Sega is selling its arcade business to Genda, a Tokyo-based company involved in arcade game rentals and online crane games.
According to Jiji, Sega Sammy Holdings is selling Genda an 85.1 percent stake in Sega Entertainment Co., which is the company’s subsidiary that operates the arcades, for an undisclosed amount in late December. Genda will take control of over 200 Sega arcades across Japan.
Famitsu is reporting that after the sale, the arcades will keep their names and branding in order to keep existing customers. Sega will continue developing arcade games but will be shifting a portion of its arcade game developers to home console games.
This is the end of an era, sped up by covid-19.
The global pandemic has hit arcades hard, with a tourism ban keeping much-needed visitors out of Japan and the Japanese arcades which have been trying to protect customers and their bottom line. Last month, Kotaku reported that Adores Akihabara was closing, and the month prior to that, the Sega Akihabara 2nd arcade shuttered.