Welcome to Location Watch, a genre of posts on the blog where I highlight brand new arcade locations that have opened their doors to the world. It’s been a little over a year since the Covid-19 pandemic put the whole world on hold, but it seems that we are finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel, with a number of new locations (many which had made the investment before the lockdowns waiting for their chance to open) enjoying grand openings in recent weeks. If you missed the last time that we ran this series, click here. Let’s get to it!
Carousel Arcade Bar (Glendale, AZ)
Amusement Park midway’s generally don’t make you think of adult beverages, but in the case of this new arcade/bar in Arizona, they are definitely aiming for adult nostalgia. This one has “20 arcade games” in the space around the carousel-style island bar in the center, including Big Buck Reloaded, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, and an assortment of non-video amusements like ICE Ball FX, air hockey, a boxer and more. Find their website here; Thanks to Luis Canon of Planet Arcade for letting me know about this one (his company supplied the games in this case)
The Family Fun Factory (New Hartford, NY)
This one just opened this past weekend thanks to easing restrictions in NY state. They are an FEC with multiple attractions (inflatables, playground, VR, laser tag, etc.), and an arcade is a part of that. They have a mix of new video and redemption pieces, where the most surprising title they have is a pair of Cruis’n Blast Motion units (which had previously only been available in China). They also have 4x Super Bikes 2, Ghost Squad Evolution & Winter X Games Snocross among others. They also have some arcade VR pieces I’ve not heard of, such as “Infinit War” – my guess is that they used a Chinese company to supply those and some other games, which would explain the Cruis’n Blast. Find them on Facebook or visit their official website here.
Babylon Park Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia)
H/T to Gamefun29 on the Wilcox Discord for this one. Babylon Park is a chain of FECs that is headquartered in Israel(with space aliens as their mascot), and they are expanding into Europe with a new facility in Serbia. Unfortunately per Gamefun29, it sounds like they are off to a rocky start, due in part to certain things like their card system not operating in the correct language. That aside, they do have titles such as Cruis’n Blast, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, NERF Arcade, Nitro Trucks, Pump It Up XX, Super Bikes 3, Tomb Raider, Virtual Rabbids: The Big Ride, World’s Largest Pac-Man & more (along with a plenty of redemption). They even have pinball, where someone in the company is a big fan of Jersey Jack Pinball, as those are the only titles I can seem to find in pics (Willy Wonka, Wizard of Oz YBR and Dialed In!). UPDATE: Gamefun29 pointed out that they are an official JJP distributor in Israel, so that explains that. 😉
They are a little closer to an indoor theme park than your typical FEC, featuring several large rides and a roller coaster. The official webpage for this location found here; Here’s a video of their grand opening:
Gamestate (Leidschendam, The Netherlands)
Also opening in Europe is the 7th Gamestate location, a site that looks deceptively small at first glace, but there is more than meets the eye here – in part due to the 2nd floor. Games include: Blox Breaker; Connect 4 Hoops; Dance Dance Revolution A; Daytona Championship USA Dlx; Dicey Jump; Grand Piano Keys; Halo: Fireteam Raven SDLX; Hot Wheels: King of the Road 6p; Super Bikes 3; Pong Knock Out, Virtual Rabbids: The Big Ride, World’s Largest Pac-Man and more (website says 40+ games).
Xtreme Play Adrenaline Park (Danbury, CT)
Connecticut is one of those states where we rarely hear about new arcade facilities popping up, but this 30k sq. ft. facility sounds like they are making up for it to some degree. This FEC has various attractions including lazer tag, an Omni Arena VR, ball pits, XD Dark Ride, bumper bars, mini bowling, a ropes course, a warrior course and an arcade – although I cannot find any photos or lists of said arcade, just that it’s “50+ games” in size. You can safely assume that it comes with a video & redemption mix of the latest titles on the market. Find their website here.
For three other FECs that have opened or will open this next week, but don’t have games lists:
Magic Planet (City Centre Sharjah, UAE) – Another location in this expanding UAE-based franchise
Zone Bowling (Robina, AU) – The arcade here is being handled by Timezone
Round1 USA – Park City Center, Lancaster, PA
Coming Sooner Or Later
Arcade Warehouse (Lincolnshire, England, opening May)
30k FEC Flip Out Opening In South London This Summer
Tilt Studio To Take Over Empty JCPenny Space in South Carolina, Opening TBA
That’s all I’ve come across for now – If you find yourself anywhere near these locations, then be sure to stop by and give buy some credits. If you know of any place that is opening soon, then please let me know!
I find Westagte an interesting place to open an arcade bar, considering one of its anchors is a Dave and Busters that gets pretty dang good traffic even considering current global events- but it’ll probably work. Turnaround in that mall is almost nonexistent from what I’ve heard, I’ve got a good friend working at that DnB and made the trip out there last summer.