NOTHING BUT NET: POP-A-SHOT UP 30% AS 45-YEAR-OLD BRAND ENTERS ITS NEXT CHAPTER

Heritage arcade brand is up 30% year-to-date as new products, connected technology and a growing competitive ecosystem fuel its next chapter.

PEORIA, IL, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Pop-A-Shot, the OG arcade basketball game that turned "swish" into a household sound effect, is proving a good jump shot never goes out of style.

Coming out of a post-pandemic reset, the 45-year-old brand is gaining momentum again, with the business up 30% year-to-date and an expanding product portfolio that now reaches beyond the classic arcade basketball game most consumers know.
In recent years, Pop-A-Shot has introduced new products across home, commercial, youth and sports categories, including its connected Elite line, Pop-A-Pass, Lil' Pop and a refreshed Super Slam.

The expansion represents a shift for a company that, for decades, was largely synonymous with one product. It is also increasingly being driven by technology that adds new layers of competition to the physical game.

Pop-A-Pass marked Pop-A-Shot's first move beyond basketball, translating the brand's familiar mix of timed competition, scoring and announcer commentary into a football toss game. Lil' Pop brings the experience to younger players, while the company's Elite platform has helped Pop-A-Shot return to the commercial arcade and hospitality space with connected machines that allow players to create profiles, save scores, compare results and compete across locations.

That connected technology is also changing how Pop-A-Shot thinks about competition. Instead of scores disappearing when a game ends, Elite gives players a way to track performance over time and measure themselves against friends, local players and competitors around the country.

“We’re up 30% year-to-date, and we’re feeling really optimistic heading into the holidays,” said Tony Stucker, CEO and Co-Owner of Pop-A-Shot. “Growth slowed for a few years coming out of the pandemic, but we’re seeing it accelerate again. This feels like the start of a new chapter for the brand.”

That next chapter is increasingly about building a broader business around an already recognizable name.

Pop-A-Shot has continued investing in product development while also rebuilding the competitive side of the brand. Its National Championship, dormant for roughly 25 years, returned in 2024 and has since grown into a national circuit with live qualifiers and connected competition through the Elite platform. City qualifiers now regularly draw significant participation, while virtual competition has opened the circuit to players who can compete remotely.

The company is also bringing that competitive experience on the road with the new Pop-A-Shot Pop-Up Mobile Arcade, a traveling arcade trailer designed to bring Pop-A-Shot competition directly to events, communities and players around the country. The concept gives the brand another way to combine physical play, connected scoring and live competition outside of a traditional arcade or home setting.

“Honestly, our biggest challenge right now isn’t a shortage of opportunity — it’s keeping up with it,” said Stucker. “We’re seeing momentum and growth potential across multiple parts of the business, and the real work is figuring out how to operationalize ourselves to go after the most important ones first.”

For Pop-A-Shot, that means continuing to invest in new products while expanding the technology, community and competitive infrastructure around the games themselves. The company is also exploring additional league growth, new competitive formats and partnerships that could help take the circuit further in the years ahead.

About Pop-A-Shot
Pop-A-Shot is the original arcade basketball game, invented in 1981 and built around the buzzer, scoreboard and ball-return ramp that turned arcade basketball into a competition. Today the company is owned and operated by Kelly and Tony Stucker, a husband-and-wife team based in Peoria, Illinois, who acquired the brand and have expanded it across home, commercial and competitive play. Learn more at Popashot.net.

Addie Bazant
Pop-A-Shot
+1 401-714-9908
addie@popashot.net