Difference between revisions of "SegaWorld London"

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{{VenueBob
 
{{VenueBob
| logos=[[File:Segaworldlondonlogo.png|250px]]
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| logo=Segaworldlondonlogo.png
| venueimage=SegaWorldLondon.jpg
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| tab1=Outside
| imgwidth=250
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| tab2=Inside
| name=
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| venueimage=SegaWorldLondonExterior.png
| location=The Trocadero, London, United Kingdom
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| venueimage2=SegaWorldLondon.jpg
 +
| location=The Trocadero, Piccadilly Circus London, United Kingdom
 
| mapref=51.510490,-0.133022
 
| mapref=51.510490,-0.133022
| opened=1996-09-07
+
| opened=1996-09-07{{fileref|CVG UK Freeplay 07.pdf|page=1}}
| closed=1999
+
| closed=1999-09-07{{ref|https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-1577337/Chorions-Segaworld-game-over.html}}
 
}}
 
}}
{{sub-stub}}'''''SegaWorld London''''' was a [[SegaWorld]] indoor theme park which opened on September 7, 1996. It was housed within the London Trocadero complex within the city of London, UK.  
+
'''SegaWorld London''' was a [[Sega World]] indoor [[Amusement Theme Park]] opened by [[Sega]]. Housed within the [[wikipedia:London Trocadero|London Trocadero]], the site became the flagship Sega venue in Europe upon opening in September 1996, and was the first theme park to be opened outside of Japan by the company.
  
==History==
+
It was claimed to be the largest indoor theme park in the world, occupying an area of 10200m² on seven floors{{intref|Press release: 1996-09-12: INTERNATIONAL MANAGER : Sega Tests the Theme-Park Route}} and making it the largest venue to be developed and wholly ran by Sega, but has since closed permanently. Parts of the park were ran as an unrelated amusement arcade into the early 2010s.
===Development===
+
 
The Piccadilly Trocadero was originally built in 1896 as a restaurant, before closing in 1965. It re-opened as an entertainment and shopping complex in 1984, but by the early 1990s was struggling to find tenants. In 1994 it was purchased by Burford Group plc, led by Nick Leslau and Nigel Wray, who endeavoured to revamp the site for modern consumers.
+
==Layout==
 +
[[File:SegaWorldLondonMap.jpg|thumb|250px]]
 +
Taking up over 100,000 of the Trocadero's 600,000 square feet, SegaWorld London was a seven-floor indoor amusement theme park. Whilst billed as such, much of its floor space was taken up by its large amount of coin-operated arcade machines, including full-size deluxe iterations of games and imported versions scarcely seen elsewhere in the UK. Alongside numerous other Sega venues, it was specifically used for the location testing of both upcoming and never-released titles, as well as holding occasional officially-organised events.
 +
 
 +
After entering the Trocadero building through its shopping arcade area, visitors would be taken up the "rocket escalator", (16.43m in length (with 80m of handrail), 31.5 tons in weight and 193 steps{{magref|cvg|175|57}} (although it was technically two escalators, not one)), running through the main atrium containing other Trocadero tenants, to the sixth "level" (floor). This acted as the park's reception, with each subsequent floor based around differing themes and concepts. The arcade machines on these floors were generally kept in line with the designated theming, and various other attractions and amenities could be found between them, including a McDonald's restaurant and refreshment stalls.
 +
 
 +
The subsequent floors themselves were connected and accessible to visitors by working their way down a further series of escalators and travelators, frequently situated on the left and right sides at the top of the Trocadero's main atrium area, as well as several static staircases. Also originally located in the atrium was the official Sega Shop, which sold merchandise exclusive to the park and small quantities of other consumer products created by Sega. Alongside a second McDonalds outlet directly opposite it, the retail unit that housed the shop was positioned to the left of the bottom of the exit escalator, until the shop's later upstairs relocation to the Sports Arena.
 +
 
 +
Following Sega's removal from the facility, portions of the floors were redesigned extensively.
 +
 
 +
{{InfoTable|imagewidths=200|
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Reception
 +
| screenshot=SWL Reception.jpg
 +
| desc=At the reception, visitors could obtain tokens and attraction tickets, have photos taken with statues of Sonic the Hedgehog (the de-facto mascot of the park), and try a selection of free to play [[Sega Saturn]] consoles. Also housed on the floor was an interactive information centre, projection video screens displaying promotional films, and the first attraction, ''[[Beast In Darkness]]'', with its exit leading out onto the following floor.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Combat Zone
 +
| screenshot=CombatZone.png
 +
| desc=The Combat Zone floor was more akin to a dimly-lit conventional amusement arcade, featuring black and yellow striped décor and no attractions. Its space was instead devoted to a selection of over 50 action games, with genres ranging from fighting to shooting. At launch, games included ''[[Virtua Cop 2]]'' and ''[[Fighting Vipers]]'', as well as non-Sega titles such as ''Time Crisis'' and ''Area 51''.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Race Track
 +
| screenshot=RaceTrack.png
 +
| desc=Boasting extensive theming, with replicas of race cars in its walls and giant traffic lights, the Race Track featured over 70 racing games, most notably back to back 8 player deluxe setups of ''[[Daytona USA]]'' and ''[[Manx TT Superbike]]'' with live commentators. The floor's attraction, officially known as ''[[Aqua Nova]]'' at previous Sega amusement theme parks, was renamed and localised as ''Aqua Planet''.
  
At the same time, [[Sega]], fresh from arcade and console video game successes, were making moves in opening Sega-branded arcade centres across Europe. In the case of the United Kingdom, this began with [[Metropolis (venue)|Metropolis]] in late 1992 and continued with the likes of [[Sega World Bournemouth]] and a handful of smaller venues using the "Sega World" name. Sega was itself one of the biggest brands in the UK at the time, riding on the successes of the [[Sega Master System]] and [[Sega Mega Drive]] (and particularly [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]), and was attempting to open a new arcade centre in the region every couple of months.
+
One of Damon Hill's FW15C racing cars from the 1993 Formula One season was also situated on the floor for photo opportunities. During that season, Hill drove with Alain Prost for Williams, who were famously sponsored by Sega at the time. Incidentally, Prost partly owned the La Tête Dans Les Nuages entertainment centre chain in France, whose Paris and Amiens locations contained [[Centre Sega]] amusement arcades.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Flight Deck
 +
| screenshot=FlightDeck1.png
 +
| desc=Themed around aviation and aircraft, the Flight Deck level housed 20 "flying" games, taking in titles such as ''[[Sky Target]]'' and ''[[Wing War]]'', as well as Namco's ''Prop Cycle''. At one point in time, both  ''[[Dennou Senki Net Merc]]'' and ''[[G-LOC: Air Battle]]'' ''[[R360]]'' machines were located on the floor, the former of which was originally stationed in the Combat Zone at launch.
  
Sega had already had enormous success in Japan following a similar concept. In particular, the 1994 launch of [[Joypolis Tokyo]] has proving to be very lucrative - effectively an indoor theme park, Joypolis took things one step further by housing indoor rides and large scale attractions, and still remains active to this day. The plan was to emulate this idea in other parts of the world, so [[Sega Europe]] arranged with Burford Group to build SegaWorld London - a UK version of Joypolis.
+
Promoted as one the venue's premier attractions, much of the Flight Deck's space was taken up by ''[[VR-1|VR-1: Space Mission]]''. Hanging from the floor's ceiling was the first commercially available ex-RAF Harrier Jump Jet, transported to the venue in the months prior to its by being towed through London on a boat for a PR event and subsequently reported on by Computer & Video Games magazine.{{magref|cvg|177|8}}
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Carnival
 +
| screenshot=Carnival.png
 +
| desc=The Carnival, a brightly lit area with décor loosely based on the Sonic the Hedgehog games, contained over 80 arcade machines, typically [[UFO Catcher|UFO Catchers]] and prize redemption. A prize desk to reward ticket payouts accommodated these. Also located on the floor was "Segakids", featuring a McDonalds outlet and indoor play equipment for young children.
  
Construction began in early 1996 on a planned £45 million project encompassing 100,000 square feet of the Trocadero site (covering seven floors), aiming to be the largest indoor theme park in the world. As well as housing six dedicated indoor rides, many of its floors would be devoted to arcade machines, and would become a new testing site for Sega's own arcade releases in the years which followed.
+
Initially, only one attraction was installed on the floor within the park's opening: ''[[Ghost Hunters]]'' (localised and adapted under the name of ''Ghost Hunt''). This number would later increase to three with the additions of the small ''House of Grandish'' 3D sound room attraction developed by [[Human]] in late 1996 and the ''[[Power Sled]]'' simulator after 1997.
 +
}}
 +
{{InfoRow
 +
| title=Sports Arena
 +
| screenshot=SportsArena1.png
 +
| desc=The final floor, Sports Arena, housed over 90 sports games. These included Sega-made examples such as ''[[Virtua Striker]]'' and ''[[Sega Bass Fishing]]'', as well as the more unconventional ''[[SegaSonic the Hedgehog]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Fighters]]'' cabinets at one stage. On opening day, ''[[Virtua Fighter 3]]'''s official UK launch occurred on the level.
  
===Opening===
+
The floor housed two attractions, ''[[Mad Bazooka]]'' and a pair of ''[[AS-1]]'' motion simulators. ''Mad Bazooka'' was closed and removed around 1998, and it is possible that the Sega Shop (which moved space to this floor from the exit escalator at around the same time) used the area it occupied and other parts instead.
SegaWorld London opened in September 1996, at  the height of [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'s popularity. From 1997, Pepsi sponsored the Pepsi Max Drop Ride and the Pepsi IMAX cinema, being the first 3D IMAX cinema to appear within the UK. The venue was heavily promoted by mid-90s editions of ''[[sonic:Sonic the Comic|Sonic the Comic]]''.
+
}}
 +
}}
  
However, unlike Joypolis, visitor numbers were not large enough to keep the attraction open in its entirity, and with other financial issues at Sega hovering overhead, the company were forced to sell its stake to new owners in 1999, becoming known as "FunLand".
+
==History==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/History}}
  
===Demise===
+
==Attractions==
[[File:SegaWorld London blockage.jpg|thumb|Between 2002 and 2011, the Rocket Escalator was noticably blocked by a Coca-Cola vending machine.]]  
+
* ''[[Beast In Darkness]]''
In the years that followed the site was considerably stripped down considerably - Pepsi's endorsed features were turned offline in March 2000 after the opening of the bigger London IMAX elsewhere in the city. In 2002 the top two floors were closed alongside the famous rocket escalator (although it took until May 2011 for it to be removed), however at no point was the complex significantly revamped, meaning traces of the SegaWorld layout and closed rides still existed for much of the decade.
+
* ''[[Aqua Nova]]''
 +
* ''[[VR-1]]''
 +
* ''[[Ghost Hunters]]''
 +
* ''[[Power Sled]]''
 +
* ''[[AS-1]]''
 +
* ''[[Mad Bazooka]]''
  
FunLand ceased trading in July 2011, leaving only a few arcade machines in front of a locked door on the basement level.
+
==Videos==
[[File:FunLand Entrance.jpg|thumb|The stripped-down "FunLand" existed for some years after the closure of SegaWorld.]]  
+
*[https://segaretro.org/File:Trocadero_SEGAWORLD.mp4 3D concept model by 3D modeller John Robertson]
Criterion Capital bought the site in 2005 with the view of turning the Trocadero into a hotel, the rumoured plan being to completely close the complex in early 2014 to allow construction to begin. In reality only part of the area was closed (such as the Cineworld cinema) - the rest has effectively reverted to its pre-1996 shopping area state.
+
*[https://segaretro.org/File:Segaworld_Trocadero_'96_Promo_Video.mp4 Sizzle reel trailer, 1996]
[[File:FunLand 2011.jpg|thumb|The remains of the arcade, 2014]]  
+
*[https://segaretro.org/File:SegaWorld_London_Tros_2Vandaag.mp4 ''2Vandaag'' report, 1996]
[[File:FunLand 2014.jpg|thumb|Removal of the iconic Rocket Escalator.]]
+
*[https://segaretro.org/File:MicroKids_SegaWorldLondon.mp4 ''Micro Kid's'' coverage, 1996]
==Promotional Material==
+
*[https://segaretro.org/File:Escape_SegaWorldLondon_Incomplete.mp4 ''Escape'' report, 1996]
 +
*[https://segaretro.org/File:Gamesmaster_S06E02_SWL.mp4 ''GamesMaster'' coverage, 1996]
 +
*[https://segaretro.org/File:Cucciolo_IT_Video_1998_(SegaWorldLondon).mp4 Scene from Italian film ''Cucciolo'' shot at SegaWorld London, 1998]
 +
 
 +
==Gallery==
 +
===1996-1999===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
File:SegaWorldLondon Leaflet 1998.pdf|Leaflet, circa 1998
+
SegaWorldLondon openingsign.png|Sign advertising its Summer 1996 opening date
 +
SegaWorldLondonOutside.jpg| Outside of the Trocadero with Sega signs + Sonic statue, circa 1997
 +
SegaWorldLondonEntrance.jpg| The entrance to SegaWorld at the bottom of the Rocket Escalator
 +
SegaWorldLondonAtrium.jpg| Main atrium
 +
SegaWorldLondonBillboard.png| A large advertising billboard for the venue in the atrium, circa September 1996
 +
Reception.png| Reception welcoming sign, incorporating a Sonic wall fixture
 +
SonicStatue.png| Reception Sonic statue
 +
CombatZone.png| Combat Zone
 +
CombatZone1.png|
 +
CombatZone2.png| Sega NetMerc machine, later moved to the Flight Deck
 +
RaceTrack.png| Race Track
 +
RaceTrack2.png| ''Daytona USA''
 +
RaceTrack3.png| ''Manx TT Superbike''
 +
RaceTrack4.png|
 +
SWL_Aqua.jpg|''Aqua Planet''
 +
FlightDeck1.png| Flight Deck
 +
SWL_VR1.jpg|''VR-1: Space Mission''
 +
Carnival.png| "SegaKids" play area, on the Carnival floor
 +
Carnival2.png| Different view of the same floor area
 +
SportsArena1.png| Sports Arena
 +
SportsArena2.png| Megalo cabinets
 +
SWL_AS1.jpg|''AS-1'' units
 +
SegaWorldLondon Token Heads.jpg|Token (heads)
 +
SegaWorldLondon Token Tails.jpg|Token (tails)
 +
SegaWorldLondon2 UK Coin Heads.jpg|Alternative token (heads)
 +
SegaWorldLondon2 UK Coin Tails.jpg|Alternative token (tails)
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Magazine articles==
+
===2000-2014===
 +
<gallery>
 +
Trocadero2001.jpg| Funland's changes to the SegaWorld floors and atrium, circa 2001
 +
FunlandDodgems.jpg|Former "Carnival" floor
 +
SegaWorld London blockage.jpg|Blocked second Rocket Escalator
 +
Trocadero2004.jpg| Trocadero/Funland circa 2004
 +
FunLand Entrance.jpg| Stripped-down Funland entrance circa 2008
 +
FunLand 2011.jpg|Remains of Funland after closing, 2011
 +
FunLand 2014.jpg|Demolition of the basement, February 2014
 +
</gallery>
 +
 
 +
==Merchandise==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
CVG UK 174.pdf|page=9|Event coverage in ''C&VG'' #174, May 1996.
+
SegaWorldLondon Penny.jpg|Squashed penny
CVG UK 175.pdf|page=56|Feature in ''C&VG'' #175, June 1996.
+
SegaWorldLondonTicket_Front.jpg|Front of ticket issued for park entry
 +
SegaWorldLondonTicket_Back.jpg|Back of ticket issued for park entry
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Gallery==
+
==Magazine articles==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 +
 
 +
==Promotional material==
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
SegaWorldLondon Token Heads.jpg|Token (heads)
+
File:SegaWorldLondon Leaflet 1997 English.pdf|Leaflet circa early 1997
SegaWorldLondon Token Tails.jpg|Token (tails)
+
File:SegaWorldLondon Leaflet 1998.pdf|Leaflet circa 1998
 +
File:SegaWorldLondon CorporateEntertainment Front.jpg|Front of booklet promoting corporate hospitality packages
 +
File:SegaWorldLondon CorporateEntertainment Inside.jpg|Inside of booklet promoting corporate hospitality packages
 +
File:SegaWorldLondon CorporateEntertainment Back.jpg|Back of booklet promoting corporate hospitality packages
 +
File:SegaWorldLondonOpeningProgramme.jpg|Opening day events programme
 +
File:SegaWorldLondonMap.jpg|1996 map
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==External Link==
+
==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElTvKyVPkBA Preview video, circa 1996]
+
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19980401000000*/http://www.segaworld.com SegaWorld London homepage] (archived)
  
[[Category:Venues in the United Kingdom]]
+
==References==
 +
<references />
 +
{{clear}}
 +
{{SegaVenuesUK}}

Latest revision as of 23:22, 20 September 2023

Segaworldlondonlogo.png
  • Outside
  • Inside
SegaWorldLondonExterior.png
SegaWorldLondon.jpg
SegaWorld London
Location: The Trocadero, Piccadilly Circus London, United Kingdom
Google maps: 51.510490,-0.133022
Opened: 1996-09-07[1]
Closed: 1999-09-07[2]

SegaWorld London was a Sega World indoor Amusement Theme Park opened by Sega. Housed within the London Trocadero, the site became the flagship Sega venue in Europe upon opening in September 1996, and was the first theme park to be opened outside of Japan by the company.

It was claimed to be the largest indoor theme park in the world, occupying an area of 10200m² on seven floors[3] and making it the largest venue to be developed and wholly ran by Sega, but has since closed permanently. Parts of the park were ran as an unrelated amusement arcade into the early 2010s.

Layout

SegaWorldLondonMap.jpg

Taking up over 100,000 of the Trocadero's 600,000 square feet, SegaWorld London was a seven-floor indoor amusement theme park. Whilst billed as such, much of its floor space was taken up by its large amount of coin-operated arcade machines, including full-size deluxe iterations of games and imported versions scarcely seen elsewhere in the UK. Alongside numerous other Sega venues, it was specifically used for the location testing of both upcoming and never-released titles, as well as holding occasional officially-organised events.

After entering the Trocadero building through its shopping arcade area, visitors would be taken up the "rocket escalator", (16.43m in length (with 80m of handrail), 31.5 tons in weight and 193 steps[4] (although it was technically two escalators, not one)), running through the main atrium containing other Trocadero tenants, to the sixth "level" (floor). This acted as the park's reception, with each subsequent floor based around differing themes and concepts. The arcade machines on these floors were generally kept in line with the designated theming, and various other attractions and amenities could be found between them, including a McDonald's restaurant and refreshment stalls.

The subsequent floors themselves were connected and accessible to visitors by working their way down a further series of escalators and travelators, frequently situated on the left and right sides at the top of the Trocadero's main atrium area, as well as several static staircases. Also originally located in the atrium was the official Sega Shop, which sold merchandise exclusive to the park and small quantities of other consumer products created by Sega. Alongside a second McDonalds outlet directly opposite it, the retail unit that housed the shop was positioned to the left of the bottom of the exit escalator, until the shop's later upstairs relocation to the Sports Arena.

Following Sega's removal from the facility, portions of the floors were redesigned extensively.

SWL Reception.jpg

Reception
At the reception, visitors could obtain tokens and attraction tickets, have photos taken with statues of Sonic the Hedgehog (the de-facto mascot of the park), and try a selection of free to play Sega Saturn consoles. Also housed on the floor was an interactive information centre, projection video screens displaying promotional films, and the first attraction, Beast In Darkness, with its exit leading out onto the following floor.

CombatZone.png

Combat Zone
The Combat Zone floor was more akin to a dimly-lit conventional amusement arcade, featuring black and yellow striped décor and no attractions. Its space was instead devoted to a selection of over 50 action games, with genres ranging from fighting to shooting. At launch, games included Virtua Cop 2 and Fighting Vipers, as well as non-Sega titles such as Time Crisis and Area 51.

RaceTrack.png

Race Track
Boasting extensive theming, with replicas of race cars in its walls and giant traffic lights, the Race Track featured over 70 racing games, most notably back to back 8 player deluxe setups of Daytona USA and Manx TT Superbike with live commentators. The floor's attraction, officially known as Aqua Nova at previous Sega amusement theme parks, was renamed and localised as Aqua Planet.

One of Damon Hill's FW15C racing cars from the 1993 Formula One season was also situated on the floor for photo opportunities. During that season, Hill drove with Alain Prost for Williams, who were famously sponsored by Sega at the time. Incidentally, Prost partly owned the La Tête Dans Les Nuages entertainment centre chain in France, whose Paris and Amiens locations contained Centre Sega amusement arcades.

FlightDeck1.png

Flight Deck
Themed around aviation and aircraft, the Flight Deck level housed 20 "flying" games, taking in titles such as Sky Target and Wing War, as well as Namco's Prop Cycle. At one point in time, both Dennou Senki Net Merc and G-LOC: Air Battle R360 machines were located on the floor, the former of which was originally stationed in the Combat Zone at launch.

Promoted as one the venue's premier attractions, much of the Flight Deck's space was taken up by VR-1: Space Mission. Hanging from the floor's ceiling was the first commercially available ex-RAF Harrier Jump Jet, transported to the venue in the months prior to its by being towed through London on a boat for a PR event and subsequently reported on by Computer & Video Games magazine.[5]

Carnival.png

Carnival
The Carnival, a brightly lit area with décor loosely based on the Sonic the Hedgehog games, contained over 80 arcade machines, typically UFO Catchers and prize redemption. A prize desk to reward ticket payouts accommodated these. Also located on the floor was "Segakids", featuring a McDonalds outlet and indoor play equipment for young children.

Initially, only one attraction was installed on the floor within the park's opening: Ghost Hunters (localised and adapted under the name of Ghost Hunt). This number would later increase to three with the additions of the small House of Grandish 3D sound room attraction developed by Human in late 1996 and the Power Sled simulator after 1997.

SportsArena1.png

Sports Arena
The final floor, Sports Arena, housed over 90 sports games. These included Sega-made examples such as Virtua Striker and Sega Bass Fishing, as well as the more unconventional SegaSonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Fighters cabinets at one stage. On opening day, Virtua Fighter 3's official UK launch occurred on the level.

The floor housed two attractions, Mad Bazooka and a pair of AS-1 motion simulators. Mad Bazooka was closed and removed around 1998, and it is possible that the Sega Shop (which moved space to this floor from the exit escalator at around the same time) used the area it occupied and other parts instead.

History

Main article: SegaWorld London/History.

Attractions

Videos

Gallery

1996-1999

2000-2014

Merchandise

Magazine articles

Main article: SegaWorld London/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

External links

References


Sega-related venues in the United Kingdom
Sega World
Bournemouth (1993-2000) | London (1996-1999) | Tamworth (199x-xxxx) | Wolverhampton (199x-xxxx) | Birmingham (199x-xxxx)
Sega Park
Glasgow (1993-200x) | Acton (1994-199x) | Colindale (1994-2008) | Southampton (1996-2013) | Wood Green (199x-xxxx) | Basildon (199x-2005) | Reading (199x-199x) | Bristol (199x-200x) | Harlow (1997-2003) | Tower Hill (xxxx-200x) | Harrow (200x-200x) | Holborn (200x-200x) | Brighton (2002-2006)
Sega Zone
Brixton (199x-xxxx) | Catford (199x-xxxx) | Woolwich (199x-xxxx)
Sega Megaworld
Croydon (199x-199x) | Harrow (199x-199x) | Romford (199x-199x)
Sega Prize Zone
West Midlands (2015-2020) | Southport (2016-2019) | Hatfield (2016-2020)
Others
Metropolis (1992-199x) | Planet Sega Queensway (199x-200x)