Difference between revisions of "GameWorks"

Latest revision as of 23:31, 6 September 2023

To do

Add pages for GameWorks-specific arcade games like Virtual Arena, Sky Pirates, etc.
Section on GameWorks as a test location for certain Sega arcade games (sometimes advertised as exclusive) like Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders
From Jeff Moss' GameWorks page: "Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sega Games hired Jeff Moss to design and produce all of the retail merchandise for all of the GameWorks stores around the USA. 3000 units of 72 SKUs were designed and drop shipped to each of the original GameWorks retail shops."
As GameWorks transitioned its arcade business into the modern era, it rebuilt much of its focus around eSports. Quote from the official website's About page: "GameWorks is an esports and entertainment destination built around the central theme of gaming, both competitively and for amusement.", with the company describing itself as "GameWorks, Inc., esports and entertainment company for millennials, teens and families..."
Business-relevant quote also from official About page: "Each GameWorks is different, based on the preferences in the local market, and customized specifically for those local needs. Additionally, GameWorks team members are passionate about their local community, and organize, host or attend many special events for local charities."
Did Michael Katz transition to GameWorks? There's a Michael Katz of The Bell Agency working for GameWorks around the same time (possibly just Vegas, his phone number is a 702 area code.) It's a somewhat common name, but maybe he did? Per a news release for the Showcase Mall in Vegas (where the venue was located), from Katz himself...

CartridgeCulture (talk) 02:08, 27 December 2021 (EST)

Links

Images

Virtual Arena
Sky Pirates at GameWorks Detroit
Alternate logo with slogan.
1996 possible location window display
1996 possible location window display
GameWorks Las Vegas opening press badge
GameWorks Tampa
GameWorks Sawgrass Mills
GameWorks Studio City of Industry
GameWorks Newport
GameWorks Las Vegas (Town Square?) logo. (official?)

GameWorks Las Vegas

The Vegas GameWorks was a big one, lots of promotion and massive machines, one of the few Western non-SegaWorld locations where you had massive Sega machines. Also featured in L.A. Machineguns.

CartridgeCulture (talk) 00:16, 20 November 2021 (EST)

yes, the original Vegas location did indeed seem to be the flagship/biggest branch. Touted in many sources as being 47,000 square feet, which means it even outmatches the Rio de Janeiro location with rarer Joypolis attractions. A real shame that it was one of those that got the chop in favour of another site soon after Sega scrubbed their hands of the venture, but the rent must've been eye-watering...

on the massive machines part, several of the larger GameWorks locations had the Virtua Formula incarnation of Indy 500 anyway (and Sega did sell it to a whole bunch of unaffiliated arcades, despite it costing a fortune), but more uncommon was its Lost World: Jurassic Park Special units. Amazing attraction with an experience different to the original game, also a great bit of shameless cross-brand synergy for Spielberg and Sega

and we may well have some more spotting to do - another obvious in-game homage to the location also appears in the more recent StarHorse4. Nice to see SoJ remember their former western colleagues efforts, putting an oblique reference to them in what is, for all intents and purposes, a medal game meant only for operation in Japan, where next to nobody would get the hint.

Ted618 (talk) 00:03, 6 December 2021 (GMT)

Dude this is so good, thank you for all of this. And... oh man. So I've got limited experience with Sega venues, but the Vegas one was always close to me. I was born and raised in California with my immediate family, but the rest of my father's side was pretty much all out in Vegas, so much so that we'd drive out there a few times a year. I was just a little too old to experience VirtuaLand (and it was located in the Luxor, which had a reputation as a- "second-rate hotel" isn't doing it justice, but it was cheaper for a reason. It was at the very bottom end of the strip, away from the foot traffic and just south of the "main Vegas busy area".) But the GameWorks was big, RIGHT in the middle of the strip, like so much so that foot traffic would get pushed in there because the main strip was so busy.

Like a lot of other Western venues, its owners had ensured it was connected to the other tenants' properties: most of the time we got in through M&M World (which is still there I believe) because the main entrance at ground level was always a little busy. I remember being stunned when I was on the third-story of the Coca-Cola side of M&M World (its complicated), and I was a dumb kid and wandered around, and poked my head down some back employee hallway and saw the Sega logo on a little sign on a door. Like pfhwhat why is this here what. But we only ever went for M&M World/the Coke stuff. Video games were a little too narrow for a "family experience with mom and dad and sister", but you bet I always ran off and played the arcade games. Funny enough, don't remember anything about the games, other than I usually just hung out in the front lobby and not the main "arcade area" so my family didn't have to look around long to find me when they were ready to leave.

And funny that you specifically mentioned rent. On what ended up as my last trip to M&M World, I remember going up to an employee and asking what happened to the big Sega place next door? And even her, as an employee of the place next door, says "I think it was a little too expensive." Also interestingly, and this is common knowledge, but the Vegas GameWorks moved off the strip and down to a place called Town Center. It's not really walkable from the strip, but its in a place that- like imagine where Dave & Busters got installed (near theatres and in big shopping centers etc). Unfortunately the overwhelming majority of games are like very modern "apps into arcade cabs" deals like "Cut the Rope - The Arcade Game" stuff. I was so disappointed, it's everywhere. I walked through it for five minutes hunting for anything older than the last decade. Nothing, except for a single-wall of standup arcade cabinets (and by wall I mean like 4-6), most of them new things playing older games. I got to play Galaga. And nothing else. The largest and most complicated cabs they had were these mini-360-spinning pods for some- Star Wars game? The technology looked neat but I'm not a big fan of Star Wars. Still, they had a couple of flavors of like- weird mini Western R360 things. For whatever that's worth. CartridgeCulture (talk) 19:34, 5 December 2021 (EST)

yeah the current state of things with that location is a shame, though I suspect it wouldn't be much different if Sega were involved instead too. The pods you mention - Star Wars Battle Pod, no? Those things don't spin but still have a spectacle about them that other cabinets don't nowadays, indeed I believe they were originally used for Gundam games in Japan

IMO regardless of how little I too care for Star Wars they are pretty cool cabinets, however having played them I am not a fan of how you're required to credit feed to continue even if you have won - I get that they're expensive and arcade operators need to earn their money back, but not like this :// Ted618 (talk) 01:46, 7 December 2021 (GMT)

Seattle stuff

alongside the Vegas one which opened immediately after it, Seattle is one of the only locations I intend to tackle with a proper breakdown of its history, facilities, etc - most of the others simply weren't as big or well-documented to demand more. And over the years I have came to realise some really special Sega stuff from the late 90s is still hanging in there, nearly 25 years on from it first opening

https://twitter.com/ohpoorpup/status/1380625659689455617

there are god knows how many photos of that eye-catching mural out there and I need to figure out the best ones to mirror on here soon

Ted618 (talk) 00:04, 6 December 2021 (GMT)

Videos

some vids that probably need mirroring, plonking them here so that they're all in one place

tbh Electric Playground in its entirety and most of kukun kun's uploads need to be on there but that's a discussion for another day Ted618 (talk) 01:26, 7 December 2021 (GMT)

cool flickr pics

because I just keep finding more that I hadn't previously seen

apparently they did it again the following year but haven't since. To be expected with Sega selling them off but still a shame Ted618 (talk) 01:35, 11 December 2021 (GMT)

RIP

well this is bloody eerie

https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/the-arcade-from-the-last-of-us-2-is-closing-down-in-real-life/

GameWorks haven't announced anything official yet but having heard back from people at the Seattle location, they're actually closing all locations permanently this week. A couple have already been quietly closed for months under temporary pretences. It's said that the one in Vegas may get purchased by independent operators and the landlord of Seattle has the choice to run the site as is, though that is looking unlikely.

it's been a long time since the chain was in its prime, however it's still a shame it had to end like this. Kind of shady to just close all the locations with almost no prior notice, but I guess they wanted things done quietly. Good that we started covering more of this stuff while we could though.

Ted618 (talk) 16:34, 23 December 2021 (GMT)

Thanks for the update. There's been a small team working with the Seattle GameWorks management to preserve as much as they can. I'm going to be doing a little on the Vegas front but nothing substantial. I'd imagine some work is being done through fans of the other locations too, but we can only hope. Thankfully I'd imagine if you approached the management of the other locations and asked them to share some stories, they'd be more than happy. As long as you frame the questions in the right light. But yeah seriously, we started this push at the right time. CartridgeCulture (talk) 20:01, 23 December 2021 (EST)

20:01, 23 December 2021 (EST)

Arcade Heroes history

helped out a bit with this. Mainly sourcing info and photos for Kevin (great guy, tons of amusement industry experience):

https://arcadeheroes.com/2021/12/27/kevin-williams-gameworks-the-slow-collapse-of-the-dream/

matches the narrative I mapped out pretty well on here, but there is one or two extra bits and pieces in there that I'll get round to referencing soon

Ted618 (talk) 03:11, 29 December 2021 (GMT)

Revival (???)

https://www.geekwire.com/2022/gameworks-ready-to-power-back-on-in-seattle-as-onetime-execs-take-control-of-arcade-restaurant/

nice to hear. I was aware of plans to reopen some of the sites as gaming venues but didn't think Seattle's would be saved like this - the one in Newport has already been scooped up and partly repurposed by owners who had nothing to do with it, for example

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/campbell-county/newport-community/velocity-esports-hosts-grand-opening-at-newport-on-the-levee

Talk