Interest
Fans Bid Farewell to Akihabara's Iconic GiGO Arcade #4
posted on by Kim Morrissy
The GiGO (formerly Sega) Akihabara Arcade #4 formally closed on Sunday, marking yet another milestone in the long-term decline of Japan's arcade culture. Fans have documented the closing ceremony across social media; the photos and videos indicate that an impressive crowd gathered to celebrate the arcade's over decade-long existence.
たまたまGIGO4号館の閉店に立ち会いました…電気街のシンボルが…
— リョウ丸 (@com01495115) September 25, 2022
寂しくなるぜ…ありがとう！
#GiGO秋葉原4号館 #GiGO秋葉原4号館の思い出 pic.twitter.com/iZcpqlPojW
秋葉原駅前のGIGO4号館が9月25日の20時をもって閉店しました
— あきばる編集部@秋葉原 (@akibaru2022) September 25, 2022
悲しい…… pic.twitter.com/ePhqlv1uJr
GiGO秋葉原4号館（旧SEGA）閉店、駅前を埋めつくす最終日のようす「11年間ありがとうございました」https://t.co/awRE4fs2rj pic.twitter.com/tBv8vzlVgl
— ﾂﾙﾐﾛﾎﾞ (@kaztsu) September 25, 2022
GiGO(元セガ)秋葉原4号館が本日をもって閉店
— Trombe (@25to874melody) September 25, 2022
何度も通ってお世話になったお店で思い出がたくさんある素敵なお店でした
無くなるなるのは本当に寂しい😭
こんなに沢山の人に愛されてたお店が、、😭
11年間お疲れ様でした
そして素敵な思い出と楽しい時間を本当にありがとうございました! pic.twitter.com/HuKGW4hVKx
終わっちまったよ…
— AB10@ヤプールは生誕50周年 (@AB10os) September 25, 2022
俺たちのGIGO秋葉原4号館が…
理由は割と大人な理由だったけど pic.twitter.com/fHW9WZw55l
秋葉原GIGO(SEGA)4号館閉店11年間お疲れ様でした
— MuTo (@MrMUTO_742) September 25, 2022
これでまた秋葉原から老舗が1つ姿を消した pic.twitter.com/6iVrEinWF5
After a day-long countdown that ended at 8 p.m., the store and café owners came out to make speeches thanking the fans for their loyal support over 11 years. The staff then finally closed the shutters for the final time.
Sega Akihabara Arcade #4 opened in September 2010. There were five GiGO Akihabara Arcades, though only three will remain following the closure of the fourth one. It was located across the road from the JR Akihabara Station's Electric Town exit, making it an iconic Akihabara landmark.
The occupancy rate of many arcades had been declining due to closures from the effect of COVID-19. The Sega Akihabara Building 2 arcade in Tokyo closed in August 2020. Sega then permanently closed its Sega Ikebukuro GiGO arcade in Tokyo in September 2021 after 28 years. The large-scale arcade center opened in July 1993 under the name Ikebukuro GiGO, and was renamed Sega Ikebukuro GiGO in July 2013.
Sega then opened a new arcade center across the street in October 2021 named Sega Ikebukuro. GENDA GiGO Entertainment president Nao Kataoka stated in October that the opening was "volume 1" of an "Ikebukuro Project." The new arcade was renamed to GiGO Ikebukuro.
GENDA (Global Entertainment Network for Dreams and Aspirations) purchased 85.1% of the shares of Sega Entertainment in December 2020, and renamed the company GENDA Sega Entertainment. Sega Entertainment's percentage of voting rights became 14.9% following the share transfer.
In January, GENDA acquired the other 14.9% of shares of arcade and amusement center company GENDA Sega Entertainment, and renamed the company GENDA GiGO Entertainment. GENDA is renaming all 196 Sega arcade centers across Japan as GiGO (which stands for "Get into the Gaming Oasis"), starting with arcades in Ikebukuro, Akihabara, and Shinjuku.
Sega Sammy then withdrew from the domestic arcade management business by the end 2020 as a result of GENDA's acquisition. However, existing Sega arcades still retained the Sega name.
[Via Hachima Kikō]
