This has been a bad year for Tokyo arcades. The one-two punch of the global pandemic and Japan’s travel ban has meant few customers, which has squeezed the industry’s bottom line. Landmark Tokyo arcades are shutting. Add Arcade Playland Carnival in Shinjuku to that list.
Unfortunately.
The arcade’s official Twitter account announced that on November 29 the game center is closing due to the impact of the novel coronavirus. Located in Kabukicho, Arcade Playland Carnival opened in 1985. According to Mainichi, it has around 160 arcade cabinets, and another 120 prize game cabinets.
This news comes as Sega, an industry titan, announced the sale of its arcade business.
The arcade thanked customers for their years of patronage. Have a look at a walkthrough of the arcade in the clip below.