As reported in Tuesday's newsletter this year's EAS got off to a great start with plenty of new product on show from all the major players in the amusement and leisure sector.
Namco Europe presented its first 3D simulator shooter game, which sees the manufacturer take its product line in a new direction, presenting what is normally shown by traditional simulator experience manufacturers. Dead Storm Pirates 3D sees four players work together to increase their score. A really impressive looking piece from the outside, it really grabbed the attention of the visitors to the show.
According to the organisers, the event attracted more than 7,000 visitors, a record number of exhibitors and over 1,000 participants in the conference programme. Having spoken to a number of exhibitors, there was a good mix of Europeans, while visitors from Russia and the Middle East also attended. Although the show didn’t feel packed with visitors, with a luxuriously late start time of 11am, the majority seemed to come through the doors in the first few hours of days one and two, with numbers drifting off towards the end of the day, possibly influenced by the unusually hot weather London has experienced this week, making certain parts of the exhibition hall unbearable.
Raw Thrills’ latest driver Dirty Drivin’ was also presented on the Namco Europe stand and the company’s prize division showcased its latest including Lego storage solutions, numerous Shaun the Sheep plush items and an ever-expanding range of Kyoto electronic items.
While there were mixed feelings from the coin-op amusement sector as to whether the EAS is worth taking part in next year, when it heads to Berlin, one thing that was clear (from the majority of people InterGame spoke to) is that the industry needs/wants an event of some kind in the autumn to showcase product ahead of IAAPA in Orlando and EAG International in January. However, there were companies, such as Pan Amusements, that were now considering their options as far as those two shows go, telling InterGame it might not now be necessary having taken part in the EAS.
A full show report will feature in the November issue of InterGame. All our photos from the show will be available to view online next week, but for now you can view them on our facebook page here.
