As previously reported, on the 20th of September 2021, SEGA Japan closed the doors on one of its biggest arcades in the form of the SEGA GiGO located in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. While the arcade lives on through a virtual recreation that you can explore at home, the Tokyo Lens YouTube channel has created a short documentary about the arcade and why arcades are closing Japan with increasing frequency. It also contains interviews with the venue’s actual staff and managers and it offers some fascinating insight into the Japanese arcade industry in 2021.
Click the embed below to watch Tokyo Lens’s ‘Japan’s Arcades are DISAPPEARING’ documentary:
On the 20th of September 2021, SEGA Japan sadly shut the doors on the SEGA GiGO arcade in Ikebukuro, Tokyo after 28 years in business. It’s another major loss to SEGA Japan’s arcade business that has seen major casualties thanks to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Thankfully an explorable, 3D, virtual version of the arcade has been created and you can take a trip through this mammoth arcade via the comfort of your own home. This follows on from the previously released virtual version of SEGA’s Retro Game Floor in Akihabara.
SEGA streamed the events of the Ikebukuro SEGA GiGO’s final day of operation on YouTube, and the stream is archived and available to view by clicking here.
Tags: 3d, arcade, sega gigo, sega japan, virtual Posted in News | Comments Off on Explore a 3D Recreation of SEGA’s Recently Closed GiGO Arcade in Ikebukuro, Tokyo
A fresh selection of additions have now gone live in our merchandise section. We have 4 new music releases and 1 new home video. Each feature contains high quality scans/photographs of the corresponding release alongside key information. See below for direct links to each feature:
M2 are having a serious amount of fun with the Aleste franchise at the moment. Following on from their brand new release of GG Aleste 3 that featured in the recent Aleste Collection, M2 are bringing another new Aleste title called Senxin Aleste to arcades. This title is very much a throwback to the 16 bit tate shooters of the early 90s and features 4 playable characters. You can check out a trailer for the game below:
There is currently no release date set for Senxin Aleste, but it will be arcade exclusive; specifically to SEGA arcades in Japan for the time being. Fingers crossed the game doesn’t stay Japan exclusive for long. Western fans will be more familiar with the Aleste series through games like Power Strike and M.U.S.H.A.
A UK distributor for the Astro City Mini has finally been confirmed and it’s Funstock to the rescue! The Astro City Mini is only available in the UK in two configurations; the base console is available for £129.99 or a version with 2 gamepads is available for £189.99. Shipping within the UK is completely free as Funstock waive the shipping fees for all orders over £100. Click the links below to be taken to each of the listings on Funstock’s website:
Our hardware section has been updated with 2 new console features and a stack of high quality photographs. The hardware section now has a new section at the bottom of the page that features Aftermarket/Mini Consoles, and with it comes 2 new console features on the Astro City Mini and the Game Gear Micro respectively. Click the links below to be taken to each console feature as well as the accompanying image galleries:
The Astro City Mini is released Stateside thanks to Limited Run Games on March 26th 2021. 3500 units will release in this territory with new localised English packaging. There is currently no word as to whether this will mean the US ROMs for the included games are being used, but seeing how the Japanese Astro City Mini has English language support we’re assuming that the only difference is with the system’s packaging.
The Astro City Mini will launch for $129.99 and an additional controller can be purchased for $27.99 as well as the “Style Kit” which turns the whole unit into a miniature arcade cabinet complete with chair, base and top board for $39.99. The full size joystick that was also available to the Japanese market doesn’t appear to be available from Limited Run.
If you’re interested in a US release of the Astro City Mini then set your alarms for 10am Eastern/2pm UK time and bookmark the following links:
The next retrospective from SEGA Forever has arrived, and this time it’s all about The House of the Dead!
The video focuses mainly on the original arcade series, running from The House of the Dead all the way up to the most recent game in the original canon, Scarlet Dawn. That said, a nod is given to Overkill and even Pinball of the Dead; and they even give some love to The Typing of the Dead II, a great game that flew under the radar compared to its predecessor.
Each title also has the list of platforms it’s available on listed alongside it; very handy for those looking to shoot some mutants at home. We’re really loving this series, and we can’t wait to see what gets the retrospective treatment next!
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
There’s been a lot of celebration around SEGA lately, what with their 60th Anniversary and all; but sadly, it’s not all been cause for partying. SEGA has published extraordinary losses from its amusements division (thanks to COVID-19), leading them to outright sell off the majority of their arcade business to Genda Inc (formerly Midas Entertainment). SEGA will still be producing arcade games, and their arcade centres will still be plastered with the SEGA logo, but those centres are Genda’s now.
That’s not all though, as it’s now emerged that SEGA have asked 650 employees to “voluntarily retire”. Supposedly those who accept the offer to retire by February 2021 will receive a “payment of extraordinary retirement allowances and reemployment support”. SEGA’s executives are also getting hit by the changes, though not nearly as severely as those losing their jobs; instead, the company’s Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President will have 20% and 10% taken out of their monthly salaries respectively… which isn’t exactly much for the salaries they’re probably on. The Representative Director will see a slightly more substantial cut of 30%.
It’s been a rough year for businesses across the world this year, and given their presence in Japan’s arcade scene, it’s not surprising that SEGA got hit hard; but the layoffs are disappointing news all the same. It’s also very likely that SEGA’s mooted ‘Fog Gaming’ concept may not be going ahead anymore, but time will tell if Genda choose to adopt that instead.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
Tags: arcade, japan, Layoffs Posted in News | Comments Off on SEGA Request 650 Employees To Retire “Voluntarily”, Cut Salaries of Executives By Up To 30%
Previewed back in January at CES, Arcade1Up’s Golden Axe arcade cabinet is now available to pre-order in the US and Canada. This cabinet features Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder, Wrestle War, Shinobi, Altered Beast and the original Golden Axe and will set you back $399.
It’s a pretty feature-rich package with a 17″ display, 4 player joystick setup, light-up marquee, volume control and a riser. You can check out a trailer for the cabinet below:
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