On Sunday, the GiGO (previously Sega) Akihabara Arcade #4 officially closed, a significant turning point in the long-term downfall of Japan’s arcade culture. An amazing throng came to commemorate the arcade’s more than ten-year history, according to images and videos posted by fans on social media during the closing ceremony.
The proprietors of the shop and café came out to thank the supporters for their devoted support over the course of 11 years after a day-long countdown that finished at 8 p.m. Finally, the workers pulled the curtains closed for good.
Opening in September 2010 was Sega Akihabara Arcade #4. There were five GiGO Akihabara Arcades, however only three will be open once the fourth closes. It served as a well-known landmark in Akihabara since it was situated directly across from the Electric Town exit of the JR Akihabara Station.
Due to closures brought on by COVID-19, the occupancy rate of several arcades has been falling. In August 2020, the Tokyo arcade Sega Akihabara Building 2 will shut. In September 2021, after 28 years, Sega permanently shuttered their Sega Ikebukuro GiGO arcade in Tokyo. Ikebukuro GiGO was the name of the expansive arcade complex when it first opened in July 1993. In July 2013, Sega Ikebukuro GiGO took its place.
Then, in October 2021, Sega opened Sega Ikebukuro, a brand-new arcade facility across the street. The opening was “volume 1” of a “Ikebukuro Project,” according to GENDA GiGO Entertainment president Nao Kataoka, who made the announcement in October. GiGO Ikebukuro is the new name for the arcade.
In December 2020, GENDA (Global Entertainment Network for Dreams and Aspirations) acquired 85.1 percent of the outstanding shares of Sega Entertainment and rebranded the business GENDA Sega Entertainment.
The share transfer resulted in a 14.9 percent increase in Sega Entertainment’s voting rights.
The arcade and entertainment center firm GENDA Sega Entertainment’s remaining 14.9 percent of shares were bought by GENDA in January, and the business was renamed GENDA GiGO Entertainment. Beginning with the arcades in Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Shinjuku, GENDA is rebranding all 196 Sega arcade locations throughout Japan as GiGO (which stands for “Get into the Gaming Oasis”).
After GENDA was acquired, Sega Sammy left the domestic arcade management industry at the end of 2020. Existing Sega arcades kept the Sega name, nevertheless.