Following a tough couple of years in the US coin-op amusement industry, the IAAPA Attractions Expo in November turned out to be "quite interesting" for some. For US operator Chris Cotty, not only was it the last show of the year, but also his favourite.
"After suffering through the recession and struggling to stay afloat I was anxiously waiting to see both the buyers’ and the manufacturers’ reaction to the show," he told InterGame.
Cotty is now working with Coast to Coast Amusements and released a new game called Friction at the show. "I was in a perfect position to judge the temperament of the buyers," continued Cotty, "and I was quite impressed. In just the first day of the show I think I spoke to more people than at any of the last three shows I attended. Buyers were inquisitive, interested and more importantly buying… The recession, while tough on all of us, has realigned our industry. It’s interesting to see the many changes that have taken place. Perhaps we should call it the great realignment rather than the recession.
"It is great to see industry giants such as Namco and Sega restructuring themselves and pushing forward to a more profitable future. Their showing at IAAPA was impressive to say the least. Perhaps the greater story of the recession is told by the companies that are no longer represented and the recent string of bankruptcy filings."
For Cotty, with weaker companies fading away, a new generation of manufacturers are coming to the forefront, aggressively looking for new ideas to bring to the market place and this will give the industry a shot at a bright future.
"The optimistic feeling was prevalent throughout the IAAPA show and evident in the trend by manufacturers to offer more affordable equipment," continued Cotty. "What is most important now is to have great equipment at even better prices. Operators just cannot afford to spend the way they used to. This is why we’re also offering Friction as a kit - you can have the best game in the world but if the return on investment makes no sense, why bother?
"I have to also congratulate Betson; its games have been priced right and some of the Japanese companies such as Capcom should take note. The US market is potentially huge, but if you price a game so the operators cannot afford to buy it you won’t sell any games. Just as the American manufacturers learned long ago, Japan must realise that the economic reality of the US amusement industry is nothing like Japan and they need to realign their business plan if they want to sell into the US.
"The moral to this story is that we are now more than ever, a world economy. To be successful, we must be able to trade worldwide and to understand each market’s needs and desires. This world vision of our industry is best exemplified by the IAAPA show and its introduction of a potentially bright future for our industry. I am now looking forward to the EAG Expo in London and hope the optimism evident at IAAPA takes hold there as well."
