Difference between revisions of "Sega VirtuaLand"

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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' was an amusement center opened by [[Sega]]. Located in the [[wikipedia:Luxor Las Vegas|Luxor Las Vegas]] hotel and opened alongside it in October 1993, the venue was one of Sega's largest and most high-profile up to that point in time, both in the western world and globally. It would pave the way for the later [[Sega City]] and [[GameWorks]] chains in the USA; Sega is thought to have handed operations over to the Luxor itself not long after the latter chain was established.
'''{{PAGENAME}}''' was an indoor Sega arcade. It was one of Sega's first indoor amusement facilities in the Western world, and opened simultaneously with the hotel/casino in October 1993. The project was a joint venture between Sega and Circus Circus Inc. and is thought VirtuaLand acted as a "prototype" formula for what became a chain of [[Sega City]] indoor arcades.
 
  
VirtuaLand was a 18,000 square foot complex which as well as housing arcade games, contained bigger attractions such as the [[AS-1]], [[R360]] and an eight-player ''[[Virtua Formula]]'' setup and sold Sega merchandise.
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==History==
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===Development===
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In 1992, Sega established new regional amusement divisions and opened test amusement facilities outside of Japan for the first time in a number of territories, including the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Spain. A country where the company had previous arcade presence and a pre-existing official amusement division ([[Sega USA]]), the United States, had not seen any Sega-affiliated amusement venues since the sale of the [[Time-Out]] chain in July 1990, however a return to operations occurred during the same year with the [[Game City]] arcade in Dallas, Texas.{{magref|eg92|3|11}}
  
The fate of VirtuaLand is currently unknown, however it survived into at least 1998.
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Game City is presumed to have been sufficiently successful, as the following year, Sega entered a three level business partnership with Circus Circus Inc. to develop three amusement facilities in locations owned by them in America.{{intref|Press release: 1993-08-16: Sega USA partners with Circus Circus to launch the first VirtuaLand at Luxor Las Vegas}} Two would be arcades located in the Grand Slam Canyon and Midway centers, whilst the other, planned to be one of the flagship Sega-branded venues in the western world, would open as a main attraction of the [[wikipedia:Luxor Las Vegas|Luxor]] in Las Vegas, an ambitious new 30-story pyramid complex combining a hotel, family entertainment facilities, and a casino.{{intref|Press release: 1993-08-16: Sega USA partners with Circus Circus to launch the first VirtuaLand at Luxor Las Vegas}}
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===Opening===
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Sega VirtuaLand eventually opened alongside the Luxor itself in October 1993. The venue was a 18,000 square foot complex, which as well as housing coin-operated arcade games, contained bigger [[mid-size attraction]]s, such as the [[AS-1]], a pair of [[R360]]s, and an eight-player ''[[Virtua Formula]]'' setup.{{magref|eg92|14|14}} An additional on-site "Sega Store" could also be found.{{intref|Interview: Howard Drossin (2009-09-22) by Gamasutra}} Characterised by the fusion of the Luxor's own ancient Egyptian theming with high-tech Sega branding, VirtuaLand used specially made light shows and promo videos, alongside recent ad campaign material such as [[Welcome to the Next Level]] and [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] as a mascot.
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As one of Sega's largest high-profile openings up to that point in time (outclassed only by the recently-opened [[Sega World Bournemouth]] and a number of similar venues in Japan), VirtuaLand received coverage and interest from the media, including numerous gaming and Sega-focused magazines globally. Due to its status as a major entertainment attraction of the Luxor complex itself, it was frequently cited in travel publications,{{ref|1=https://archive.org/search.php?query=virtualand&sin=TXT&and=collection%3A%22americana%22}} becoming one of the most recognised amusement facilities created by Sega outside of Japan as a result.
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===Demise===
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Following VirtuaLand's opening, it was claimed that a target had been made to create around 100 further centers under the same name across the United States.{{magref|replay|1903|52}} However, these would never materialise, with Sega focusing more on establishing links with larger companies such as Disney to introduce its [[Amusement Theme Park]] concept. The ATP plans fell through, and the [[GameWorks]] chain of urban entertainment centers was instead made for North America in a joint venture; one of the first locations opened was in Las Vegas,{{intref|Press release: 1997-02-12: MTV TEAMS UP WITH GameWorks}} effectively superseding VirtuaLand's status as a flagship facility.
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Sega appears to have removed most of its larger simulator equipment and dropped involvement with VirtuaLand at some point after the late 1990s, with it renamed "Games of the Gods" in 1998.{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19990203064618/http://luxor.com:80/entertainment.html}} Following this, it continued to operate as an unbranded arcade until around 2008, retaining several of its original games (including an ''[[Indy 500]]''-upgraded ''Virtua Formula'') to the end. Alongside the nearby IMAX Ridefilm simulator, its space had been reportedly replaced by themed exhibitions by 2009.
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==Videos==
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<gallery>
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</gallery>
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==Gallery==
  
 
==Magazine articles==
 
==Magazine articles==
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
  
==External Link==
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==Promotional material==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNQJDkfLrNg Luxor Hotel & Casino preview video (1993)]
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 23:29, 4 June 2021

VirtuaLand Outside.jpg
Sega VirtuaLand
Location: Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Opened: 1993-10-15
Closed: 1998

Sega VirtuaLand was an amusement center opened by Sega. Located in the Luxor Las Vegas hotel and opened alongside it in October 1993, the venue was one of Sega's largest and most high-profile up to that point in time, both in the western world and globally. It would pave the way for the later Sega City and GameWorks chains in the USA; Sega is thought to have handed operations over to the Luxor itself not long after the latter chain was established.

History

Development

In 1992, Sega established new regional amusement divisions and opened test amusement facilities outside of Japan for the first time in a number of territories, including the United Kingdom, Taiwan, and Spain. A country where the company had previous arcade presence and a pre-existing official amusement division (Sega USA), the United States, had not seen any Sega-affiliated amusement venues since the sale of the Time-Out chain in July 1990, however a return to operations occurred during the same year with the Game City arcade in Dallas, Texas.[1]

Game City is presumed to have been sufficiently successful, as the following year, Sega entered a three level business partnership with Circus Circus Inc. to develop three amusement facilities in locations owned by them in America.[2] Two would be arcades located in the Grand Slam Canyon and Midway centers, whilst the other, planned to be one of the flagship Sega-branded venues in the western world, would open as a main attraction of the Luxor in Las Vegas, an ambitious new 30-story pyramid complex combining a hotel, family entertainment facilities, and a casino.[2]

Opening

Sega VirtuaLand eventually opened alongside the Luxor itself in October 1993. The venue was a 18,000 square foot complex, which as well as housing coin-operated arcade games, contained bigger mid-size attractions, such as the AS-1, a pair of R360s, and an eight-player Virtua Formula setup.[3] An additional on-site "Sega Store" could also be found.[4] Characterised by the fusion of the Luxor's own ancient Egyptian theming with high-tech Sega branding, VirtuaLand used specially made light shows and promo videos, alongside recent ad campaign material such as Welcome to the Next Level and Sonic the Hedgehog as a mascot.

As one of Sega's largest high-profile openings up to that point in time (outclassed only by the recently-opened Sega World Bournemouth and a number of similar venues in Japan), VirtuaLand received coverage and interest from the media, including numerous gaming and Sega-focused magazines globally. Due to its status as a major entertainment attraction of the Luxor complex itself, it was frequently cited in travel publications,[5] becoming one of the most recognised amusement facilities created by Sega outside of Japan as a result.

Demise

Following VirtuaLand's opening, it was claimed that a target had been made to create around 100 further centers under the same name across the United States.[6] However, these would never materialise, with Sega focusing more on establishing links with larger companies such as Disney to introduce its Amusement Theme Park concept. The ATP plans fell through, and the GameWorks chain of urban entertainment centers was instead made for North America in a joint venture; one of the first locations opened was in Las Vegas,[7] effectively superseding VirtuaLand's status as a flagship facility.

Sega appears to have removed most of its larger simulator equipment and dropped involvement with VirtuaLand at some point after the late 1990s, with it renamed "Games of the Gods" in 1998.[8] Following this, it continued to operate as an unbranded arcade until around 2008, retaining several of its original games (including an Indy 500-upgraded Virtua Formula) to the end. Alongside the nearby IMAX Ridefilm simulator, its space had been reportedly replaced by themed exhibitions by 2009.

Videos

Gallery

Magazine articles

Main article: Sega VirtuaLand/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

References