included, with a slew of the next-generation of systems from the leading manufacturers. It was revealed that the SONY ‘PSVR2’ would have a 4K resolution achieved using Eye-Tracking – while at the same time, it was revealed that the Meta ‘QuestPro’ would employ this technology, and even the […]

The pace of investments and innovations gains momentum as we move into the latter part of the year, and we see a return to some of the norms of the industry. With major investments being made in the immersive and social entertainment landscape, we cover the latest crop of announcements and developments. We also see that the Chinese amusement and attractions market is to make its mark in defining the future international business; and we get a glimpse at the aspirations that are about to appear in the West. Social and Immersive Facility Progression The continued investment into the social entertainment space was underlined with the news of new funding being raised across the scene. In the Competitive Socializing sector, the retro amusement hospitality chain ‘NQ64 Arcade Bar’ announced it had raised, from investment firm Tin Cats, some £2.5m in […]

The need to understand entertainment’s place in the changing high street and retail landscape comes, as the whole scope of Out-of-Home Entertainment evolves. Beyond the resort, park and tourist business, the inner city and regional aspects of the entertainment offering are experiencing great change. The Stinger Report will be starting a semi-regular series of reports looking at the aspects of this changing landscape, and the opportunities emerging.  Entertainment Anchor for Retail There has been an ongoing move to add entertainment as a bolster against the “Retail Apocalypse” experienced in the mall and retail sector.  The term “Entertainment Anchor” had been previously coined by mall operators to refer to cinema and restaurant additions to a mall’s retail offering, thus, to increase dwell time for customers visiting, and so secure more of the possible revenue. However, with the decline in the cinema […]

We look at the current and past amusement and entertainment scene in order to gain a better perspective during this time of change and investment – looking first at more developments in the amusement and entertainment landscape, and how the current new restructuring is impacting the future aspirations. Meanwhile, the remainder of the coverage looks at the current crop of anniversaries, and the trends from forty, thirty, twenty and even ten years ago, which impact the modern scene.  Entertainment Facility Business The changing landscape of amusement and entertainment facility business, internationally, has been accelerated by the developments resulting from the global lockdown of business, as well as the resulting financial pressures and European crisis. These developments have had ramifications on the mergers, acquisitions and restructuring of businesses in a sector that, only a few months ago, industry specialists had serious […]

The constant technological advancements in VR are seen with the continued investment by Meta into a new range of headsets, and a new “laser focus” on establishing their ambitions of the what the Metaverse will represent. Meanwhile, the reality of generating revenue from the operation of VR is proven by the commercial entertainment sector, with announcement of new venue openings and the launch of new technology to drive the market.  Meta Rings the Changes in VR More leaks regarding the social media giant Meta’s attempts to revitalise their VR plans and Metaverse strategy. Many wait eagerly for announcements at the planned September event. Previously called Oculus Connect, the rebranded ‘Meta Connect’ will reveal many new developments in content and operation functionality regarding their VR aspirations, but there is one development that has already had the lid lifted.  The corporation has […]

The new investment in social entertainment is supported by a trade gathering that reflects the secondary spend in the scene for private event hire. Meanwhile, at the same time, a Japanese concept looks to establish a footing in the Western market with capsule toy vending’s appearance in the States. The need to establish a brand sees the return of some previously closed entertainment venue operations under new management, while the investment and acquisition fever continues across the trade.  The Hidden Business of Social The move by the amusement and entertainment sector to a cashless model brings more benefits than just a convenient spending infrastructure. The ability of the latest ePayment platforms includes their companion elements of online registration, allowing a greater private hire component to the entertainment venue business – be this the hiring of party rooms, or group hires […]

While many shelter from the summer heatwave, and the dreams of vacations define the thinking of many executives, innovation and investment still drive the entertainment scene at a pace. The holding of a hybrid (online) Chinese amusement trade event reveals the continued investment from this market into innovation, while we see new releases from Western manufacturers. All this, as Social Entertainment continues its growth as a dominant force in the sector.  Chinese Amusement Rundown Following on from our International Bowl Expo (IBE) 2022 coverage, the state of Chinese amusement development had been touched on, but now can be explored in detail. Taking place only a few days after IBE’22 was the 2022 Asia Commerce & Recreation Expo (ACRE). It was held as a virtual trade event, acting as a hybrid gathering for the Chinese market still being impacted by the […]