Bandai Namco Unveiling A New Star Wars Arcade Machine Next Week During NYCC

Posted at Polygon.com:

Next week, New York Comic-Con kicks off, bringing with it a slew of internet famous and famous famous comic-book, video game, television and movie stars to The City.

But the thing that has me most excited is news that Bandai Namco will be unveiling a brand new arcade machine. That’s right, a video game developed to play on a singular coin-operated machine typically found in a public place. I was so surprised by this news that I emailed their public relations team to make sure I hadn’t misunderstood the email. On top of the fact that the publisher is rolling out an arcade machine in a time when arcades are most dead, this particular machine will be a brand new Star Wars title.

I couldn’t wrest any other details out of the publisher about this new Star Wars arcade machine so we’re going to have to be content with wild guesses until the unveiling on Oct. 8. If you want to be there with me when they show it off and give people a chance to play, make sure you check out our contest. (Update: PR reps for Bandai Namco have told us that there was some confusion on their end, and they’ll actually be limiting the unveiling to press only, so the contest appears to be off for the moment. Sorry, gang.)

Right, let the speculation begin.

At the top of my I-know-it-isn’t-happening-but-can-it-be-this-anyway list is a sequel to the classic, fantastic Star Wars pinball machine. Released in 1982 by DataEast and Sega, this is one of my top 10 or so pins.

Second on that list would have to be a remake of the 1983 vector-graphics classic: Star Wars. The Atari-published rail shooter is considered one of the top five most popular arcade games of all time.

OK, so my list is only two games long. There were other Star Wars arcade games, but I wasn’t a fan. Besides, the reality is that this machine will likely be something like a fighter or a casual game, both of which are fine, but also not those two games I just listed.

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