Tokyo’s gaming paradise, Akihabara, is about to lose one of its most iconic landmarks, as Genda Gigo Entertainment has announced that it will be closing the Akihabara Gigo 1 arcade, the iconic red building and former site of Sega’s flagship arcade, at the end of August 2025.
This follows a recent change in the district, once a hub for all things gaming, anime and electronics, as many of its niche stalls have closed over the years in favour of more mainstream shops to attract tourists. The Akihabara Gigo 1 arcade is just the latest in a string of redevelopment, but is still perhaps the most heartbreaking due to its rich history.
First opened in 1992 as High Tech Land Sega Shintoku, the arcade housed all things Sega and benefited from its prime location, located just outside Akihabara Station. The building would go on to change its name to Club Sega Akihabara and then Sega Akihabara 1 over the years, and was the first of five Sega arcades in the area, decked out in the now iconic bright red exterior walls.
In 2022, amusement arcades company Genda acquired Sega’s arcade business, following the latter’s decision to exit the arcade business two years prior, renaming all five buildings under the Genda Gigo Entertainment banner, although they still kept their iconic red design.
Akihabara Gigo 1 closure follows the shuttering of the former Sega Akihabara 4, which got briefly rebranded to Gigo before closing in 2022 due to the expiration of its fixed-term lease. According to an official announcement from Genda Gigo Entertainment, this latest closure follows in the same footsteps, making it likely that the two buildings’ prime location led to a rental agreement that was deemed too expensive for renewal.
Still, this unfortunate news doesn’t signal the end of all Genda’s arcade endeavours, as the company still has three remaining arcades spread out across Akihabara. Furthermore, it also has plans to turn the building into an amusement hub by Matahari Entertainment, with Genda stating that this change “will contribute even further to the development of Akihabara and Japan’s pop culture.”
Sega is also set to unveil a new hub for its games in Tokyo, with its first flagship store in Japan opening on 18 July at Shibuya PARCO, operating as both a hub for Japanese entertainment and culture while also offering an extensive selection of Sega and Atlus-themed items, alongside exclusive merchandise.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
