Game Volt, the product division of CONDUCTR, the UK-based innovation studio, will premiere Carnival Games: The Supercharged Funfair at IAAPA Expo Europe 2026, offering visitors their first chance to experience the company’s innovative take on the classic amusement midway.
On show at booth #S3627, Carnival Games blends traditional funfair games with modern digital technology, emphasising connectivity and competition. Visitors can try games from the Carnival Games collection and enjoy the full connected experience.
RFID-enabled onboarding connects players to their performance across different games, with scores contributing to team results and a venue-wide leaderboard.
This means that, instead of functioning as separate standalone games, each Carnival Games unit is integrated into a broader competitive social platform. Players can participate in various challenges, track their scores, and monitor their ranking on the leaderboard throughout the experience.
Connected gaming
Created for groups and sessions lasting up to an hour, this format transforms quick, individual games into a unified social experience. It lets operators combine the accessibility of a traditional midway with the structure, competitive element, and shared moments typical of modern social gaming.
The core software enables the games to interact with each other, creating new possibilities for team-based play, social tournaments, bonus features, and evolving gameplay. Built-in cameras can record action replays, transforming victories, close calls, and player reactions into moments for the group to watch and share.
Operators can access gameplay and performance analytics through the digital platform, and remote software updates let Game Volt add new features and continuously enhance the experience after installation.
Matt Daly, head of partnerships at Game Volt, says:
“Traditional midway games have been bringing people together for generations, but they have typically operated as separate experiences. Carnival Games takes everything guests already understand and enjoy about the midway and connects it into one competitive social journey.
“At IAAPA Expo Europe, attendees will get the chance to experience the complete guest flow. They will onboard as a player, compete across different challenges, watch their scores build and see how they compare on the leaderboard. That is where the concept really comes to life.
“For operators, it offers the best of both worlds. The games are familiar, intuitive and easy for guests to pick up, but the technology introduces a new layer of competition, replayability and shareable moments.
"It also gives venues the flexibility to choose the games, player positions, footprint and visual identity that work for their audience and available space.”
Discover Carnival Games at IAAPA Expo Europe
The Carnival Games portfolio combines innovative game concepts with enhanced versions of classic funfair favourites.
Its modular design lets operators choose specific games, configurations, and player capacities tailored to their venue's needs. Operators can start with a select set of games and expand by adding more units as demand increases.
This scalable approach allows operators to create anything from a small competitive setup to a large interconnected midway.
Carnival Games can be tailored to match a venue’s branding through customised colours, graphics, media, and finishes, aligning with the environment, creative ideas, or licensed IP.
The flexible, customisable, and scalable design suits a range of locations, including family entertainment centres, social venues, resorts, cruise ships, theme parks, and hospitality sites.
During IAAPA Expo Europe, the Game Volt team will be on hand to discuss venue needs, suggested game pairings, technical details, configuration options, and theming possibilities.
Attendees can also reserve production slots for installations in Q1 and Q2 2027.
“IAAPA is the ideal opportunity for operators to see how the system works as a complete attraction and start shaping a Carnival Games line-up around their own venue," says Daly.
"Whether they want to begin with a compact group of units or create a fully themed social midway, we can help them understand what that could look like, how it could grow and secure an installation window for the first half of 2027.
“This is not simply a range of carnival games. It is a connected competitive socialising platform that can be configured around the operator, the venue and the audience.”
Last month, Game Volt announced the release of Battle Arcade, a new active gaming attraction for family entertainment centres (FECs), arcades and competitive socialising venues.
Charlotte Blanco Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
