An army of Sega fans turned up to salute closing Ikebukuro arcade

sega ikebukuro arcade closes

Game finally Over almost 30 years later

Recommended Videos

After almost 30 years of operation, Sega’s legendary Ikebukuro GiGO arcade is finally out of credits. The entertainment venue closed its doors and hit the lights for the last time on September 20, with an army of fans and regular customers turning up to pay their respects to one of Tokyo’s longest-running and most popular coin-op centers.

A very sweet video, captured by YouTuber “medaaaals in Japan“, shows a huge crowd of citizens bidding the venue adieu. Kotaku reports that staff wore shirts thanking customers for 28 years of service, while loudspeakers played the song “Hotaru no Hikari” (“The Light of the Firefly”), which is traditionally used in Japan to mark the closing of long-term establishments.

The arcade manager gave a short, emotional speech, iterating that they wished they could keep the center open forever, but that it wasn’t to be. According to Famitsu, Sega Ikebukuro GiGO closing following the end of its most recent lease coinciding with planned renovations for the mammoth complex in which it is located.

Opening in 1993, during the height of the arcade renaissance of the early ’90s Sega’ Ikebukuro GiGO has been home to a towering nine stories of coin-op cabinets old and new. The site of exciting tournaments and new cabinet reveals, as well as a pilgrimage for any video game fan visiting Japan, the venue will be missed dearly by its most frequent visitors, but will forever remain an indelible part of Sega’s legacy as a prominent player in the arcade market. The closing of Sega Ikebukuro GiGO comes a little over one year after the closing of another legendary hotspot, Akihabra’s Sega Building 2, further cementing the passing of a golden arcade age.


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Read Article Stardew Valley patch 1.6.3 gives Krobus his own portrait
Portrait of Krobus in Stardew Valley
Related Content
Read Article 8BitDo’s new keyboard goes beige with a Commodore 64 aesthetic
8BitDo Commodore 64 Retro Mechanical Keyboard
Read Article Take-Two is buying Gearbox from Embracer, next Borderlands is in development
Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box
Read Article Stardew Valley patch 1.6.3 gives Krobus his own portrait
Portrait of Krobus in Stardew Valley
Author
Chris Moyse
Senior Editor - Chris has been playing video games since the 1980s and writing about them since the 1880s. Graduated from Galaxy High with honors. Twitter: @ChrisxMoyse