Feb eleven, 2022

  • Arda OcalESPN

Arcade cabinet manufacturer Arcade1Up has told ESPN that information technology is partnering with Shaquille O'Neal to release NBA JAM: SHAQ EDITION. The new game will be a super-sized version of the company'southward existing NBA Jam arcade machine, released in 2020, with artwork of Shaq on the cabinet.

The announcement will be made Friday evening at Shaq'due south Fun House, a concert experience in Los Angeles, Calif., during Super Bowl weekend. As part of the announcement, O'Neal, who won NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Rut, will play NBA Jam on a custom machine that Arcade1Up is describing equally "the single largest arcade car in history" confronting Grammy-laurels winning musician and DJ, Diplo.

NBA JAM: SHAQ EDITION will be 65.eight inches loftier, 8 inches higher than the visitor's existing NBA Jam machine, with a nineteen-inch screen, WiFi enabled and iii playable games: NBA Jam, NBA Jam Tournament Edition and NBA Hangtime.

O'Neal appeared in the original NBA Jam with the Orlando Magic, and was a big fan of the game in the 90s.

"I'd bring a automobile on the route every now and then only considering I loved playing so much," O'Neal told ESPN in 2011. "I remember back in the solar day I used to play as Chris Mullin against my boys, and I'd hit like 12 3s in a row and offset yelling: 'He's on burn down!'"

Scott Bachrach, CEO of Arcade1Up, told ESPN that the visitor started to place athletes to collaborate with from that fourth dimension frame, following the success of their original NBA JAM arcade machine. O'Neal was at the top of the list.

"[O'Neal] was very clear [with united states of america], 'This is going to be really authentic, I'm doing this because I really similar it,'" Bachrach said. "'It really speaks to who I am as a brand, and I think information technology'due south cool that other people tin beget something that normally they wouldn't exist able to.' [O'Neal] said, 'Hey Scott, before I did annihilation with you lot, I bought two of your machines.'"

NBA JAM: SHAQ EDITION is expected to driblet this summer at a price of $599.

"At that place'due south a congenital upward demand for arcade games of the past that people are dying to see released and we hear them," Bachrach said.

Pop retro titles similar NFL Blitz, NHL ii on 2 Open Ice Challenge and WWF WrestleFest are games that have all the same to receive the Arcade1Up treatment. The company wouldn't reveal any time to come releases. However, Bachrach noted that there volition "absolutely" be a major sports-related announcement from the organization later this year.