Victim of COVID for sure, but I wonder if they were also a victim of the indoor smoking ban enacted in 2020. Japanese arcades were full of smokers when I was there. The smoking ban might well end up being the most significant legacy of the cursed Olympics.
Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
21–30 of 118 posts
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#22:’( Spent three weeks in Tokyo for my honeymoon a few years ago. I know of no experience that for me can rival the type of joy of spending late nights in an arcade (not saying it’s the pinnacle, just a unique experience). Even my wife who is a non-gamer found it a thrill. Perhaps with the shut downs it will consolidate to a few profitable centers that can remain. Individuals can’t afford Dancerush Stardum or those gu…
I don’t know if consolidation is going to be a good thing. Game developers need a player base to be profitable, and that usually means games available to the public.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#23Sadly in Germany arcades are illegal, never seen one for myself and am close to 40 years old. What is allowed are gambling game casinos. Wish it would be the other way around.
> Sadly in Germany arcades are illegal
Huh?
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#24Held my kid's birthday party at a used-arcade-machine dealer: https://tntamusements.com . It was a blast.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#25Sadly in Germany arcades are illegal, never seen one for myself and am close to 40 years old. What is allowed are gambling game casinos. Wish it would be the other way around.
> Sadly in Germany arcades are illegal, never seen one for myself and am close to 40 years old.
They're not illegal, they just never became popular. There are a few around.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#26Sadly in Germany arcades are illegal, never seen one for myself and am close to 40 years old. What is allowed are gambling game casinos. Wish it would be the other way around.
> Sadly in Germany arcades are illegal, never seen one for myself and am close to 40 years old. They're not illegal, they just never became popular. There are a few around.
You only find some 20+ year old aracade machines in cinemas and in adult enternainment venues and the like.
Due to youth protection laws there is no difference between gambling machines and arcade machines, which turn those places into 18+ entertainment stuff.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#27Just a couple of dozen lines of texts with such rich advertisement contents. I'm impressed.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#28Although there are tons of ways to build an arcade machine by oneself (usually by emulation on a Pi), I wonder if there is enough customer base for Sega to sell them to individual customers.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#29I had this explained to me as Sega selling their remaining shares in Genda Inc/their joint venture. Genda was already the majority owner/maintainer of the arcades.
Now no longer having an affiliation with Sega, Genda's rebranding under the GiGo brand, but there's no real administrative change.
Re: Sega quits arcade business after 50 years
#30End of an Era, indeed. The "arcade gallery" of retro 1980s hits: out run, after burner, space harrier, hang on. Immensely playable forever ;)