Unlike most devs these days, coin-op/arcade games are still interesting to me. To you, it's likely seen as a thing of the past. To me, it's one of my favourite past times; going to the arcade and playing some exclusive title that brought a unique experience and bringing long lasting memories that even exceed my console gaming experiences. These days, it's all about Steam, XBLA, PSN, etc. So, I wanted to ask everyone a few things:
1. Is coin-op gaming still popular in Japan? I heard from somewhere that even though arcade gaming is dying off in Murica, lots of people still enjoy arcade gaming in Japan. These days, I definitely hear about and see more Japanese arcade cabinets than Murican ones.
2. What companies besides Sega, Namco and Taito still build coin-op game titles? In the past, I could name lots of companies and publishers. Not so much anymore.
3. Do you still play coin-op games anymore? I don't see them often enough. My city has a large arcade, but it doesn't have all the titles it once had 10 years ago, many of which were Sega Chihiro titles like Ollie King, House of the Dead III, etc. You might say "well, why go to the arcade when I can play game X on PC or on Xbox?" Certain titles only have arcade ports (at least the ones that I'm interested in), and others IMO are just better off that way.
I do have a few of my own titles which I think would nicely on an arcade cabinet, and would like to get that a go, just for the thrill at the very least. 5 years ago, I did a thread on coin-op game dev, and Ravyne gave some very detailed advice. So Ravyne, if you are reading this, I just wanted to say that I never got to thank you thoroughly enough. Unfortunately, at the time, I was technically homeless, so all of this was out of my reach. Now that it's the opposite, I can do so if I want to.
Lastly, as Ravyne said, selling one of these is definitely an uphill battle, especially in the states. If I had any plans to sell one at all, I would target Japan almost exclusively.
So please, share your views on coin-op games and the market in general. Thanks.
Shogun