NQ64 Arcade Bars Ltd., the UK gaming bar chain, is opening a new venue called NQ JPN in London's Soho district later in October. The bar will focus on imported Japanese arcade cabinets alongside themed cocktails and music, similar to the company's existing NQ64 locations. via timeextension.com
Fans of the obscure Japanese PC point-and-click adventure Cookie's Bustle gathered for a secret 25th anniversary party. The event included live music, exclusive merchandise, themed cookies and an appearance by a figure called Cookie Blair. via console-classics.com
A community of enthusiasts for the obscure Japanese PC point-and-click adventure Cookie's Bustle: Mysterious Bombo World held a secret gathering to mark 25 years since its release. The game, developed by Rodik and released at the start of the millennium, follows a five-year-old girl named Cookie Blair who believes she is a bear as she journeys to the Pacific island of Bombo World. via timeextension.com
AtariAge has added ten new homebrew games to its store to coincide with the 2026 Portland Retro Gaming Expo. The batch includes six Atari 2600 games, two 7800 games, one Jaguar game and one ColecoVision title, each sold as complete boxed cartridges with manuals, and some including posters. via atariage.com
PLAY Expo Blackpool was the venue for the launch of Paul Drury's new Bitmap Books title The Arcade 1971-1999, co-created with Sam Dyer. Contributors including John Szczepaniak, Martyn Carroll and the Games That Weren't author attended to celebrate the book's release, which covers coin-op history and includes a chapter on unreleased arcade games. via gamesthatwerent.com
Time Extension has published an interview with journalist Paul Drury about his new Bitmap Books title The Arcade 1971-1999, which documents coin-op history through interviews with the creators of classic arcade games. The book features a foreword by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and covers games such as After Burner, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Final Fight and Metal Slug. via timeextension.com
The EGM Compendium crowdfunding campaign raised $1.8 million from close to 22,000 backers, but the book remains unreleased almost two years later. Printing problems and a lack of clear communication from EGM Media continue to delay delivery to backers. via console-classics.com
The Kickstarter campaign for The Rubber-Keyed Wonder, a book exploring the ZX Spectrum's history, games, creators and rivals, reached its funding goal within 98 minutes of going live. The book is planned for release in 2027 and will include coverage of collector editions. via console-classics.com
EGM Media, which raised $1.8 million for its Electronic Gaming Monthly Compendium book, has given backers more detail on the delays, pointing to printer problems as a key cause of the long wait for the physical book. via console-classics.com
Hackaday is running a Retrocomputing Contest, open from mid-August through October 27, 2026, inviting people to submit retrocomputer projects via hackaday.io. Entrants create a project page and the site will select its favourites. via hackaday.io
EGM Media, which raised $1.8 million through crowdfunding for its Electronic Gaming Monthly Compendium book, has addressed backer concerns over lengthy delivery delays. The company admitted it underestimated the project's complexity, comparing its original expectations to simply publishing a magazine issue, and said it takes full responsibility for the situation. via timeextension.com
Publisher Golden Slumbers Ltd has launched a Kickstarter for "The Rubber-Keyed Wonder", a book companion to the 2024 documentary of the same name, written by gaming historian Kim Justice to celebrate the ZX Spectrum's 45th anniversary. The campaign reportedly reached its funding goal within its first day. via timeextension.com
