Pop-Up Arcades

What Is a Pop-Up Arcade?

A pop-up arcade is a temporary public event where people pay one entrance fee to play a curated collection of independently made games for as long as they want. It can appear at a farmers’ market, food truck night, festival, school, gallery, convention, community center, or another event venue.

The entrance fee includes one physical token. The token is not required to play a game and is never consumed by play. Instead, visitors may exchange it before leaving for a physical object connected to one of the participating games, such as a small 3D print, sticker, pin, card, miniature, or other IP-branded item.

This is an admission-based arcade, not a pay-per-play arcade:

• Visitors pay once at the entrance.
• Every game is available after admission.
• Players may return to games and play for any length of time, subject only to event access and closing time.
• Play counts do not determine how event revenue is divided among creators.
• The token is used only to select a physical take-home object.
• Additional tokens can be purchased for additional take-home objects.

Why Pop-Up Arcades?

Pop-up arcades create a physical home for games that benefit from being played in person, supplemental income streams, and new potential game design space. Some examples:

• Alternative-controller games.
• Local multiplayer games.
• Experimental and installation-based games.
• Student and early-career work.
• Playtesting
• ARG or incremental content release
• collectible-driven

How this works

• Game Devision sources prospective games for the arcade
• Game Devision arranges for arcade venue, alt control creation (if applicable), and creates a cost accounting estimate
• Developers and Game Devision sign a Game Exhibition Agreement to detail the licensed use of the game at the arcade.
• Arcade takes place, revenue pays expenses first then licensed games with remainder.

Details for Developers

The developer supplies the agreed game build, instructions, promotional materials, token-exchange items, and any specialized hardware. If token-exchange items or hardware cannot be supplied, we will discuss the fabrication as part of the exhibition agreement.

Game Devision verifies that every station can be installed, reset, supervised, and used safely in the venue. After the event, the operator totals booth revenue and pays the documented costs of running the event. The remaining revenue is divided equally among participating developers or studios named in the event’s exhibition agreements. The operator sends each participant a settlement report and payment within the agreed timeline.

Game Ownership and Exhibition Rights

Developers retain ownership of their games, names, characters, artwork, code, and other intellectual property.

The developer grants the operator a limited, non-exclusive right to display and promote the game for the events listed in the exhibition agreement. This permission does not transfer ownership or prevent the developer from showing, publishing, or licensing the game elsewhere.

Each exhibition agreement outlines details related to:

• The game version or build.
• The event name, location, and dates.
• How the game may be displayed and promoted.
• Required attribution and links.
• Who supplies, transports, installs, and maintains equipment.
• Whether photos, video, gameplay data, or player feedback may be collected.
• The entrance fee, token-exchange items, approved operating costs, and equal revenue-sharing terms.
• How either party may cancel or withdraw.
• When reports and payments are due.

Revenue and Payment

All entrance fees and other booth income are recorded as gross event revenue. Revenue is settled in this order:

1. Pay the documented, approved costs of operating the arcade.
2. Divide the remaining revenue equally among all participating developers or studios named in the event’s exhibition agreements.

Approved operating costs may include:

• Booth operator time.
• Venue or farmers’ market stall fees.
• Payment-processing fees.
• Event permits and insurance.
• Transportation, setup, and teardown.
• Equipment rental.
• Signage and shared booth supplies.
• Production of token-exchange objects when approved before the event.
• Sales taxes

Operating costs must be disclosed to participating creators before the event. Costs must be supported by receipts, invoices, time records, or another agreed form of documentation.

Every participating developer or studio receives one equal creator share, regardless of the number of games shown, play count, station location, token exchanges, or team size.

The settlement report must show:

• Gross event revenue.
• Each operating cost.
• Revenue remaining after operating costs.
• The number of participating creator shares.
• The value of one creator share.
• The final payment to each participant.

Token-Exchange Objects

Physical objects give visitors a lasting connection to the games they played. Examples include 3D prints, stickers, pins, cards, miniatures, small art prints, and other IP-branded items.

Before the event, the operator and developers document:

• Which objects will be available.
• Who produces and supplies each object.
• The quantity delivered to the booth.
• Token exchange “price” if greater than one.
• How production costs are handled.
• What happens to unclaimed inventory after the event.

Tokens have no cash value and are not used to calculate a creator’s revenue share. Sales taxes must be collected for CDTFA when doing business in CA with this exchange model.