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Raw Thrills

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Raw Thrills, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryVideo games
Founded2001
HeadquartersSkokie, Illinois, United States
Websiterawthrills.com

Raw Thrills, Inc. is an American arcade video game entertainment company based in Skokie, Illinois. It is best known for developing arcade games based on films.

History

[edit]

Raw Thrills was founded in 2001 by Eugene Jarvis, Deepak Deo, and Andrew Eloff.[1][2][3] Early on, the company had a staff of seven, consisting largely of other former Midway Games employees.[4] It started off developing video casino slot machines.[5]

In 2003, Raw Thrills released its first independent coin-op game, Target: Terror, a light-gun shooter game.[5] Later that year, an upgraded version called Target: Terror Gold (also known as Target: Force[6]) was released. It featured bonus levels, end-of-round awards, and other performance enhancements. Target: Terror was the first gun game designed under the direction of Jarvis.[7] The game was later brought to the Nintendo Wii in 2008 by Konami.[8]

Image
Cruis 'n Blast arcade cabinets, released by Raw Thrills in 2017

In 2004, the company released its second game, The Fast and the Furious, a racing game based on the Universal Studios movie of the same name.[5] Tsunami Visual Technologies later made a motion version of the game for large family entertainment centers.[9] The game was brought to the Wii in 2007 by Midway under the name Cruis'n with all The Fast and the Furious references hastily removed.[10]

In 2006, Raw Thrills merged with Play Mechanix,[11] the developer of the Big Buck franchise, which was founded in 1995 by George Petro, a former designer for Midway Games.[12] That year, they released Big Buck Hunter Pro and The Fast and the Furious: Super Bikes.[5] In 2007 Raw Thrills released The Fast and the Furious: Drift.[13]

In 2008, the company released Big Buck Safari in multiple configurations.[14][15] It also released Nicktoons Nitro, a kart racing game featuring licensed characters from various Nickelodeon Nicktoons including SpongeBob SquarePants, Timmy Turner from The Fairly OddParents, Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Invader Zim, Jimmy Neutron, and Danny Phantom.[16]

In January 2009, Raw Thrills and Specular Interactive co-produced H2Overdrive, a spiritual successor to the Midway arcade racer Hydro Thunder.[17] Specular Interactive was made up of several ex-Midway employees who had worked on Hydro Thunder.[18][19] It received high praise from critics.[20][21][22][23] A motion-based version was also produced in November 2009 that was handled by Namco Bandai Games and UNIS.[24] UNIS also holds the rights to distribute the game in China.[25]

Also in 2009, Raw Thrills teamed up with Konami and Activision to produce Guitar Hero Arcade,[26] based off Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.[27][28] Raw Thrills engineered the game while Konami and Activision were involved to cover patenting and licensing issues respectively.[29][30] It sold over 2,000 units in just three months.[31] The company also unveiled an update to Big Buck Hunter Pro, called Open Season.[32]

In February 25, 2010, Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix released Terminator Salvation, a deluxe light-gun shooter based on the 2009 film of the same name.[33] The game received early praise from arcade operators as it exceeded earnings expectations during testing.[34] It released a new Frogger video redemption game near the end of the year.[35] Raw Thrills partnered with Specular again to release Dirty Drivin' in 2011.[36] It also worked with Specular and Warner Bros. to release the Batman driving arcade game in 2013.[37][38]

By 2014, the company employed over 60 developers.[4] That year, it unveiled Jurassic Park Arcade at IAAPA after three years of development. A light-gun shooter based on the Jurassic Park franchise, it was released the following year.[39][40] In 2015, Raw Thrills launched a worldwide anti-piracy campaign after discovering multiple Chinese companies were manufacturing and distributing counterfeit games in Asia and Australia. Illegal versions of SuperBikes 2 and Dirty Drivin' were seized by authorities.[41]

In 2016, Raw Thrills licensed a new video game in the Cruis'n franchise from Nintendo to develop Cruis'n Adventure.[42] The game was later rebranded as Cruis'n Red Line.[43][44] It was released as Cruis'n Blast in 2017.[45][46] Raw Thrills released the fighting game Injustice Arcade, featuring characters from DC Comics, in 2017. Collectable cards were later added to the game.[47] It also produced the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game based on the 2012 television series[48] and The Walking Dead arcade game based on the TV series.[49][50] The developers were tasked with creating a shooting game without the use of a gun, leading to its focus on crossbow shooting.[6]

In 2018, the company introduced Halo: Fireteam Raven, based on the popular Halo franchise. It was released in a four-player format and offered Xbox Live connectivity. A two-player version was introduced in 2019.[51] Also in 2019, the company revamped the Hall of Fame section on its website for tracking high scores and organizing tournaments.[52][53]

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the arcade industry, Raw Thrills still managed to release Nitro Trucks in 2020. King Kong of Skull Island, the company's first VR game was delayed until 2021.[54][55] On June 16, 2021, Raw Thrills announced a port for its arcade game Cruis'n Blast for the Nintendo Switch system. It marks the company's first console game.[56]

In 2023, Arcade1Up released The Fast & Furious Deluxe Arcade Game cabinet, which included the first game in the series from Raw Thrills, along with Drift.[57] It also unveiled its Big Buck Hunter Pro Deluxe cabinet, which included Big Buck Hunter Pro, Big Buck Hunter Pro Open Season, Big Buck Hunter Safari and Big Buck Hunter Safari Outback.[58]

King Kong of Skull Island II, an update to its VR game, became available in February 2024.[59] An advanced port of the 2017 TMNT game, titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants, was released in April for home consoles.[60][61] In 2025, Fast & Furious: Arcade was released on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series under the name Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition.[62][63]

Games

[edit]

Unreleased: Dance Central 3,[97] Q*bert,[98] World's Largest Frogger[99]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Harding, Matt (May 11, 2023). "Industry Icon Eugene Jarvis Takes Hall of Fame Spot". RePlay Magazine.
  2. ↑ Murray, Rheana (August 15, 2014). "The Death and Resurgence of Arcades in America". ABC News. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  3. ↑ Montano, Nick (November 3, 2015). "New Jurassic Park Arcade Video Features Motion Cabinet". Vending Times. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Thrills Keep Coming" (PDF). Play Meter. May 2014. pp. 66–69. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". Raw Thrills. October 14, 2011. Archived from the original on January 31, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 "欧米最大手のアーケードゲームメーカー、Raw Thrills（ロウスリルズ）のキーパーソンに聞く 戦略から日米ゲームセンターの違いまで【JAEPO 2017】". ファミ通.com (in Japanese). February 16, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Cifaldi, Frank (October 24, 2004). "Event Wrap-Up: AMOA International Show 2004". Game Developer. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Target: Terror". GamesIndustry.biz. April 23, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  9. ↑ "The Fast and the Furious". Raw Thrills, Inc. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bozon (December 8, 2007). "Cruis'n Review". IGN. Retrieved April 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Andrew (March 30, 2026). "Arcade Game Manufacturer Play Mechanix Wins the NFL and Skillz Game Developer Challenge, NFL QB Shootout Game Available on iOS, Android". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 Thrills, Raw (October 19, 2016). "Raw Thrills Takes the Stage at TwitchCon 2016 as eSports Arcade Game Industry Leader!". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  13. ↑ Sheffield, Brandon (April 22, 2007). "Q&A: Betson's Cravens On The Future Of U.S. Arcades". Game Developer. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  14. ↑ Shaggy (January 18, 2008). "Raw Thrills' new coin-op title Big Buck Safari". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  15. ↑ Shaggy (January 14, 2009). "New products from Betson includes Big Buck Safari Deluxe". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  16. 1 2 "Nicktoons Nitro Racing". Raw Thrills, Inc. October 14, 2011. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  17. ↑ Shaggy (January 22, 2009). "New boat racing game by Raw Thrills and the Hydro Thunder team to be at ATEI (UPDATED w/ SCREENS & CONTROL INFO)". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Overview". Specular Interactive. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  19. ↑ "First details on H2Overdrive, the spiritual successor to Hydro Thunder". Destructoid. January 23, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  20. ↑ Leone, Matt (January 23, 2009). "H2Overdrive Preview for ARC from". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Waves of orders make H2Overdrive product of Preview". Coinoptoday.com. November 9, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  22. ↑ "Operator bowled over by H2Overdrive". Coinoptoday.com. March 5, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  23. ↑ Shaggy (March 13, 2010). "Amusement Expo 2010: Raw Thrills/Betson, TrioTech booth". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  24. ↑ Shaggy (November 23, 2009). "IAAPA 2009 videos – Dead Storm Pirates, UNIS booth (w. Cooking Mama & H2Overdrive motion), Big Buck Hunter Open Season, Textminator". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Universal Space to Offer H2Overdrive in Asia". Coinoptoday.com. December 9, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  26. ↑ Kohler, Chris (November 17, 2008). "Report: Konami, Activision Create Guitar Hero Arcade Game". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  27. ↑ McElroy, Justin (December 9, 2008). "Guitar Hero Arcade based on Guitar Hero 3". Engadget. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  28. ↑ Hartley, Adam (December 15, 2008). "Guitar Hero Arcade launches in January". TechRadar. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  29. ↑ "RUMOR: Guitar Hero "Arcade" a Little Less Rumory". Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  30. ↑ "IAAPA news: Guitar Hero to be at the show (UPDATED)". Arcade Heroes. November 17, 2008. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  31. ↑ Shaggy (June 10, 2009). "Betson: 2000 Guitar Hero units have been sold in three months". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  32. ↑ Shaggy (September 17, 2009). "Raw Thrills'/Play Mechanix unveil Big Buck Hunter: Open Season". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  33. ↑ Shaggy (March 20, 2010). "Reminders for releases this month: Terminator Salvation, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Pump It Up Pro 2 & Fiesta, Sega Racing Classic". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  34. ↑ "The results are in Terminator Salvation™ is the Total Package!". Coinoptoday.com. March 25, 2010. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Arcadian (November 12, 2010). "Raw Thrills/Play Mechanix/Betson IAAPA line-up announced with Big Buck World, new Frogger". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  36. ↑ Arcadian (October 13, 2011). "Raw Thrills' shows Dirty Drivin' with some changes". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Batman™ Powers Himself into Arcades". www.gamasutra.com. November 26, 2013. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  38. ↑ Arcadian (November 5, 2013). "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Steven Ranck of Specular Interactive Discusses Batman Arcade". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  39. ↑ Arcadian (November 19, 2014). "IAAPA 2014 Day 2: Star Wars Battle Pod, Showdown, Jurassic Park, Pump It Up PRIME 2015, Candy Crush Saga + More". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  40. ↑ Arcadian (February 13, 2015). "New Jurassic Park Arcade Flyer & Release Times". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  41. ↑ Montano, Nick (May 12, 2015). "Raw Thrills Begins Global Antipiracy Campaign Chinese Game Factories Admit Wrongdoing". Vending Times. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  42. ↑ Wawro, Alex (May 5, 2016). "Nintendo licenses out new Cruis'n arcade game: Cruis'n Adventure". Game Developer. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  43. ↑ Hayward, Andrew (August 25, 2016). "Cruis'n returns in a new arcade racing game". Polygon.com. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  44. ↑ Arcadian (June 14, 2016). "First Footage Of The New Cruis'n Redline by Nintendo & Raw Thrills". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  45. 1 2 Scullion, Chris (August 13, 2025). "Fast & Furious: Arcade is coming to consoles later this year". VGC. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  46. ↑ Montano, Nick (October 6, 2016). "Raw Thrills Recreates Classic Cruisn Arcade Videogame With Todays Technology". Vending Times. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  47. ↑ Sanford, Tim (February 25, 2019). "Raw Thrills Unveils Injustice Series 2 Cards Kit Software Update". Vending Times. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  48. ↑ Arcadian (November 15, 2017). "IAAPA 2017: Raw Thrills booth with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Injustice Arcade; X Games Snow Boarder". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  49. 1 2 3 4 5 Regev, Nir (February 22, 2017). "The Walking Dead Arcade Game: Out Now, Use Daryl's Crossbow". Undead Walking. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  50. ↑ Arcadian (July 27, 2017). "Let's Unbox The Walking Dead Arcade Game". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  51. ↑ Sanford, Tim (January 23, 2019). "Raw Thrills Greets New Year With Newsletter Review And Outlook". Vending Times. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  52. ↑ Arcadian (April 2, 2019). "Post Your High Scores To The Raw Thrills Hall Of Fame". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  53. ↑ Sanford, Tim (July 28, 2019). "Raw Thrills Web Service Supports Flipsides Super Bikes 3 Tourney". Vending Times. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  54. ↑ Arcadian (October 28, 2020). "New Details On Raw Thrills' First Foray Into VR: King Kong of Skull Island". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  55. ↑ Harding, Matt (February 1, 2021). "Raw Thrills – February 2021 –". RePlay Magazine. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  56. ↑ Sarkar, Samit (June 15, 2021). "Racing series Cruis'n arrives on Nintendo Switch this fall". Polygon. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Bring the 'Fast and the Furious' action home with Arcade 1Up's latest game cabinet (exclusive)". Yahoo Entertainment. April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  58. ↑ Harding, Matt (August 20, 2023). "Big Buck Gets Home Game Treatment". RePlay Magazine. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  59. 1 2 Harding, Matt (February 20, 2024). "King Kong Update Available". RePlay Magazine. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  60. ↑ Shea, Brian (April 23, 2024). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants Review - Better Left In The Sewers". Game Informer. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  61. ↑ Borger, Will (April 23, 2024). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants Review". IGN. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  62. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (August 13, 2025). "Cruis'n Blast fans, this one's for you". Polygon.com. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  63. ↑ Bigg, Martin (August 13, 2025). "Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition coming to consoles in October". Traxion.GG. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  64. 1 2 3 Sheffield, Brandon (April 22, 2007). "Q&A: Betson's Cravens On The Future Of U.S. Arcades". Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  65. ↑ "REVIEW: Big Buck HD". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  66. ↑ Shaggy (January 7, 2010). "Big Buck Hunter Open Season pushes 3000 units in 90 days". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  67. ↑ Shaggy (June 10, 2009). "Betson: 2000 Guitar Hero units have been sold in three months". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  68. ↑ Shaggy (January 22, 2009). "New boat racing game by Raw Thrills' and the Hydro Thunder team to be at ATEI". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  69. ↑ Arcadian (September 8, 2011). "Getting to know Dirty Drivin' and Specular Interactive". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  70. ↑ Arcadian (December 31, 2012). "Disney Cars Arcade As Seen On Location Test At Tomorrowland Arcade, DisneyWorld". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  71. ↑ "Doodle Jump is now an Arcade game!". www.icegame.com. September 12, 2012. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  72. ↑ "Defender dev Eugene Jarvis on the bright future of arcade games". Game Developer. June 21, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  73. ↑ Arcadian (September 12, 2013). "First Pic of Raw Thrills' BATMAN Arcade Cabinet". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  74. ↑ Arcadian (January 16, 2014). "New Flyer And Screenshots For Bandai Namco/Raw Thrills' Super Alpine Racer". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  75. ↑ "Bandai Namco Amusement America". RePlay Magazine. October 1, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  76. ↑ Arcadian (October 26, 2015). "Galaga Returning To The Arcade With Galaga Assault". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  77. ↑ Arcadian (January 18, 2017). "EAG 2017 Day 1: Disney Crossy Road; Choppy Wood; Aerosmith and More". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  78. ↑ "Alien: Covenant Makes Its Way To Arcades, But It's Not What You Think". ComicBook.com. September 5, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  79. 1 2 3 Dominguez, Noah (February 14, 2019). "Marvel's Contest of Champions Is Now an Arcade Game". CBR. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  80. ↑ Arcadian (November 9, 2017). "IAAPA 2017: Hit The Slopes In Raw Thrills' New X Games Snow Boarder". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  81. ↑ Borger, Will (April 23, 2024). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants Review". IGN. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  82. ↑ Arcadian (October 31, 2024). "Raw Thrills Launches Halo: Fireteam Raven 2-Player Upright To Arcades". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  83. 1 2 Arcadian (April 24, 2019). "Raw Thrills Begins Shipping Slither.io, With Super Bikes 3 Coming In May". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  84. ↑ Liess, James (March 6, 2019). "Raw Thrills Announces Upcoming Release of NERF ARCADE". Betson Enterprises. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  85. 1 2 "Raw Thrills – March 2020". RePlay Magazine. March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  86. 1 2 Arcadian (January 31, 2020). "Raw Thrills Releases Bust-A-Move Frenzy; Teases King Kong of Skull Island VR". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  87. ↑ "Raw Thrills offers Minecraft Dungeons Arcade". Vending Times. June 3, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  88. 1 2 "Betson Enterprises partners with Elston Electric on large-scale game room installation at new Chicago arcade venue". Amusement Today. July 1, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  89. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (August 13, 2025). "Cruis'n Blast fans, this one's for you". Polygon.com. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  90. ↑ Arcadian (July 7, 2023). "MotoGP VR Is Now Shipping To Arcades Worldwide". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  91. ↑ "Raw Thrills Releases T-Rex Safari VR Adventure To Arcades". Arcade Heroes. February 2, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  92. ↑ Harding, Matt (September 26, 2024). "Raw Thrills, Play Mechanix Go Boom! With Angry Birds". RePlay Magazine. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  93. ↑ Harding, Matt (June 30, 2024). "Spotlight Feature – Play Mechanix & Raw Thrills – RePlay Magazine". Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  94. ↑ Arcadian (February 28, 2025). "Raw Thrills Unveils Wizard of Oz Videmption Game For Arcades". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  95. ↑ "Betson Enterprises reveals IAAPA Expo lineup". InterGame. November 14, 2025. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  96. 1 2 Arcadian (October 27, 2025). "Raw Thrills To Debut Jackpot Racer, Godzilla Kaiju Wars Deluxe & More At IAAPA 2025". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  97. ↑ "Arcade Releases for 2016". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  98. ↑ Arcadian (November 15, 2015). "Newsbytes: Q*Bert Returns; Formula Zeta; IAAPA Prep". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  99. ↑ Arcadian (June 15, 2019). "The World's Largest Frogger Spotted On Test". Arcade Heroes. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
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