For those who don't know the system, could you please tell us what is the exA-Arcadia?

For operators or collectors, the exA-Arcadia System is a low cost, high performance completely standalone solution that is available to any company or individual. Games from a number of genres are available to cater to a variety of audiences and regions. There are no restrictions or region protection, exA-Arcadia games from any region will work on any exA-Arcadia system. If you run a small to medium sized business, this is the ideal conversion kit to easily refurbish an existing machine. Compatible with the JVS (JAMMA 2) industry standard, it also works with the older JAMMA standard using already available I/O boards from a variety of manufacturers. For those who need something bigger and just want to plug it in, a dedicated all in one cabinet is also available. Do you want to add another game to your system? No need to rewire anything, just plug the new game cartridge into one of the four available slots and turn on the machine.

exA-Arcadia system

The system is very popular in Japanese arcades, the first title "Aka & Blue Type-R" stayed in the top earning game charts for several months in a row before the pandemic forced the locations to close. What is the current state of Japanese locations?

Japanese locations continue to suffer from an incompetent government strategy on how to deal with the pandemic and have been forced to endure the same cycle of State of Emergency being called/rescinded limiting their operating hours with no government financial support unlike other service industries such as bars and restaurants. Much of the revenue for central locations like in Shinjuku and Akihabara are derived from tourism. With the lack of vaccinations in Japan and the poor state of foreign countries, tourism is not expected to pick up to normal levels until 2023 when Japan will likely reopen borders to most countries.

You have started doing location tests in the USA. What are the types of location where the system is tested and what is the feedback so far?

A number of FEC chains in the US have already tested the exA-Arcadia system and have found that they can amortize the system, game and cabinet at at under 18 weeks which is much faster than even the best performers in this space which is usually 20-26 weeks.

Sixteen games are already available on your platform, which games would you recommend to Western operators?

The type of game that works for a location is highly dependent on their clientele. For example, an FEC in the States, which cycles through new casual customers every week would do better with titles that cater to this audience. Key performing titles in this space are The Kung Fu vs Karate Champ and our 4 player titles like Nippon Marathon Turbo.

The Kung Fu vs Karate Champ and Nippon Marathon Turbo

For locations that have a more hardcore or Japanese flavor, titles with more complex design such as the shooter genre (Vritra Hexa, Dodonpachi True Death EXA Label, etc) or the fighter genre can work.

Vritra Hexa and Dodonpachi True Death EXA Label

Among the games currently in development, are there titles specifically designed with the Western market in mind?

exA-Arcadia is always thinking of the global marketplace when it comes to our development portfolio as a whole.
We are fully aware certain genres like shooters appeals more to the Asian market than the Western one.
In our current pipeline of 50 titles, some are targeted to markets like Southeast Asia, the Middle East or North America.
There are a number of 4 player titles and games that use popular IPs in the pipeline which are targeted for the Western market.

Already two 4-player games are available: Lightning Knights and Nippon Marathon Turbo, which future 4-player titles are planned?

As of now, Jitsu Squad has already been announced as a 4 player title.
There are more titles in the works and will be announced in the near future.

Driving games and lightgun shooting games are the most common types of arcade video games released in the West, what are the advantages of joystick games?

Games using a joystick and buttons offer a completely different experience for customers that covers a wide variety of genres including the traditional action, shooting and fighting games that cater to long time arcade fans. In recent times, the racing and gun genres have become quite saturated.
Having a good balance of all types of games is healthy for driving a diverse set of customers.

Beside English, what other languages do your game support?

In general, exA-Arcadia titles support English, Japanese, French and Spanish.
Check each title for specific languages supported.

How do you see the amusement market evolution after the pandemic?

Further market consolidation will occur leading to a shake up of the current incumbents in both the manufacturer and location sides. Expect to see a change as publicly traded companies develop a myopic view on short term income and exit while newer companies focus on the amusement industry and long term growth.

Just like with the other service industries, we foresee a full rebound for the location based entertainment sector. People want to go outside and have a good time. The locations who can cater to these customers will end up being winners in the long run. exA-Arcadia is excited to support all of these locations over the recovery and beyond.

Thank you very much.