Dave & Buster’s takes its best restaurant arcade games to mobile devices

Dave & Buster’s is launching a series of mobile games today that are based on some of the most popular arcade games in its restaurants.

Above: You have to stack as many bloks as possible in Tippin’ Bloks.

Image Credit: Dave & Buster's

Kevin Bachus, the co-creator of Microsoft’s original Xbox, led the creation of the mobile games for Dave & Buster’s. He joined the Dallas-based restaurant chain in 2012 to help evolve the on-premise arcade experience into a multiplatform gaming experience.

“We wanted to enhance our in-store experience by providing a virtual experience,” said Bachus, the senior vice president of entertainment and games strategy at Dave & Buster’s, in a statement. “Now guests can keep the Dave & Buster’s fun going even when they’re not at our restaurant. They can download these new mobile games and win tickets to redeem for prizes on their next visit.”

Dave & Buster’s has 76 restaurants that combine arcade fun and food. Those restaurants are a good testing ground for all sorts of games. But translating those games to mobile titles isn’t easy.

Above: Big Bass Wheel

Image Credit: Dave & Buster's

“We didn’t just put an arcade game on your phone; we made these games feel ‘native’ to mobile,” said Bachus, “These games are about more than winning tickets — these are really good, really fun games you will want to play.”

The new games enable players to redeem their winnings from the mobile games for real prizes. Players can redeem points for real-world tickets that are stored on their Power Card, which is redeemable for prizes at all Dave & Buster’s locations in the U.S. and Canada. Prizes range from toys and video games to game consoles and tablets.

The titles include Speed of Light, Big Bass Wheel, and Tippin’ Bloks. They’re available on iOS and Android. In Tippin’ Bloks, you have to stack endless waves of bloks that fall from the sky. Speed of Light is a tap-and-swipe game where you hit the lighted dots on the board to score as many points as you can before time is up. And Big Bass Wheel lets you spin a wheel and reel in a catch.

Dave & Buster’s worked with Quebec City, Canada-based Sarbakan and Robosoft Technologies, two external studios, to make the games. Robosoft made the mobile versions of Big Bass Wheel and Tippin’ Bloks while Sarbakan made the mobile Speed of Light game. Udupi, India-based Robosoft has created more than 1,400 apps.

“Clients turn to us for complex marketing and gaming solutions when an app needs to be spot on with capturing the essence of a brand,” said Rohith Bhat, the CEO of Robosoft Technologies, in a statement. “This is just the type of project that Robosoft loves to work with — where strategy, design, and engineering have come together beautifully. Dave & Buster’s recognizes that mobile apps are already enriching people’s lives, so finding a creative solution to extend the Midway fun anywhere consumers want and provide them with rewards is a perfect extension of what makes them successful.”