For the past year or so, it’s been hard to ignore the growing unease around Arcade1Up. Once the go-to name for home arcade cabinets, the brand has felt… quieter. Fewer releases, mixed signals about support, and a lot of unanswered questions from fans who’ve invested serious money (and living room space) into these machines.
Now, we might finally have something resembling an answer.
Basic Fun! has confirmed it has acquired select assets of Arcade1Up, and while this isn’t a full resurrection announcement, it does sound like a plan to at least keep the lights on.
Basic Fun! takes on Arcade1Up
In a statement addressing the speculation, Basic Fun! said:
“We want to address a few questions we’ve seen circulating about the Arcade1Up product lines.
Basic Fun! has acquired select assets of Arcade1Up and intends to support, to the best of our ability, the Home Arcade category and existing Arcade1Up products currently in the market.
This asset acquisition reflects our ongoing commitment to expanding our presence in the home arcade space, supporting current Arcade1Up titles and products alongside our own existing arcade offerings.
We’ll have more to share in the new year and look forward to continuing to serve the arcade fan community. Game On!”
That last line — “supporting current Arcade1Up titles and products” — is the key one. For owners worried about firmware updates, replacement parts, or their cabinets quietly becoming abandoned hardware, this is the most reassuring news in a long time.
It also makes sense when you look at Basic Fun!’s wider catalogue. This is a company that already trades heavily on nostalgia, licensed retro brands, and plug-and-play arcade-style experiences. Arcade1Up fits neatly into that world, rather than sitting awkwardly on the sidelines.
My thoughts on Arcade1Up’s woes
From my own point of view, Arcade1Up has always felt slightly at odds with itself. I see the cabinets in stores, I’m drawn in by the licenses and the nostalgia, then I hit two immediate barriers: price and availability.
Some models feel expensive for what they are, yet at the same time they’re oddly difficult to actually get hold of, especially if you’re after a specific cabinet rather than whatever happens to be in stock that month. What surprises me most, though, is how little is made of the fact that these machines need assembling.
For me, that’s a feature, not a drawback. Building your own cabinet, piece by piece, feels like part of the hobby — closer to restoring or owning an arcade machine than simply buying another plug-and-play box. It’s a selling point that Arcade1Up never really leaned into, and one that still feels oddly underused.
What is the long-term plan?
Of course, there are still big unanswered questions. Will we see new cabinets? Reissues of hard-to-find machines? Better long-term support for existing owners? And crucially, will this bring some stability back to a brand that’s felt adrift?
After months of uncertainty, this is welcome news. If Basic Fun! follows through and treats Arcade1Up as a living platform rather than a legacy label, this could be the reset the brand has been waiting for.
With promises of more news in the new year, at least one thing is clear: Arcade1Up isn’t done yet.
(Toybook)
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
