The Stinger Report

The Stinger Report

SNKP Considers Cartridge Option
SNK-Playmore sees increased sales and increased operator interest. But the company is also suffering from lost sales due to increased copyright infringement and bootlegging of illegal copies of its new hit titles. Partly hoping to fight piracy, SNKP reportedly is considering putting out its latest titles in JAMMA board format, while abandoning or heavily downplaying NeoGeo's traditional cartridge format. The Stinger reviews the painful good news-bad news dilemma that suggests major changes could be on the horizon for the MVS platform.

IAAPA Surprises Lead The Way
A slew of new attractions and simulator systems for the coin-op market were displayed at IAAPA, including a kit version of the EA Sports golf product, U.S. appearance of SEGA's Ollie King, and new drivers from Sammy USA and Chicago Gaming. More 4D technology - and lower price tags - grace some of the new simulators. Meanwhile, safety questions are growing louder and more urgent about certain rides. And, a new European IAPPA for 2004 has been announced.

Namco Studio Tour Ends
Namco Japan has been seeking to combine an expanding empire of amusement theme parks with an expansion of its movie industry ventures. But the company may be discovering movies and theme parks don't mix as well as originally hoped. Namco seeks to create a CG film studio to rival Pixar (U.S. creators of "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo," among other hits). A facility nicknamed Studio Tour was on the drawing board, intended to complement Namco's heavy investment in movie and CG studios. Now this project has been scuttled.

The Stinger Report (in brief) is provided to Highwaygames by Kevin Williams, the publisher of "The Stinger Report". To read the full articles and information, please visit www.thestingerreport.com