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A new book covering the history of arcade gaming is set to launch next month, from the game journalist/university lecturer Paul Drury & the publisher Bitmap Books.
The Arcade 1971–1999 (or The Arcade 1971–1999: The Stories Behind Classic Coin-Ops, Told by Their Creators, to give it its full and proper title) is scheduled to release on September 22nd, 2026, and is described by its publisher as "the definitive text on the first thirty years of the arcade industry."
408 pages in total, it said to include the stories of over "120 classic coin-ops," featuring contributions from arcade legends like Steve Wozniak (Breakout), Dave Theurer (Missile Command, Tempest), Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders), Ed Logg (Asteroids, Gauntlet, Centipede) Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man), Tokuro Fujiwara (Ghosts 'n Goblins, Bionic Commando), Masanobu Endō (Xevious, Tower of Druaga), and countless other developers across a wide range of disciplines including programming, music, and graphics.
Not only that, but it is also said to contain a foreword and afterword from the Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell and the Defender and Robotron 2084 co-designer Eugene Jarvis, respectively; "personal photos, design sketches, coding notes and all manner of ‘behind the scenes’ material", and guest contributions from other writers/researchers.
These include The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers author John Szcepaniak (who we should note has contributed to Time Extension several times in the past), the Retro Gamer features editor Martyn Carroll, and Frank Gasking (founder of the popular website Games That Weren't, which catalogues the history of cancelled and unreleased games).
Here's the official description, giving you a rundown of what to expect:
"Author Paul Drury has spent over twenty years talking to the programmers, game designers, artists and musicians who made those seminal arcade titles. Here they share the stories of their creation, in their own words. Amongst the 120 classic coin-ops featured, you’ll discover how Ms. Pac-Man was once a man called Otto, who actually created Donkey Kong, how Q*bert learned to swear and what really happened on the night when the very first Pong machine was placed in Andy Capp’s Tavern.
Along with these firsthand accounts, you will find personal photos, design sketches, coding notes and all manner of ‘behind the scenes’ material, giving a unique insight into the creativity, imagination and ingenuity that brought these games to life. Also included is concept art, licensed from The Strong National Museum of Play, showing the original plans for such Atari classics as Star Wars, Paperboy, Gauntlet and many more.
With a foreword written by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell and an Afterword by Eugene Jarvis, creator of Defender and Robotron, this is the definitive text on the first thirty years of the arcade industry. As with all our books, it includes high-quality paper, thread-sewn binding and each copy is shrink-wrapped. The hardback cover features a foil blocked illustration and inside you will find a series of arcade cabinet illustrations by artist Adam Rufino."
Pre-orders aren't open yet, but you can sign up to be alerted when they go live. The book is priced at €41,95 (without shipping) and will include a free PDF.