Bitmap Books will publish The Arcade 1971–1999, a wide-ranging oral history of early arcade gaming, on September 22, 2026.
Authored by game journalist and university lecturer Paul Drury and spanning 408 pages, the volume collects firsthand accounts, archival material and developer testimony covering the formative years of the coin-op industry.
The publisher positions the book as a comprehensive account of arcade gaming's first three decades.
According to Bitmap Books' materials, the book features stories from more than 120 classic coin-operated games and contributions from industry figures and creators.
Notable contributors named by the publisher include 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) and Masanobu Endō (Xevious, The Tower of Druaga).
Drury's reporting is presented as deeply sourced: the book includes a foreword by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell and an afterword by Eugene Jarvis, creator of Defender and Robotron 2084.
Bitmap Books also states the volume contains personal photos, design sketches, coding notes and other behind-the-scenes material, plus licensed concept art supplied by The Strong National Museum of Play.
Artist Adam Rufino contributes a series of arcade cabinet illustrations, and the hardback edition will feature thread-sewn binding, high-quality paper and a foil-blocked cover.
Publisher materials describe a collection of oral-history vignettes and development anecdotes.
Drury's interviews reportedly surface development stories such as early iterations of Ms. Pac-Man, contested origin stories tied to Donkey Kong, colorful details about Q*bert's character work and the night the first Pong cabinet was installed in Andy Capp’s Tavern.
These first-person recollections aim to contextualize how programming, music and graphics work combined to shape many well-known arcade titles.
The Arcade 1971–1999 is priced at €41.95 (shipping excluded) and will include a complimentary PDF copy.
Pre-orders are not live at the time of announcement; interested readers can sign up to receive an alert when pre-orders open.
For retro-gaming historians and collectors, the book promises a substantial archival resource; the ongoing cultural influence of coin-ops is also visible today through re-releases and compilations on modern platforms, including releases on services such as the Nintendo Switch eShop.
Authored by game journalist and university lecturer Paul Drury and spanning 408 pages, the volume collects firsthand accounts, archival material and developer testimony covering the formative years of the coin-op industry.
The publisher positions the book as a comprehensive account of arcade gaming's first three decades.
According to Bitmap Books' materials, the book features stories from more than 120 classic coin-operated games and contributions from industry figures and creators.
Notable contributors named by the publisher include 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) and Masanobu Endō (Xevious, The Tower of Druaga).
Drury's reporting is presented as deeply sourced: the book includes a foreword by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell and an afterword by Eugene Jarvis, creator of Defender and Robotron 2084.
Bitmap Books also states the volume contains personal photos, design sketches, coding notes and other behind-the-scenes material, plus licensed concept art supplied by The Strong National Museum of Play.
Artist Adam Rufino contributes a series of arcade cabinet illustrations, and the hardback edition will feature thread-sewn binding, high-quality paper and a foil-blocked cover.
Publisher materials describe a collection of oral-history vignettes and development anecdotes.
Drury's interviews reportedly surface development stories such as early iterations of Ms. Pac-Man, contested origin stories tied to Donkey Kong, colorful details about Q*bert's character work and the night the first Pong cabinet was installed in Andy Capp’s Tavern.
These first-person recollections aim to contextualize how programming, music and graphics work combined to shape many well-known arcade titles.
The Arcade 1971–1999 is priced at €41.95 (shipping excluded) and will include a complimentary PDF copy.
Pre-orders are not live at the time of announcement; interested readers can sign up to receive an alert when pre-orders open.
For retro-gaming historians and collectors, the book promises a substantial archival resource; the ongoing cultural influence of coin-ops is also visible today through re-releases and compilations on modern platforms, including releases on services such as the Nintendo Switch eShop.
