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The Stinger Report #1234 - Active Entertainment Landscape
The 2025 Dubai Entertainment Amusement and Leisure (DEAL) Expo underscored the Middle East’s rapid emergence as a global hub for amusement, attractions, and immersive social entertainment, drawing 300 exhibitors and 10,000 attendees. Key trends included a surge in active immersive and less VR experiences, with major launches from LAI Games, SEGA, and Chinese manufacturers, alongside a marked rise in “Competitive Socializing” concepts such as AR darts, interactive mini-golf, and social bowling. The event highlighted the region’s openness to direct Chinese imports despite shifting US policies, and showcased innovations in VR-based operational training, recognized for health and safety excellence. Strategic partnerships, such as WOG’s collaboration with INOWIZE, signaled intensifying competition in immersive enclosures. The opening of trailblazing venues like HUSHH in Dubai, blending hospitality with tech-driven entertainment, points to a regional explosion in social entertainment. The upcoming IAAPA Expo Middle East in Riyadh and a crowded 2026 show calendar signal fierce competition and robust investor interest in MENA’s evolving leisure sector.
This is the Stinger Report, issue number 1234, active Entertainment Landscape by Kevin Williams. The pace in trade exposes with relevance to the amusement attraction, social hospitality and immersive entertainment scene in general. Gathered to a fever pitch, rushing from the Las Vegas turmoil to the UAE and attending one of two events this year in the territory that will have major ramifications for the international scene Middle East Investment. Taking place only a matter of days after hectic gatherings in the US, the international scene was represented in this territory by the Dubai Entertainment, amusement and Leisure Deal Expo 2025. Celebrating its 31st anniversary, the event organized by showrunners, international Expo Consults, attracting some 300 exhibitors. The event has proven a valuable indicator of the regional and international temperature of the attraction and amusement markets, but this year in particular charted business trends that will reverberate throughout the rest of the sector. Taking a prominent space, as in previous years, amusement Service International, asi was a premier exhibitor at the event. The ASI pavilion was a crowded space for the latest new releases, represented through their extensive third-party partnerships. Offering a snapshot of the most popular new releases, with representation from leading brands, lai Games' new release, cyberpunk Turf Wars, was presented, sporting its final production livery, while a good slice of space was also given over to Sega Amusement International SAI, including their VR, was displayed with Alpha Strike VR, the final production version, replete with final levels and cabinet design With a much lighter overall design compared to the prototype. The show unit was emblazoned with a sticker confirming the show unit had been sold to local operator Funcity VR was also presented from Major Mega with their full Hyperdeck enclosure in operation at the show, along with SpongeBob Dynamic Duo. A surprise new VR release presented was from Oculap Yinghua Technology, who previously showed Zombie Frenzy, a VR visor gun system in its upright kiosk. But at Deal 25, the cabinet was rocking the game Terminator Uprising based on the sci-fi movie, while still using the upright cabinet. No word on the Western release plans for this new game, with some confusion between its name on the cabinet and the name in the marketing material. The Terminator IP was last seen in the arcades with the Raw Thrills Terminator Salvation in 2010. That received an update in 2020.
Speaker 1:The ASI pavilion included a section called the ASI Social Gaming Area. Fresh from their showing at Bar and Restaurant Expo in Dubai, 501 Fun took pride of place in this space with their AR Darts system running the latest minigame. The company also brought the latest version of their interactive mini-golf platform with the touchscreen and full LED wall-screen game features. The growth of social entertainment within the region represented with this themed area, reflecting the moves towards a more competitive socializing model for many venues, this area also including a selection of the latest pinball tables. It also indicated how involved ASI are in the Dubai social entertainment venue scene, as reported later. Social entertainment was a growing element of the exhibitor lineup at Deal 2025, with exhibitors befit Middle East coming to the show with their bowling platforms, including their Brunswick String bowling lanes in operation. Also representing social entertainment bowling was Exhibitor Neoverse, while Exhibitor Gem Productions also had an extensive social entertainment representation, including their Sports Simulation Screen System and Event Ultra VP Virtual Pinball Table Also on the ASI booth.
Speaker 1:Fresh from a popular showing at IAAPI a few weeks previously, fog Technologies presented at Deal 25 their Hypergrid, an interactive enclosure platform with wall and floor illuminated panels creating a pure physical and digital game experience, building on the popularity seen with the illuminated floor games, the unique immersive enclosure presentation offering simple touchscreen operation and an eye-catching presentation for players and audience. What the company has dubbed the world's most viral game. Active entertainment using Illuminated Floor platform was a common genre now and Deal 2025 Exhibitor Dreamland Playground had their system on display. Active entertainment using projection body-tracked systems was also represented. Developer Spree Interactive used Deal 25 as the location to premiere their new Spree Play, the projection screen open enclosure offering a four-player hand-tracked game experience. The trend for interactive projection was also reflected at the Dubai event from exhibitor Fidgetal Games. Projective projection was also reflected at the Dubai event from exhibitor Fidgetal Games, a new division of the indoor children's activity space. Developer Helloio, building on immersive experiences based on their projection game experiences with some 40 venues across the planet. The operation recently launching a new gamification platform called Avatar Park 2.0, designed to attract new guests and increase repeat visitor engagement. Active immersive enclosure systems were also on display from CH Funtech with their SoccerBot ball-launching enclosure and projection display system offering numerous sports games but focused on soccer at the show.
Speaker 1:Another prominent exhibitor with their own considerable presence was Industry Stalwart Warehouse of Games, wog. The other extensive pavilion of amusement representation Adeel 2025, and the WOG booth included Raw Thrill's new Top Gun Maverick cabinet, along with their other most recent releases, such as the showing of their VR title T-Rex Safari VR Adventure. A new game launched at AEI 25 made the journey to Dubai with Blue Motion Games' Desert Chase four-player motion seat shooter, as well as their new Cannonball Jam shooter. Other previously covered releases from Adrenaline Amusement and other international developers were represented by WOG, along with Raw Thrills.
Speaker 1:Vr was represented on the WoG booth from partners VEX Solutions showing their VEXA Arena to attendees. Vr applications for training and entertainment were showcased at the Dubai event, with Mellor's Entertainment revealing their VR training content, the UAE division of the Mellor's Group. The company presented its immersive platform to train ride operators, maintenance staff, leadership and management and all operational support staff, one of the first of its kind in the industry. It is hoped that this approach can streamline the educational process by bridging the gap between theory and practical training through industry-specialized content. The training sessions use PICO headsets running specialized content tailored to clients' bespoke requirements. This content also extends to food and beverage security, crowd management and many other operational areas offering cross-industry solutions. The initiative was recognized at the Menelak Awards 2024, winning the title of Best Innovation in Health and Safety. The XR side of the business was also represented on the WOG Pavilion with the announcement of a partnership between WOG and INOWIZE to represent in the region the QBIX immersive enclosure. An example of the system, wowing the audience on their booth. The perfusion of immersive enclosure-style systems at Deal 2025 was a real example of the inroads this approach has made, now in direct competition with the bigger DX amusement pieces and the obvious VR arena business.
Speaker 1:Other popular amusement faces from the international sector at the show included United Distributing Company UDC, with a crowded booth with the latest Redemption and Prize machines, along with videos, including their representation of Step Revolution, who brought the latest of their music game, with Step Maniacs running the new game update. Chinese amusement representation was seen more prevalent than at other Western events recently. Ace Amusement had a dedicated presence at the Dubai show with the full lineup of their 2025 roster, including the Fast Racer DX release. Another powerhouse from China exhibiting at the event was WALAP Technology, a major factory originating and fabricating. They showed on a subdued booth the twin motorbike DX cab, asphalt Moto Battle, while promoting the other titles they manufacture, all represented by WOG in the territory.
Speaker 1:The Deal 2025 China Pavilion included the likes of Yuto Games with a selection of games, including their new two-player mounted shooting motion bench game, enemy Link, movie Power and Funscape had their VR Cinema Space Ride X attraction, along with other amusement, including their eye-catching Rolling Ball Ski Ball system. While celebrating 16 years in business, epark Amusement showing their range of products, including their new Demon Hunter physical shooter, skyfun had their VR motion ride and kiddie shooter, while Fun in VR also attended Deal 25 and showed their new VR Motor Racer, a rotating motorbike VR simulator, enhanced on the previous variant, clearly inspired by Tron and seeing interest from attendees Alongside a selection of their more familiar VR ride simulators. It will be interesting to see how many of these Chinese releases will be seen outside of this region. As the amusement and attraction market regroups following the changes in US policy towards Chinese imports, many observers feel that much of the Chinese amusement range will be represented through new third-party deals rather than buying direct, though the Middle East region still has strong affiliations with buying direct. In conclusion, the 31st gathering of the deal event saw some 300 exhibitors on the show floor, visited by roughly 10,000 attendees. According to the show organizers, this was some 500 less than last year's gathering, though attendees felt that there was no noticeable drop-off in booth visitation A difficult show to chart, as much of the business is more about the high-level discussion surrounding the event concerning sales closing. New to this year's event was Deal Recognition Evening, an award dinner recognising the leadership and innovation to the industry in this region. Deal was also alongside the MENELAC Middle East North Africa Leisure and Association Council supporting the regions and hosting their 8th Leisure, entertainment and Attraction Conference, with high-level panel discussions on the resilience and future of the sector in this territory and beyond, including panelists from ASI, triotech, embed and local operators Bounce UAE, along with others. Menelak having also created and published a 2025 Industry market report for the region, which the owners of the Stinger Report were invited to supply observations for.
Speaker 1:Middle East Battleground, the big elephant in the room during Deal 25 was that of next year's show roster in the territory, in particular the Spectre of Ayapa Expo Middle East in Riyadh that will take place after deal 2026 and before CE. That the market can support three shows within only a few weeks of each other is one of several questions. By the move, iaapa would use the same week as deal 25 to announce they had grown the planned floor space for their new IARPA ME26. C, citing a demand surge. They have expanded, contracting an additional hall of the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, adn-eic. All this as exhibitors this year decided on their need to attend the next major regional event, the Saudi Entertainment and Amusement SEA Expo, taking place the following month we will have a report from the event regarding what offerings differed from the deal gathering and a perspective on how a three-show roster in the region will be workable.
Speaker 1:Mena explosion in social entertainment. Along with the inclusion of the ASI social gaming area during Deal 25, there was also other prevalent exhibitors promoting the new thinking behind the establishment of social entertainment, defined as competitive socializing for the men-a-market. Along with the products and services, an explosion of actual new facilities was seen to open in this territory. One such example is the launch in April of the Hush H venue in Dubai. Located in an exclusive licensed venue at the Social District, the venue is the home to the first duckpin bowling in the Middle East, along with augmented reality, shuffleboard and AR darts and a mix of both classic and modern arcade games. A venue with a license to open from 12pm to 2am on weekdays and offers cocktails and specialist hospitality, including a cigar and whiskey lounge.
Speaker 1:The new concept tagged as an after-work escape and is promoting its high energy. Hushed's exclusive license and ability to serve cocktails, as well as access to the 22 gourmet kitchens of the social district area, offers a unique take on the social entertainment experience, a first of its kind for the region and a major trailblazer. It was interesting to learn that this new enterprise is supported heavily by ASI, who have worked with the developers in creating what will be seen as one of the first key social entertainment spaces for the area. While not the first, it is one of the most ambitious, blending the needs of the region with the drive in competitive, socialising and hospitality entertainment, and will be seen alongside other examples like Swingers and Activate, recently opening in the region. We will cover this aspect of the business in coming coverage in our new news and trend service, the Entertainment Social Arena. Watch this space.
