EAG INTERNATIONAL
2015


Date: 13th - 15th January, 2015
Location: ExCel London, Docklands, London

The main coin-op and amusements trade show in the UK is EAG International, which is held each January in London. The timing allows buyers to purchase equipment in time for the start of the tourist season which traditionally kicks off around Easter.

The venue is the same as it has been since 2010 when the old ATEI show became EAG and transferred to ExCel London

.ExCel London
ExCel London

ExCel is in the old Docklands area of East London, so the surroundings are a mix of brand new offices, hotels, financial institutions, and tower blocks. The O2 Arena is just across the water, while a cable car system transfers people to and fro.

The show is held in halls N1-N4, while other shows take place elsewhere in the complex, including the London Boat Show.

The EAG International show
The EAG International show

As usual we will start with the pinball before moving on to other attractions, and we'll begin the pinball with the first appearance at EAG for Heighway Pinball.

After two non-appearances in 2013 and 2014, we were getting concerned they were heading for a hat trick when there was nothing but an empty stand as the show began at 10am.

But soon after the team arrived and began setting up three machines along with their promotional posters and banners. At the start of the show only one of the three machines was playable. Work continued to try to get the second and third machines fully playable, not just for the EAG show but also for the launch party the company would be holding the day after the show closes.

The Heighway Pinball stand
The Heighway Pinball stand

Andrew explains their modular game design
Andrew explains their modular system design

Under the Full Throttle playfield
Under the Full Throttle playfield

Their promotional material also gave a brief description of the Bacardi game we exclusively revealed yesterday.

On the other side of the bar area we found the Pinball Heaven stand where owner Phil Palmer was joined by Jersey Jack Pinball's Jack Guarnieri to showcase The Hobbit, The Wizard of Oz and Medieval Madness.

It may seem strange having the Stern Pinball-built Medieval Madness from Chicago Gaming alongside the two JJP games, but Pinball Heaven sell both companies' products, and Jack's has also sold a lot of Medieval Madness games through his Pinball Sales business.

The Pinball Heaven stand
The Pinball Heaven stand

Jack with Paul Rubens and Jonathan Joosten
Jack with Paul Rubens and Jonathan Joosten

You may have noticed something unusual with the The Wizard of Oz machine in the pictures above. This model was running a new version of the software with a built-in redemption setting allowing players to win tickets. This new system is called Pindemption.

Redemption mode on The Wizard of Oz
Redemption mode on The Wizard of Oz

Pindemption gives the player a limited amount of time (45s, 60s or 90s) to play the game and earn tickets. It features a heavily cut-down ruleset - bearing in mind the limited opportunities to start features - and a new set of screen animations.

Redemption attract mode
Redemption attract mode

When the time is up the flippers die and the game is over. From playing several games it seemed to give out around 15 tickets per game. Operators will need to buy a ticket dispenser which fits under the front of the cabinet, but the Pindemption code is included in the regular game code, so doesn't cost anything extra.

Here is a short video showing the attract mode animation followed by a 60 second game where multiple tickets are won.

Pindemption can be enabled through the menu system. When it is disabled it plays like a normal game.

Jack and Phil
Jack and Phil

The Hobbit was also on the Pinball Heaven stand, and this one showed the changes made since we last saw it back in November.

The Hobbit
The Hobbit

The upper part of the playfield
The upper part of the playfield

The playfield LCD monitor was showing the features and modes currently available, with each one forming a page in the book.

The playfield LCD monitor
The playfield LCD monitor

The new Bag End shot into the pop bumpers was also shown here, with an opto beam to register it.

The Bag End shot
The Bag End shot

New wireforms for the upkickers
New wireforms for the upkickers

The gold-trimmed Medieval Madness game was one of the prototype machines made at the Stern factory. Production has not yet begun, but it is currently scheduled to start on 19th January.

Medieval Madness
Medieval Madness

The CPU board for Medieval Madness
The CPU board for Medieval Madness
(click to enlarge)

The playfield LED and switch input board and driver boards for Medieval Madness
The playfield LED and switch input board and driver boards for Medieval Madness
(click to enlarge)

Meanwhile, over at the Electrocoin stand, Stern Pinball were showing their latest models and their new board set.

The Electrocoin stand
The Electrocoin stand

Stern Pinball's machines
Stern Pinball's machines

They had two WWE Wrestlemania machines - one a standard Pro production model, the other a demonstration machine with windows in the cabinet and backbox to show how their new Spike control system greatly reduces the space taken up and the amount of wiring needed.

The demonstration WWE Wrestlemania machine
The demonstration WWE Wrestlemania machine

A look inside the backbox
A look inside the backbox

The game is now run from Spike
The game is now 'Run from Spike'

The Spike board
The Spike board
(click to enlarge)

The Spike board
The Spike board
(click to enlarge)

The display panel on the Pro model
The display panel on the Pro model

In addition, there was one of the new The Walking Dead Premium models, with all the same playfield features of the Limited Edition but without the burnished copper finish on the metalwork and a different translite.

Gary Stern, Dave Peterson and Pat Powers were all here representing Stern Pinball.

Pat Powers and Gary Stern
Pat Powers and Gary Stern

Dave Peterson talks with Gary Flower
Dave Peterson talks with Gary Flower

That's all the pinball content, but as usual there were several stands selling kids' pinball-style dispensing machines.

Kids' pinball dispensers
Kids' pinball dispensers

More kids' pinball dispensers
More kids' pinball dispensers

And another one
And another one

Some of the technology on display was interesting.

About 18 months ago Heighway Pinball tried using clear LCD panels for the playfield glass but it was too expensive, rather fragile, and not entirely transparent. Other companies are using it now on a larger scale. Here's one such company with three large units producing animated overlaid graphics.

Fishbowl Frenzy
Fishbowl Frenzy

They were large, but the award for the biggest attraction at the show must go to this.

The Ultimate Climbing Wall Experience
The Ultimate Climbing Wall Experience

Maybe it is better left to this guy.

Walking tall
Walking tall

Or, if you've got a monster climb, you need this guy.

Frankenstein's Monster will take care of it
Frankenstein's Monster will take care of it

But the most popular characters at the show - in terms of number of appearances - were these little guys.

Two Minions
Two Minions

They were everywhere.

Many more Minions
Many more Minions

And we even managed to find a rather sweet pinball link.

Pinballs and Minions, sharing the same display case
Pinballs and Minions, sharing the same display case

We'll be back with much more from EAG International soon, but that's the latest news from London.

If the movies Despicable Me and Minions weren't to your taste, then how about Disney's Frozen, which seemed to be very popular at the show this year.

Feeling a little frozen?
Feeling a little frozen?

Back to the games but continuing with the Frozen theme, one of Raw Thrills' latest games was Winter Games - SnoCross, which sat alongside Aliens Armageddon and the slightly more family-friendly Barrel of Monkeys.

Raw Thrills games
Raw Thrills games

Personal projection screen games were big this year too, with the most popular - and surely a forthcoming pinball title - being Star Wars.

Star Wars Battle Pods
Star Wars Battle Pods

As if to prove that classic themes never leave us, there were several more in evidence.

Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park

Batman
Batman

Pac-Man
Pac-Man

Mario Kart
Mario Kart

Despite the title and the dot matrix display, we couldn't find a convincing pinball link to this game.

Full-Tilt
Full Tilt

The EAG International show has four halls to fill, which was perhaps a little ambitious.

One of the unused areas in the four halls
One of the unused areas in the four halls

Although the remainder of the halls was filled, the show did seem a little quieter than usual, at least on the first day
Although the remainder of the halls was filled,
the show did seem a little quieter than usual, at least on the first day

Day two was significantly busier, although it was never too crowded and you didn't have to wait long to get on any of the pinballs, making it an ideal time to shoot our video tour of EAG International.

So sit back and enjoy our Fourteen Minute Tour, in glorious full HD.


And with that we conclude this year's coverage of the EAG International show.


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