An Attraction for the Age of AI

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I got to try the new Terminator: Rising game from Hero Zone at IAAPA Barcelona in September, and it’s shaping up to be a great experience. It shows how far standalone headsets have come in terms of graphics. While the game still had months of development left, it was already rivaling what you might have seen from the highest-end gaming PCs with powerful GPUs just a few years ago.

The last Terminator VR arcade game was based on the Genysis film back in 2018. It featured some futuristic avatar technology that suggests Brad Feld and his team at developer Spaces had access to the Time Displacement Device. You became a T-100 but with your real face, which your friends could shoot off with their minigun. (It grew back during the game.) It was great fun.

Terminator is a timeless classic. Uprising is going to attract adults and kids, possibly better than any other compact free-roam game yet. And Hero Zone is probably the most reliable, easy-to-operate free roam system on the market, which is why it’s already running in 500 locations around the globe.

You owe it to yourself to try it out at IAAPA at Booth 462.

Connecting Generations

Hero Zone Terminator: Uprising is likely to launch in late Q1 of 2026. I think it presents an opportunity for the industry to come together and collaborate on a global media event around the most crucial issue of our time: Artificial Intelligence.

NRG research published a report called “Can Gen Alpha Save the Box Office” (I posted it as a free resource for anyone on LEXRA here.) One of the things that jumped out at me was this:

Terminator first came out forty years ago in 1985. The target audience for that film now has kids, even grandkids. And while it was science fiction back then, it’s headline news now.

Hero Zone’s game doesn’t address AI or its potential impact on society. It’s pure, clean popcorn fun for all ages. But it could serve as an anchor for community events that bring generations together to discuss what it all means.

I imagine meetups, viewing parties, AI nights, hackathons, drink specials, the Skynet’s the limit on what’s possible. Use your imagination.

I recently did a Deep Dive with Blaise Witnish, COO of FunLab. She talks about their success running VR: Peaking the Peaks and Packing the Gaps. Charge a premium on weekends, and then promote the hell out of it on off peak times. Terminator: Uprising presents a great opportunity to align with the current zeitgeist and get creative to pack your gaps.

If you think it’s a good idea, drop by and let them know. And maybe considering joining LEXRA to help us pull this off. And either way, make sure to give the game a go. It’s going to be one of the hits of 2026. Unless Skynet takes over, that is.