Arcade centers still abound in Japan, although their attendance has declined significantly since the end of the last century. In addition, Sega Sammy Holdings, the parent company of the video game publisher, has decided to sell them gradually since 2020 to get rid of them. And it’s now official after 50 years of activity, the arcade part of Sega closes its doors.
Sega arcade: the end of an era?
Given that we are currently in 2022, it is difficult to understand the power of the arcade industry, especially in France, but it is still a very important economic aspect in the Japanese video game landscape. In 2020, Sega Sammy had already sold to Genda Inc (a subsidiary of Sega Entertainment) nearly 85.1% market share for these goods.
The pandemic unfortunately accelerated things, and the same year, the famous arcade center Akihabara had already closed its doors. The rest of the shares were sold today, and the company will officially rename itself Genda GiGO Entertainment, and all Japanese arcade centers previously affiliated with Sega will rename themselves GiGO.
The first Sega Arcade centers were born in 1960, and the number reached the peak of 1000 centers throughout the country in 1990. To tell you that it is anchored in the Japanese video game universe. Genda GiGO President Hisashi Kataoka announced:
“Sega Centers across the country will change their names to GiGO, to express our gratitude to Sega’s 56-year history and our desire to become an entertainment oasis for people. […] We’ll start in Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Shinjuku, then nationwide.”
An era is ending for Sega and its many arcade games that have marked more than one generation. Furthermore, the road continues for our favorite blue hedgehog with Sonic Frontiers, due this year on all consoles.