After asking the Japanese public to help it find its first ever claw machine game, Taito instead found its second
The search for the Crown 602, believed to be Japan’s first domestic crane game, continues
After conducting a nationwide search for its first ever claw machine, Taito has instead found its second.
Last October the video and amusement company launched a search across Japan for the Crown 602, its first ever crane game and – according to its findings – the first ever domestically produced crane game in Japan.
The Space Invaders and Bubble Bobble company was offering an award of ¥100,000 ($630) to whoever could provide the most useful tip that would lead to the location of a Crown 602, which was first released in 1965.
Now, in an update on the search, Taito says it has received more than 4,400 pieces of information from the Japanese public but has still failed to find an elusive Crown 602.
What it did find, however, is a Crown 603, the successor to the 602 and Taito’s second ever crane game.
According to a press release, the newly discovered Crown 603 is in extremely rough shape and “it is unclear whether it will be operational”, but it’s now doing what it can to see whether it can get it working again.
“Since it is currently unclear whether the machine is operational, our Technical Support Division (Taito Tech) will perform a complete overhaul by veteran technicians who have many years of experience maintaining amusement equipment – regardless of whether it is our own products or those of other manufacturers – to ensure it is fully operational,” it said (via machine translation).
A report by FNN (via Automaton) says the Crown 603 was owned by Keisuke Higano, a former restaurant owner and retro game collector who obtained it 10 years again and didn’t realise how historically significant it was.
According to the report, the only real difference between the Crown 602 and 603 is that the former has a coin slot on the side, whereas the latter has a coin slot on the top.
Nevertheless, the search continues for the Crown 602, and while the ¥100,000 hasn’t gone to anyone Taito says it will conducting a raffle from the 4,400 tips submitted and will “present three winners with our latest game software or admission tickets valid at our amusement facilities”.
“We carefully reviewed every piece of information you sent us, but unfortunately, we were unable to identify the Crown 602,” Taito said in a statement.
“However, this project has produced a miracle. During our search, we were able to locate the Crown 603, a successor model that strongly inherits the DNA of the Crown 602 we were looking for.
“We are filled with both surprise and gratitude. The memories you shared have become our greatest treasure. Although we were unable to find the exact model we were searching for, it was thanks to your passion that we were able to discover this successor model – a new source of hope. Thank you so very much.
