TAITO unveils CAPRICCIO NEXT crane game at Amusement Expo 2026
The two-claw belt-type machine supports multiplayer and is planned to begin operation in April 2027 or later.
TAITO unveiled its new crane game machine CAPRICCIO NEXT at Amusement Expo 2026, which opened at Tokyo Big Sight on November 6, according to game.watch.impress.co.jp. The company plans to begin operation of the machine in April 2027 or later.
CAPRICCIO NEXT is a mid-sized, two-claw, belt-type machine that supports multiplayer. Development is handled by Beyond, which manufactures and sells amusement equipment. TAITO aims to price the machine at roughly 75% of competing machines' prices.
At its booth, TAITO is also displaying a restored Crown 603, the original crane game machine. Crane game machines have boomed repeatedly since the earlier Crown 602, in the 1980s, 2000s and today.
Long absence from the category
TAITO released CAPRICCIO in 1991 but exited the crane game machine business after that model, having lost the patent competition over such machines. Until now the company refrained from planning and selling new crane game machines, maintaining only existing ones in the market.
Sega's UFO Catcher and Bandai Namco's Kurena series hold basic patents on claws, arms, control mechanisms, service doors and field structures. Many of those basic patents reached 20 years from filing and expired, prompting TAITO's move.
Quick answers
When will CAPRICCIO NEXT be in operation?
TAITO plans to begin operation in April 2027 or later.
What kind of machine is CAPRICCIO NEXT?
It is a mid-sized, two-claw, belt-type crane game machine that supports multiplayer.
Who is developing CAPRICCIO NEXT?
Development is handled by Beyond, which manufactures and sells amusement equipment.