Throwback: Cult Arcades with Pinball & Billiards

Together with you, we take a step into the past. A time when neon lights flickered, the clatter of billiard balls and the metallic ping of a pinball machine filled the air – even then, arcades were a place for entertainment, thrills, and socialising. By the 1970s, the first video game systems for private households already existed, but home consoles were nowhere near able to compete with the modern video game machines in the arcades. So, anyone wanting to experience the full kick of gaming went to the arcade.

The Transformation of the arcades

This concept lasted well into the 1990s before the market began to change. With the growing success of home entertainment systems, demand in the arcades declined. Many of the once-popular machines gradually disappeared. At the same time, more and more gaming machines found their way into the arcades. In the 1970s, only two – later three – of these machines would often fit into just a few square metres. But as player interests shifted, slot gaming increasingly moved into focus. In 1977, under the name Merkur B, our first self-developed and manufactured gaming machine was launched on the market. Enthusiasm for this new form of play grew steadily, and over time, more and more gaming machines found their place in our MERKUR Arcades.