Numbers are Numbers right? Unless the numbers change why think they are"struggling". Also it's now true that only look for investors if you're not making money. You also seek investors to acquire the capital to grow faster. I honestly think it's smart for them to focus on whats selling, improve it, AND THEN try new cabs. Because simply putting out new machines that you THINK will sell, and then don't because you didn't do any market research is a failure. As far as SF, I think it sells well, but it still needs improvement. They are absolutely selling the crap outta pacman though
But they only seem to generate number by slashing prices, which is bad for many reasons. But I don't disagree with what you suggest - I won't mind a million Pac-Man cabs if it means more diverse stuff down the line! To mean, getting their pricing a bit more realistic is key.
@@evilgeniusentertainment Not all slash prices are created equal. In the case of games like T2, The Simpsons, Ridge racer, outrun, They slashed those prices because they didn't sell well. MK, SF, Pacman, Galaga, Star Wars, They did that move units during the holiday season but they were still selling before that. Manufacturers literally do the same thing with smartphones and TVs but we never say Samsung most be going out of biz right?
@@evilgeniusentertainment The reality is, this is a niche market, and it's not sustainable to keep pushing out new cabs without knowing what's going to make an ROI, so A1up this past year and focused mainly on updates and less on new cabs, and it's fine objectively better. There's also the fact that low interest rates, and a pandemic allowed them to grow fast and not worry too much about profit. The pandemic is over and interest rates aren't dirt cheap anymore which means investor is more expensive, which means they are more selective in what they invest in, so they need to see more stability and less cranking out more units but not making profit
True... but Samsung didn't fire their CEO last year or are asking for investors either. Likewise, Samsung will be at CES, A1up won't. Also, Samsung TV's do not generally go from $699 to $299 in less than a year's time, but such wild pricing is common for A1up products. I could go on, but simply put I think it's quite fair to suspect that they're in some financial difficultly, and that they need to be smarter if they want to survive in an economy that is fair more troubled then just 3 years ago.
Funny How Michael B left out those important parts of the article , them looking for investors and that its not an official finacial report. If they learned anything last year it should be that ppl will not continue buying 3/4 scale that a rehashes with minimal upgrades forever , and that their cab prices are too high for most to purchase these days. While im a huge fan of 1up im not to optimistic about their future. I have most of what i want and at this point im only looking for a turtles and mk xl with a interest in a shooter or racer but also has to be an xl. Only way id consider a deluxe is if they drop some new titles but as a few others mentioned they're probably just looking to milk the licenses they have already and continue to pump out the same stuff and make whatever they can on the cheap until ppl stop buying all together.
Didn't see Mike's video... to be fair, you had to scroll all the way down to the end to see it. And I'm in the same boat you are - I really want either completely new titles, or existing ones in the XL shape.
Yes, Michael B painted a likely rosy picture based on the article. Yet, sales do not equal profits and it’s hard to imagine that the company is in position to manage debt and create more growth without an influx of capital. Holding company is not in good shape either.
Another fantastic and spot on video JDV! Yes, there is hope for Arcade 1Up but they will indeed have to be more diversified in terms of their gaming lineups. Also, further XLs should have the option of adding a riser booster to add more height to make it Pro like without creating a Pro cabinet. If that could be done, A1Up would not need to make a Pro cab. Since you are over 6 feet tall, the riser booster on an XL would make sense either standing or sitting down on a stool. Me? I have a Pac-Man bar stool to sit down when playing my cabinets. I think the Countercades are done but the Partycades should have Wi-Fi leaderboard capabilities as well as much as maybe, 14 or 16 games because you have to keep up with the times. New XL cabs should be made going forward but like the Pac-Man XL cabs should be reintroduced minus the earlier gimmicks like lighted buttons, which were not necessary. But if an XL should have lighted buttons, it should have the option of turning those buttons off like the Galaga Deluxe cab. And finally, press releases should NEVER under any circumstances be considered news reporting just like social media should NEVER be taken as news services.
Great post Joe. Yeah, I think some people confused that "article" as an actual news report. I'd love to see those partycades with wifi, but I'm not even sure they'll keep making them at all. At $299, they're as much as the "Classic"s are at Walmart.
Well, that was one of the rumored games to come out in '24. And, unlike some other titles, this one might have teeth: simple controls (just buttons), a title that shouldn't be impossible to license, and a game that is easily handled by A1up hardware. Throw in the Summer Olympics in 6 months, and it may well be a perfect storm for a T&F release!
The truth is most likely somewhere in the middle. They aren't yet at death's door, but not in as good shape as the article paints. The real issue is can they put product out at an affordable price that enough people want? More small format machines would be a good move if you look at the secondary market and just the fact people have more room for them. Not everyone has giant space to put multiple larger size arcades.
sales mean nothing. Show me Margin % and Profit. Then we can talk. The article says "Sales of Arcade1Up products performed well and exceeded expectations during the 2023 holiday season" well what were the expectations? Companies reforecast down all the time.. for all we know they underforecasted just to get an article out like this. Also, ending inventory does not mean they sold through... this could be a combination of sales and writedowns from the ollie graveyard This is telling "our strategy and focus this year is on profitable sales growth with our growing arcade customer base." Notice they did not say this about 2023
Well... sales are better then no sales! But I agree, there's not really much meat in that article. When you read between the lines it's pretty clear they had a mountain of unsold cabs to start '23. Just how many of those cabs got sold (and at what profit margin) is of course never going to be released publicly, but I think it's safe to say if they haven't figured out by now that they need to keep their pricing in the $299-499 range by now, they never will.
I really want to Danny, but my internet's way too slow to stream! Maybe I can get my phone to connect up? Send me your email/deets to: evilgeniusemail@gmail and let's do a little test!
That would a great show. To see Evil Genius at the Cornercade. I think there is a lot to discuss if A1UP is looking for investors, not a bad thing. But money talks and maybe they want to give the community more but need an extra help financially.
I dont think they outright go away but I think theyre going to make the infinity game table their golden goose. Not sure why they dont make the countercades online.
The success if the Infinity table is baffling to me, but hey, why not milk it if they can? Both the countercades and the Partycades should have wi-fi for what their current MSRPs are, but I think that's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
@@evilgeniusentertainment Seems like you're just baffled by their continued success all around, to the point that you try to pretend that they aren't successful.
@@MyTinyDumbArcade Success???? Have you seen their, ultra high quality, marketing? Their management structure is purely reactive and confusing. Travis really let the cat out of the bag recently when, whilst trying to defend A1Up, he let slip that it was complete chaos (chaos being the exact word he used) behind the scenes without any planning or firm decision making, he said 'believe me, you don't want them to be transparent'. And now they are desperate for investment? This is a company setting itself up ready to sell : they vastly reduced employee costs and did everything they could to raise finance and potential value. 2024 will be pretty much more pacman etc, more deluxe cabs so you can rebuy your cabs for the 5th time and you will be lucky if there is more than one XL. It is clearly not about what you want, it is about what kind of crap can they sell in Walmart...... In other words, YOU, are the one pretending.
A basic (Sanwa) USB joystick now costs $300 or more (I've seen $400)... so, sadly, there's enough "irrational pricing" in the current generation of hardware to keep the "single game console" scene rolling for some time. In related news: my girlfriend bought me two arcade quality Hori joysticks for about $30 each.
They moved a ton of cabs with holidays sales. Sadly, the joke’s on us. Aggressively slashing overpriced MSRPs makes us feel like we’re getting a deal, but we’re really just getting them at a normal MSRP.
And I think that's exactly the business model they chose. But in doing so, they ended up with nearly $55 million in unmoved stock to start '23. At some point you'd think they'd realize that $600 & $700 cabs are not the way to go.
Sounds pretty hopeful to me but they are coasting on fumes at this point. They have to release new products or they won’t survive the year. It could be they are trying to pump their figures up to sell the company. That’s my prediction.
I'd say I'm hopeful too, but again I think it's totally possible they essentially become a company that puts out Pac-Man/Ms Pac-man cabs and Infinity tables and not much else. It will be very interesting (and telling) to how many new titles A1up puts out this year.
All I know is I have bought an arcade one up in a year and the last one I did by the Star Wars is still in the box from last Christmas 13 months ago and I still didn’t put it together. I just sold my big blue my Mortal Kombat, the last legacy and the black and pink Pac-Man Legacy, I’m buying to just resell down the line I’m either waiting for an extra large or a pro cab and then that will be my last cab Of each brand.
IF they come out in an XL. For Pac-Man/Ms Pac-Man it seems like a sure bet, then SF & MK... after that, it looks real sketchy. And why haven't you put that STAR WARS cab together? It's one of the best ones they've made....
I hope they stay in business only if they correct their past mistakes and move in a better direction like Atgames did. There is hope but it’s not much 😆
Me too - I do like their products, and they have gradually gotten much better. But I think those of us wanting 5-6 new titles a year are going to be disappointed.
@@evilgeniusentertainment it Is Not a matter of being in big trouble, it is more that people do expect a company to put out 10 new products next year, which is not double. For every new product, there will be a lot of development cost, which the company, in my opinion, can sostain for a couple each year.
So what you're saying here is that it wouldn't be a good idea for A1Up to release a cabinet like Aliens Vs. Predator because the IP is "way way far from Pac-Man in terms of public visibility", but also that they should listen to people like you and release it as an XL anyway, but they won't because they're "not that smart." Essentially, they would be dumb to release AvP because the IP isn't big enough, but they're not smart enough to release it to begin with becase they wouldn't choose the right form factor anyway. What you're saying is that they can't win no matter what... how would it be "smart" to release a cab with an IP that nobody wants, regardless of form factor? Also, no matter how you interpret these numbers, and regardless of whether or not this is just a "regurgitated" press release, there is no doubt that they sold a literal shit ton of arcade cabinets in 2023... if we assume these numbers are true, it's somewhere along the lines of $37 million dollars in sales. Even if they're exaggeratiung those numbers to entice people to invest in the company, they're STILL doing crazy business for such a niche product. That's hardly what I would refer to as a company "whistling past the graveyard." I'd love to know what AtGames, their "biggest" competitor in the space, sold last year... I gurantee you it ain't $37 million, and probably not even a small fraction of that. Why don't you have the grim reaper knocking on their door? Arcade1Up might be ignoring their hardcore community, but perhaps that's the exact reason why they keep putting up huge numbers in sales. Pac-Man + Pac-Man + Pac-Man = $$$$$$$$$$$
Well.... we don't know that they're doing "crazy business." They apparently - and we only their press release to go on - did move units during Xmas, but - as they admit - only after "aggressive" sales. And we certainly no idea what it costs per cab to make, or what their cut on each cab is. You can sell $100 million worth of product and still lose money. Do I think they need new product/titles to survive long term? Yes. Are they going to have a tough time doing that? Seemingly, yes. As far as AtGames goes, they're introducing 16 new 4K cabs in the next 2 years. A1up will introduce nothing close to that, and certainly not in 4K. It's a bit apples and oranges, but AtGames still has their founder in charge; A1up does not. That alone speaks volumes.
First off, inflation in the past 4 years gets to take credit for around a 20% increase in pricing of pretty much everything... so lets call today's $500 MSRP cabs a $400 MSRP product from 2019. A1Up cab prices certainly prices have gone up since the initial $250 offerings at launch back in 2018 when the quality was absolute shit and you really had to mod these to make them worth owning. Quality has vastly improved past the initial days of optional deck protectors, the terrible clicky Atari "spinner" control in the Asteroids cab, terrible LCD's, limited 2-4 game variety, generic artwork, etc.. Distribution was terrible out of the gate and there was such an oversupply they ended up being blown out at less than $100 per cab. If that didn't kill the company I don't see a solid holiday on the heels of a huge period of growth through COVID and then contraction in interest doing so. A LOT has changed, and BOE monitors, 10-12 (vs 2-4) games per cabinet, bigger variety of licenses, network support, improved (not great) controls, stereo sound, illuminated marquees, replica coin doors, plus all sorts of new special releases like Tron, Star Wars, Golden Tee, T2, Big Buck Hunter, NFL Blitz/NBA Jam, etc.... The deluxe line is amazing compared to where A1Up started with their fist gen cabinets if you give it an objective look, as someone who stopped messing with their products after doing a lot with the initial release products and then ignoring them until this holiday season. If I figure the cost of an original cab around $300 with a riser in 2018 vs a deluxe example today for $500 is the $140ish increase in MSRP (figuring inflation) worth the jump? Absolutely, you couldn't mod an original cab to the same feature set as the deluxe models for the difference, and through the holidays you could nab many of the deluxe cabs for as little as little as $300 (SFII, Pac Man XL, Galaga Deluxe Vault) and the rest for closer to $400 on sale. For basically $50 more than the original cabs at launch with their risers it's not even a fair comparison, the newer cabs are far better values. A1Up is certainly facing a contraction in business after COVID like many leisure brands and a general retro hangover of consumer interest...though I expected more fire-sales after the holiday which we aren't seeing, which seems to support that this report's assertion that A1Up did sell well through the holidays and thus there isn't the same sort of massive inventory we've seen hittingclearance after. They also did a lot better job with distribution via Spreetail (Walmart/Amazon) and buyers at other stores were smarter with what and how much they stocked in back rooms vs online. I'm generally optimistic about the company, much more so than Atgames at the moment who can't even keep a functioning website or put a properly working 4k pinball table out at a major trade show 2 months before it's supposed to launch, while regressing major features out of their most current firmware. I am hopeful Unico jumps into the game with additional options, their Neo Geo MVSx cabinet is in the same scale/price range as the A1Up Deluxe with better build quality and game assortment.
Well... I think we actually kinda agree - if these cabs started at $499, and maybe went on sale to $399 for a couple of weeks during Black Friday, and I think just about everyone would be fine with it. But when I see THE SIMPSONS for $699 right now on several sites, it's crazy. I could be wrong, but I think consistent, reasonable, pricing would go a long way. I think AG will do just fine with their vpins - nothing else quite like it on the market.
I think A1up needs to restructure their prices they are pricing themself out. Most people consider these as toys and dropping $500-700 is too much to ask. Also bigger is not always better these cabs take room if they want to sell multiple they need to reintroduce the partycades and bar top arcades at a reasonable price meaning less than $400.
In an ideal world, I suppose they'd have 3 sizes for each cab - XL, Deluxe, and Partycade. And I'm guessing they think the same thing - but they might not have the means to do so.
It's hilarious that A1up youtubers ONLY post negative videos but as soon as something positive about the company comes out, the HAVE to break their backs making even positive news seem negative. Your bias is showing.
It was not "news" - it was a press release. Which is fair to point out. By in large, my videos/reviews of A1up products have been positive. I do not work for any game company; I have either paid for or built from scratch every machine I've ever owned. So if there's bias... it's not on my end.
There are some big RUclips channels that are clearly on the A1up payroll that won’t ever say anything negative as long as they get the products for free to review/promote. EGE is obviously not one of them. At least he is truthful. Your A1Up fanboy bias is showing.
I call 'em likes I see 'em, simple as that. I have repeatedly said I hope they stay in business, and that I hope they keep making exciting new cabs. So I suppose in that regard I am biased for them.....
Do you believe A1up's rosy outlook, or they still in trouble in '24?
Numbers are Numbers right? Unless the numbers change why think they are"struggling". Also it's now true that only look for investors if you're not making money. You also seek investors to acquire the capital to grow faster.
I honestly think it's smart for them to focus on whats selling, improve it, AND THEN try new cabs. Because simply putting out new machines that you THINK will sell, and then don't because you didn't do any market research is a failure. As far as SF, I think it sells well, but it still needs improvement. They are absolutely selling the crap outta pacman though
But they only seem to generate number by slashing prices, which is bad for many reasons. But I don't disagree with what you suggest - I won't mind a million Pac-Man cabs if it means more diverse stuff down the line! To mean, getting their pricing a bit more realistic is key.
@@evilgeniusentertainment Not all slash prices are created equal. In the case of games like T2, The Simpsons, Ridge racer, outrun, They slashed those prices because they didn't sell well. MK, SF, Pacman, Galaga, Star Wars, They did that move units during the holiday season but they were still selling before that. Manufacturers literally do the same thing with smartphones and TVs but we never say Samsung most be going out of biz right?
@@evilgeniusentertainment The reality is, this is a niche market, and it's not sustainable to keep pushing out new cabs without knowing what's going to make an ROI, so A1up this past year and focused mainly on updates and less on new cabs, and it's fine objectively better. There's also the fact that low interest rates, and a pandemic allowed them to grow fast and not worry too much about profit. The pandemic is over and interest rates aren't dirt cheap anymore which means investor is more expensive, which means they are more selective in what they invest in, so they need to see more stability and less cranking out more units but not making profit
True... but Samsung didn't fire their CEO last year or are asking for investors either. Likewise, Samsung will be at CES, A1up won't. Also, Samsung TV's do not generally go from $699 to $299 in less than a year's time, but such wild pricing is common for A1up products. I could go on, but simply put I think it's quite fair to suspect that they're in some financial difficultly, and that they need to be smarter if they want to survive in an economy that is fair more troubled then just 3 years ago.
When Time Crisis is $299 I am getting it. That says it all right there.
I hope for A1up's sake it doesn't drop that low... but yeah, I'd buy one for that price too!
Funny How Michael B left out those important parts of the article , them looking for investors and that its not an official finacial report. If they learned anything last year it should be that ppl will not continue buying 3/4 scale that a rehashes with minimal upgrades forever , and that their cab prices are too high for most to purchase these days.
While im a huge fan of 1up im not to optimistic about their future. I have most of what i want and at this point im only looking for a turtles and mk xl with a interest in a shooter or racer but also has to be an xl. Only way id consider a deluxe is if they drop some new titles but as a few others mentioned they're probably just looking to milk the licenses they have already and continue to pump out the same stuff and make whatever they can on the cheap until ppl stop buying all together.
Didn't see Mike's video... to be fair, you had to scroll all the way down to the end to see it. And I'm in the same boat you are - I really want either completely new titles, or existing ones in the XL shape.
Yes, Michael B painted a likely rosy picture based on the article. Yet, sales do not equal profits and it’s hard to imagine that the company is in position to manage debt and create more growth without an influx of capital. Holding company is not in good shape either.
Another fantastic and spot on video JDV! Yes, there is hope for Arcade 1Up but they will indeed have to be more diversified in terms of their gaming lineups. Also, further XLs should have the option of adding a riser booster to add more height to make it Pro like without creating a Pro cabinet. If that could be done, A1Up would not need to make a Pro cab. Since you are over 6 feet tall, the riser booster on an XL would make sense either standing or sitting down on a stool. Me? I have a Pac-Man bar stool to sit down when playing my cabinets. I think the Countercades are done but the Partycades should have Wi-Fi leaderboard capabilities as well as much as maybe, 14 or 16 games because you have to keep up with the times. New XL cabs should be made going forward but like the Pac-Man XL cabs should be reintroduced minus the earlier gimmicks like lighted buttons, which were not necessary. But if an XL should have lighted buttons, it should have the option of turning those buttons off like the Galaga Deluxe cab. And finally, press releases should NEVER under any circumstances be considered news reporting just like social media should NEVER be taken as news services.
Great post Joe. Yeah, I think some people confused that "article" as an actual news report. I'd love to see those partycades with wifi, but I'm not even sure they'll keep making them at all. At $299, they're as much as the "Classic"s are at Walmart.
The evolution and improvements of their cabs is a far cry from how the company seems to be doing.
They have really improved their game overall, that's a fact.
I couldn't agree more with this video! 💥💥👊💥💥
Well thank you Zod!
Bring me a Track&Field cabinet or bring me death.
Well, that was one of the rumored games to come out in '24. And, unlike some other titles, this one might have teeth: simple controls (just buttons), a title that shouldn't be impossible to license, and a game that is easily handled by A1up hardware. Throw in the Summer Olympics in 6 months, and it may well be a perfect storm for a T&F release!
The truth is most likely somewhere in the middle. They aren't yet at death's door, but not in as good shape as the article paints. The real issue is can they put product out at an affordable price that enough people want? More small format machines would be a good move if you look at the secondary market and just the fact people have more room for them. Not everyone has giant space to put multiple larger size arcades.
Ideally, they'd have a counter-cade. party-cade, Deluxe, and an XL for each title they put out. Unlikely to be sure, but it would be nice.
They’re probably in fair shape, but not great. We may get a few new titles, but probably not many. Mostly we get the same titles again.
Yeah, that sounds about right. I don't think they'll go the way of iiRcade, but we're not too likely to see exotic cabs either.
@@evilgeniusentertainment agreed!
sales mean nothing. Show me Margin % and Profit. Then we can talk.
The article says "Sales of Arcade1Up products performed well and exceeded expectations during the 2023 holiday season" well what were the expectations? Companies reforecast down all the time.. for all we know they underforecasted just to get an article out like this.
Also, ending inventory does not mean they sold through... this could be a combination of sales and writedowns from the ollie graveyard
This is telling "our strategy and focus this year is on profitable sales growth with our growing arcade customer base." Notice they did not say this about 2023
Well... sales are better then no sales! But I agree, there's not really much meat in that article. When you read between the lines it's pretty clear they had a mountain of unsold cabs to start '23. Just how many of those cabs got sold (and at what profit margin) is of course never going to be released publicly, but I think it's safe to say if they haven't figured out by now that they need to keep their pricing in the $299-499 range by now, they never will.
Remember Kev I reveal the CEO of 1up tomorrow night. You ain’t ready!
@@TwistedGamingTV dude I havent been this excited since star wars phantom menace 🤣😂
@@kevgret hahahaha 7pm tomorrow central time be there fool!
I predict, AGAIN, NO STREET FIGHTER ALPHA at all this year.
I won't say zero chance of seeing Alpha, but it's real real slim.
Come on the show let’s talk about this! 👊🏼
I really want to Danny, but my internet's way too slow to stream! Maybe I can get my phone to connect up? Send me your email/deets to: evilgeniusemail@gmail and let's do a little test!
That would a great show. To see Evil Genius at the Cornercade. I think there is a lot to discuss if A1UP is looking for investors, not a bad thing. But money talks and maybe they want to give the community more but need an extra help financially.
Gonna try to make that show happen Julio!
@@evilgeniusentertainmentand get KFB in the mix for the ultimate home arcade podcast 😅
@@evilgeniusentertainmentemail sent! 👊🏼
I dont think they outright go away but I think theyre going to make the infinity game table their golden goose. Not sure why they dont make the countercades online.
The success if the Infinity table is baffling to me, but hey, why not milk it if they can? Both the countercades and the Partycades should have wi-fi for what their current MSRPs are, but I think that's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
@@evilgeniusentertainment Seems like you're just baffled by their continued success all around, to the point that you try to pretend that they aren't successful.
@@MyTinyDumbArcade Success???? Have you seen their, ultra high quality, marketing? Their management structure is purely reactive and confusing. Travis really let the cat out of the bag recently when, whilst trying to defend A1Up, he let slip that it was complete chaos (chaos being the exact word he used) behind the scenes without any planning or firm decision making, he said 'believe me, you don't want them to be transparent'. And now they are desperate for investment? This is a company setting itself up ready to sell : they vastly reduced employee costs and did everything they could to raise finance and potential value. 2024 will be pretty much more pacman etc, more deluxe cabs so you can rebuy your cabs for the 5th time and you will be lucky if there is more than one XL. It is clearly not about what you want, it is about what kind of crap can they sell in Walmart......
In other words, YOU, are the one pretending.
A basic (Sanwa) USB joystick now costs $300 or more (I've seen $400)... so, sadly, there's enough "irrational pricing" in the current generation of hardware to keep the "single game console" scene rolling for some time. In related news: my girlfriend bought me two arcade quality Hori joysticks for about $30 each.
yer whorey bought you a couple Hori's
Very nice!
@@sittingduhkDuel at dawn, homeboy: them's fighting words.
Very good video 😊
Thank you Peter!
They moved a ton of cabs with holidays sales. Sadly, the joke’s on us. Aggressively slashing overpriced MSRPs makes us feel like we’re getting a deal, but we’re really just getting them at a normal MSRP.
And I think that's exactly the business model they chose. But in doing so, they ended up with nearly $55 million in unmoved stock to start '23. At some point you'd think they'd realize that $600 & $700 cabs are not the way to go.
Agree. I went November ‘22 to November ‘23 not buying a cab for that very reason. It’s a bad pricing model.
My last new A1up was in Nov '22 when T2 went on sale for $315.... so yeah, pricing is a big factor.
Sounds pretty hopeful to me but they are coasting on fumes at this point. They have to release new products or they won’t survive the year. It could be they are trying to pump their figures up to sell the company. That’s my prediction.
I'd say I'm hopeful too, but again I think it's totally possible they essentially become a company that puts out Pac-Man/Ms Pac-man cabs and Infinity tables and not much else. It will be very interesting (and telling) to how many new titles A1up puts out this year.
All I know is I have bought an arcade one up in a year and the last one I did by the Star Wars is still in the box from last Christmas 13 months ago and I still didn’t put it together. I just sold my big blue my Mortal Kombat, the last legacy and the black and pink Pac-Man Legacy, I’m buying to just resell down the line I’m either waiting for an extra large or a pro cab and then that will be my last cab Of each brand.
IF they come out in an XL. For Pac-Man/Ms Pac-Man it seems like a sure bet, then SF & MK... after that, it looks real sketchy. And why haven't you put that STAR WARS cab together? It's one of the best ones they've made....
You should sell it to Evil Genius.
for realz... I still want that cab!
@@evilgeniusentertainment I know you do! If it’s just sitting in a box I say sell that cab. Give it some love!!
I hope they stay in business only if they correct their past mistakes and move in a better direction like Atgames did. There is hope but it’s not much 😆
Me too - I do like their products, and they have gradually gotten much better. But I think those of us wanting 5-6 new titles a year are going to be disappointed.
@@evilgeniusentertainmentno company is going to risk that much. I think 2 New products os the max we Are going to get
If true, it would mean they're in big trouble. Heck, they put out 11+ new cabs in '23. True, most were Deluxe re-treads, but still.....
@@evilgeniusentertainment it Is Not a matter of being in big trouble, it is more that people do expect a company to put out 10 new products next year, which is not double. For every new product, there will be a lot of development cost, which the company, in my opinion, can sostain for a couple each year.
So what you're saying here is that it wouldn't be a good idea for A1Up to release a cabinet like Aliens Vs. Predator because the IP is "way way far from Pac-Man in terms of public visibility", but also that they should listen to people like you and release it as an XL anyway, but they won't because they're "not that smart." Essentially, they would be dumb to release AvP because the IP isn't big enough, but they're not smart enough to release it to begin with becase they wouldn't choose the right form factor anyway. What you're saying is that they can't win no matter what... how would it be "smart" to release a cab with an IP that nobody wants, regardless of form factor? Also, no matter how you interpret these numbers, and regardless of whether or not this is just a "regurgitated" press release, there is no doubt that they sold a literal shit ton of arcade cabinets in 2023... if we assume these numbers are true, it's somewhere along the lines of $37 million dollars in sales. Even if they're exaggeratiung those numbers to entice people to invest in the company, they're STILL doing crazy business for such a niche product. That's hardly what I would refer to as a company "whistling past the graveyard." I'd love to know what AtGames, their "biggest" competitor in the space, sold last year... I gurantee you it ain't $37 million, and probably not even a small fraction of that. Why don't you have the grim reaper knocking on their door? Arcade1Up might be ignoring their hardcore community, but perhaps that's the exact reason why they keep putting up huge numbers in sales. Pac-Man + Pac-Man + Pac-Man = $$$$$$$$$$$
Well.... we don't know that they're doing "crazy business." They apparently - and we only their press release to go on - did move units during Xmas, but - as they admit - only after "aggressive" sales. And we certainly no idea what it costs per cab to make, or what their cut on each cab is. You can sell $100 million worth of product and still lose money. Do I think they need new product/titles to survive long term? Yes. Are they going to have a tough time doing that? Seemingly, yes. As far as AtGames goes, they're introducing 16 new 4K cabs in the next 2 years. A1up will introduce nothing close to that, and certainly not in 4K. It's a bit apples and oranges, but AtGames still has their founder in charge; A1up does not. That alone speaks volumes.
First off, inflation in the past 4 years gets to take credit for around a 20% increase in pricing of pretty much everything... so lets call today's $500 MSRP cabs a $400 MSRP product from 2019. A1Up cab prices certainly prices have gone up since the initial $250 offerings at launch back in 2018 when the quality was absolute shit and you really had to mod these to make them worth owning. Quality has vastly improved past the initial days of optional deck protectors, the terrible clicky Atari "spinner" control in the Asteroids cab, terrible LCD's, limited 2-4 game variety, generic artwork, etc.. Distribution was terrible out of the gate and there was such an oversupply they ended up being blown out at less than $100 per cab. If that didn't kill the company I don't see a solid holiday on the heels of a huge period of growth through COVID and then contraction in interest doing so.
A LOT has changed, and BOE monitors, 10-12 (vs 2-4) games per cabinet, bigger variety of licenses, network support, improved (not great) controls, stereo sound, illuminated marquees, replica coin doors, plus all sorts of new special releases like Tron, Star Wars, Golden Tee, T2, Big Buck Hunter, NFL Blitz/NBA Jam, etc.... The deluxe line is amazing compared to where A1Up started with their fist gen cabinets if you give it an objective look, as someone who stopped messing with their products after doing a lot with the initial release products and then ignoring them until this holiday season.
If I figure the cost of an original cab around $300 with a riser in 2018 vs a deluxe example today for $500 is the $140ish increase in MSRP (figuring inflation) worth the jump? Absolutely, you couldn't mod an original cab to the same feature set as the deluxe models for the difference, and through the holidays you could nab many of the deluxe cabs for as little as little as $300 (SFII, Pac Man XL, Galaga Deluxe Vault) and the rest for closer to $400 on sale. For basically $50 more than the original cabs at launch with their risers it's not even a fair comparison, the newer cabs are far better values.
A1Up is certainly facing a contraction in business after COVID like many leisure brands and a general retro hangover of consumer interest...though I expected more fire-sales after the holiday which we aren't seeing, which seems to support that this report's assertion that A1Up did sell well through the holidays and thus there isn't the same sort of massive inventory we've seen hittingclearance after. They also did a lot better job with distribution via Spreetail (Walmart/Amazon) and buyers at other stores were smarter with what and how much they stocked in back rooms vs online. I'm generally optimistic about the company, much more so than Atgames at the moment who can't even keep a functioning website or put a properly working 4k pinball table out at a major trade show 2 months before it's supposed to launch, while regressing major features out of their most current firmware. I am hopeful Unico jumps into the game with additional options, their Neo Geo MVSx cabinet is in the same scale/price range as the A1Up Deluxe with better build quality and game assortment.
Well... I think we actually kinda agree - if these cabs started at $499, and maybe went on sale to $399 for a couple of weeks during Black Friday, and I think just about everyone would be fine with it. But when I see THE SIMPSONS for $699 right now on several sites, it's crazy. I could be wrong, but I think consistent, reasonable, pricing would go a long way. I think AG will do just fine with their vpins - nothing else quite like it on the market.
I think A1up needs to restructure their prices they are pricing themself out. Most people consider these as toys and dropping $500-700 is too much to ask. Also bigger is not always better these cabs take room if they want to sell multiple they need to reintroduce the partycades and bar top arcades at a reasonable price meaning less than $400.
In an ideal world, I suppose they'd have 3 sizes for each cab - XL, Deluxe, and Partycade. And I'm guessing they think the same thing - but they might not have the means to do so.
666th view 🤘
You devil you.
Arcade 1 UP is a dead brand and a company you can't trust
Glen - how do you really feel? :)
They should, at the very least, be able to sell a boatload more Pac-Man/Ms Pac-Man XLs.....
Of course! Use whatever you need. I think I talk about the likelihood of Ms Pac-Man XLs in the last couple of minutes of the video....
You got it brother
It's hilarious that A1up youtubers ONLY post negative videos but as soon as something positive about the company comes out, the HAVE to break their backs making even positive news seem negative. Your bias is showing.
It was not "news" - it was a press release. Which is fair to point out. By in large, my videos/reviews of A1up products have been positive. I do not work for any game company; I have either paid for or built from scratch every machine I've ever owned. So if there's bias... it's not on my end.
There are some big RUclips channels that are clearly on the A1up payroll that won’t ever say anything negative as long as they get the products for free to review/promote. EGE is obviously not one of them. At least he is truthful. Your A1Up fanboy bias is showing.
I call 'em likes I see 'em, simple as that. I have repeatedly said I hope they stay in business, and that I hope they keep making exciting new cabs. So I suppose in that regard I am biased for them.....
If you’ve been here longer than a minute, you’d realize how silly your comment reads. This man is clearly not anti A1U.