It spells misfortune for fans of Sega game centres, but the industry giant has pulled out of the Japanese arcade scene after more than 50 years in the business. Following the decision to sell 85.1 percent of its arcade shares to Tokyo-based company Genda, the company announced that it would now be offloading the rest to its successor.
The move will see Sega Entertainment be fully renamed to Genda GiGO Entertainment, with all Sega outlets nationwide rebranded to ‘GiGO’. “Sega stores across the country will be switching their store names to GiGO, to express our gratitude for Sega’s 56 years of history and our desire to be an oasis that quenches people’s thirst for real entertainment,” Genda chairman Hisashi Kataoka said. “We will start with Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Shinjuku. Then to the whole country.”
It’s not all bad news, however. As Sega Entertainment only runs arcade locations, visitors will likely still see Sega games in game centres, since the arm of the company which manufactures and distributes the machines is a different one.
This unfortunate end of an era has been a long time coming, considering just how long Japan has held on to its arcade tradition amidst a shift to gaming at home. Even prior to the pandemic, countless game centres have already shuttered, with the iconic Sega Akihabara Building 2 outlet and Taito Station both succumbing to poor business.
You’ll be missed, beloved Sega arcades.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
