It’s time for another update on new arcade locations that are opening their doors out there in the world, so let’s get to it!
Archie Brothers Electric Circus – Sydney, Australia
A new FEC has opened in Sydney, combining elements of a restaurant/bar, an arcade, bowling, bumper cars, VR kiosks, laster tag, a motion theater and more tied up with a classic circus theme. That even includes trapeze training. Their game selection covers classics (Mario Bros. is mentioned) to modern titles like MotoGP, Pac-Man Battle Royale & Space Invaders Frenzy. There are various redemption titles available to play too. You can check out their website by clicking here.
The Arcade – Wichita, KS
The Arcade enjoyed their grand opening yesterday, generating so much interest that they filled the location to capacity within 40 minutes. This resulted in a 45 minute wait time and a line forming outside the building. The formula they are using is similar to other retro arcades – big selection of titles (around 60) that are all on free play with an hourly charge. I believe that this is the first time such a venue has opened their doors in the area, which was combined with a strong marketing effort, resulted in over 500 people showing up. For games you can expect to find there, the list includes: Defender, Galaga, Gorf, Gyruss, Moon Patrol, Mortal Kombat (looks like all three), Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Pengo, Q*Bert, Robotron 2084, Sinistar, Street Fighter II, Spy Hunter, Track & Field, TRON, Zaxxon and many more. You can check The Arcade out on Facebook.
Waiting to get in
G.O.A.T Sports Bar (Arlington, VA)
The Washington D.C region has long been a hot spot for growth but it has not been a city that generates too many reports regarding new arcades. Today we have two of them, thanks to the bar/arcade trend. First is the G.O.A.T. Sports Bar which is in the city of Arlington (it’s part of the DC metro area). Their selection of arcade games is rather small at the moment, around 10 (compare that to the over 50 TVs they have for watching a variety of sports) which includes sports titles like basketball and Skeeball but also a World’s Largest Pac-Man. Their official website is here.
Paradiso Game Room – Georgetown, Washington D.C.
Then over in the Georgetown neighborhood is a venue that will open their doors next month in January, re-making a bar that is already there by embracing the game room portion of it. No games list is mentioned although Skee-Ball leagues are mentioned. Link via the real Skee-Ball Twitter account below:
The Georgetown area will be getting the Paradiso Game Room in January. https://t.co/dXV2fl4zdH #newplacetoplay #keeprollin
— Official Skee-Ball® (@realskeeball) December 8, 2017
VR Star Opens In Cabot Circus – Bristol, UK
Thanks to Kevin Williams for sending me this link.
If you are looking for an immersive VR arcade style experience in the UK, then you’ll want to check out this new venue at the Cabot Circus shopping center in Bristol. Offering more than simple bays with VR headsets, they’ve taken lengths to create cabinets for the machines that look like they come straight out of TRON Legacy. They are also the first Western location I have seen use one of those ‘Egg Pods’ that various Chinese firms have been promoting for the past couple of years. Check out their website here.
Ancient History – Time Out Discovered In An Abandoned Mall
Anyone working in retail for a long time knows the rough terrain that malls have faced in recent decades. For one arcade that used to be a fixture in malls across the USA in the 80s, there was the chain of stores known as Time Out. They had a distinct look to them and offered up pure arcade gaming that retro arcades everywhere are trying to recreate in their own way. I believe that there are still some Time Out locations out there but they are not as prominent as they used to be.
I had a link to the KLOV Forums where more info about this location was being discussed but KLOV and it’s forums are completely down at the moment. Here’s hoping that nothing bad happened to the site as it is an amazing resource. I did get a link to this Imgur gallery of the location however, which you can click through below. I also will update this post with details on where once they are back up or if I can find the info elsewhere.
As always, if you find yourself near any of these venues, do more than pay lip service to them, stop by and buy some credits or the entry fee and give them your support!
