Interest
Bandai Brings VR Zone Arcade to Osaka This Fall
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Virtual reality games have taken off like a rocket in Japan. Short tie-in films for manga series, immersive worlds dedicated to popular franchises like Dragon Quest, and interactive apps for mobile devices are all products of this new technology.
Bandai Namco Entertainment opened its VR Zone in Shinjuku last year with Dragon Ball, Gundam, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Mario Kart games for players to get lost in. The arcade has proven popular enough that Bandai Namco is opening a second VR Zone, this time in Osaka, in the fall.
The Osaka VR Zone arcade will open on the eighth and ninth floors of the HEP FIVE shopping mall, home of the area's giant red Ferris wheel. The Osaka incarnation will offer similar attractions as the Shinjuku location but staff are also planning some "free-roaming" VR experiences, too. More details and how to get tickets will be announced in July.
Bandai Namco has multiple VR Zone locations throughout Japan, but the HEP FIVE arcade will be its first flagship arcade in the Kansai area.
Source: Famitsu, VR Zone official website
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
