SEGA Hangs Up Its Gloves, A Blow To The Arcade World

SEGA was a major player in the arcade industry during a period when the industry was thriving. Today, it appears that the journey has finally come to an end.

Even though SEGA has been around for decades, the Japanese arcade market is set to lose its long-time ally. Despite the fact that the company was legendary, we discovered in 2020 that it would be closing. 😔

As of today, GENDA GiGO has acquired the remaining 14.9% of SEGA Entertainment’s arcade business and has just taken over the whole division. The publisher of Sonic and other Yakuza is officially no longer available in this industry in which it had taken part for more than fifty years.

What’s next for SEGA?

No matter what SEGA decides to do, it doesn’t mean that the arcades in Japan will be completely demolished forever (despite their gradual disappearance, due to a market that is changing a lot and to COVID-19).

The company will now be called “GiGO” (Get into the Gaming Oasis), a trademark held by GENDA. The remaining subsectors such as SEGA Clubs and other venues, such as SEGA World or the SEGA Collaboration Cafe, will progressively alter their names.

Image Courtesy of Google Maps

As stated by GENDA CEO Nao Kataoka, the change would begin in Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Shinjuku in March 2022. The changes will then follow across the country. Sega also appears frequently in pachinkos, which haven’t proven to be profitable for quite some time, much like Konami. If you search hard enough, you can always discover machines made by a Japanese publisher.

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