This week saw a number of new products showcased for the first time at the Leisure Industry Week in Birmingham, the Sega Product Showcase in Chessington and Namco Open Day in London.

Having decided to exhibit at the LIW, following the demise of Preview, Electrocoin, Harry Levy and RLMS made up the newly titled ‘Coin-op Area’ at the show. While the stands appeared busy, what percentage will turn into actual orders remains to be seen as the show has a heavy focus on leisure and fitness.

Electrocoin showed the Vulcan M, which has had a number of modifications since it was first shown and is now ready for production. Also on show was its new UK Category C machine, Russian Roulette, which is considered a ‘mid-tech’ game by Electrocoin and features variable stake and prize levels. Iron Man from Stern Pinball also took a spot on the stand, as did Hopping Road, which attracted a lot of attention from passing visitors.

Electrocoin’s Kevin Weir said: "My overall impression of the show was positive. We certainly met a different customer base as well as some familiar faces. My general feeling from the show was that customers were positive about looking at new ideas for their business that they may not have considered previously."

On the Harry Levy Amusements stand and shown for the first time outside of the US, was Bay Tek’s ticket redemption game Pull My Finger. The game has been performing very well in the States and is due to go on test in the UK shortly. Also new from Harry Levy is Double Top, a pusher which sees players win tickets, prizes or coins.

GRID was the main focus of the Sega Amusements Product Showcase. A new driver, linkable up to six machines, it has been testing very well at London’s Trocadero and received a positive reaction from visitors. Developed in cooperation with Codemasters, the  home console version is a BAFTA-winning game which should translate into a good amount of interest in the arcade version. It features a 32ins HD screen, real world cars and tracks and real car damage.
 
Also new from Sega is Let’s Go Island, a two-player follow-up to Let’s Go Jungle, featuring new characters, multiple routes and stages and a 42ins LCD screen, Classic American Road Trip, born out of Game Concepts’ Beside the Seaside pusher, and Hummer MDX, offering customers an alternative to the twin driver already available.

At the Namco Open Day, visitors had the opportunity to see its latest driver, Dead Heat, which features filming from city centres around the world, digitalised into the game and displayed on a 32ins LCD screen to create a more realistic feel. Super Bikes 2 in prototype form was also shown, as was a follow-on from Barber Cut, Fantasia, an Apple Industries photo booth and Pocket Typhoon ticket redemption game.

Namco Europe’s Prize Division, set up by Alan Smith at the beginning of the year, also showcased four licences it has secured for the plush and novelty market. The hugely popular Cbeebies (UK television channel) characters Big and Small are now available, with plans to introduce different sizes and Big and Small branded products in 2011.

Ben 10 is continuing to perform well with new characters such as Spider Monkey recently introduced and the range of Shaun the Sheep plush has taken a new direction as the company responsible for him repositions him as a "cheeky chap."

Smith has also secured the licence for Hello Kitty plastic toy products, suitable for redemption counters and prize games, which are manufactured by Toho. As well as the high-end plush products, Namco has introduced low-cost prizes such as Freaky Flickers and Paper Jamz.

Both the Product Showcase and Open Day were well attended on the first day, with things quieter on day two, and both companies seemed pleased with the way things had gone.

Sega’s Justin Burke said: "The first day attracted around 80 to 90 people and all the effort that has gone into the event has really paid off. We’ve been able to spend more time with customers and they’ve enjoyed the atmosphere and hospitality we’ve put on."

Namco’s John Brennan said: "We had a large number of focused people visit on the first day - the sort of people you would hope to be here. In a lot of ways this type of showcase is a lot more intimate than a show and is more effective for our customers."

Full product reviews of both events will appear in the October issue of InterGame published next week. Photos from all the events, including photos from JAMMA held earlier in the month in Japan, can be found on our Facebook page and media section on our website.