"Pac-Man Play" refers to a series of claw/crane machines, released by ICE some time in the 2010s. The machines were only distributed in locations vended by Namco USA (prior to their 2021 closure), such as AMC movie theaters.
Overview[]
The Pac-Man Play machines were reskinned from much older ICE-manufactured machines, slightly redesigned to add the Pac-Man-themed marquee and other minor alterations. The most common Pac-Man Play models were rebranded from "Pinnacle" machines; the branding has also been seen applied to "Namco X-Press"/"Namco X-Factor" models.
They are not to be confused with the (now defunct) chain of actual arcade locations known as "Pac-Man Play". It should be noted, however, that the Pac-Man Play claw machines were common to find in these locations; which may indicate they were designed for the arcade chain initially.
Trivia[]
- Following Namco USA's closure, arcade operators were reportedly ordered to "strip and destroy" Pac-Man branding pertaining to the arcade locations. Oddly, this seemingly included the Pac-Man Play machines (despite not applying to regular Pac-Man cabinets); resulting in the former Namco USA locations stripping the machines of all Pac-Man artwork.
- Several pieces of Pac-Man merchandise were seemingly exclusively distributed in Pac-Man Play (and Namco Fire Truck) claw machines. These include inflatable balls, fuzzy dice, and a set of teddy bears wearing 3D glasses, with Pac-Man characters on their stomachs.
- There is an earlier set of rebranded Pinnacle machines (likely from the mid-2000s) featuring marquees reading "Powered by Namco". The marquee artwork shows Pac-Man's arm and leg controlling a lever, though he is otherwise not present on the machine (with the rest of his body being cropped off).
- A Pinnacle-based machine themed after Namco's iOS game Rocket Fox was also produced in the early 2010s.[1]
- Pac-Man Play machines located in Walmarts were generally painted (or repainted) blue; this was reportedly ordered by Walmart, likely to adhere to the standardized blue coloring used by the company.[2] Machines from other locations were painted in a variety of colors.
Gallery[]
References[]
See also[]
- Namco Fire Truck - another, earlier series of ICE Pac-Man claw machines