Bandai Namco to take over Sega’s Akihabara Arcade spot

Bandai Namco is set to open a new arcade in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, taking over a building previously occupied by Sega.

The new arcade, set to open on March 1, will be situated in the same building that previously housed the popular Sega Akihabara Arcade 4. After Sega sold off many of its arcades in 2020 due to a downturn in the COVID pandemic, many either closed or rebranded to GiGO, owned by new buyer Genda.

According to TechRaptor, the Bandai Namco arcade will feature a variety of arcade machines including rhythm title Taiko No Tatsujin and Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. 2 XBoost.

Across five floors, the arcade will also feature UFO catchers and shops that specialise in capsule toys and the company’s trading card games.

While Bandai Namco’s history in the arcade business goes back decades, this marks the company’s first establishment in the Akihabara district.

GiGO’s Akihabara Arcade 4 previously closed in September 2022, while the Sega Akihabara Building 2 arcade closed in August 2020. The Sega Akihabara Arcade Building 1, however, is still open under the GiGO brand.

Speaking about the acquisition at the time, Genda chairman Hisashi Kataoka said: “Sega stores across the country will be switching their store names to GiGO, to express our gratitude for Sega’s 56 years of history and our desire to be an oasis that quenches people’s thirst for entertainment.”

Recently, Bandai Namco has been teasing upcoming sequel Tekken 8, which is set to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.