Difference between revisions of "Joypolis"

Latest revision as of 19:24, 28 November 2022

Joypolis (ジョイポリス) is a chain of indoor amusement theme parks created by Sega and operated by CA Sega Joypolis in Japan and China. Themed around futurism and video games, the parks feature interactive attractions based on original concepts, Sega intellectual properties, and licenced franchises, as well as coin-operated arcade machines and other facilities. It was originally the flagship chain under the company's Amusement Theme Park concept.

After strong financial growth during the late 1980s and early 90s, advancements made by rivals like Namco in opening large family amusement facilities, and high-tech developments at theme parks such as the opening of Star Tours at Disneyland, Sega envisioned opening a global chain of indoor theme parks to expand its business beyond video games and become a major player in the entertainment industry. This tentatively began with the smaller Osaka ATC Galbo and the Galbo scheme in April 1994, before becoming solidified with the then-flagship Yokohama Joypolis in July.

Typically, a Joypolis acts as a large, multi-story entertainment complex, with shops, restaurants, coin-operated arcade games, and the capacity for officially-held events. Its main selling points are Sega's mid-size and large attractions, such as bumper cars, indoor roller coasters, and virtual reality simulators, which the company began designing and building in the late 1980s. It was not feasible for such large, permanent attractions to be featured in typical arcade settings, so Sega effectively built its own parks to house these concepts.

Since the first Joypolis location opened in Japan, Sega has created numerous other indoor theme parks worldwide based on successful parts of the original parks, such as SegaWorld London, Sega World Sydney, and later Sega Republic. Managerial problems, cashflow issues, and general financial pressures at Sega during the late 1990s and early 2000s caused the closures and downsizings of many of these, however Tokyo Joypolis and newer branches opened in China during the 2010s continue to operate.

Locations

Tokyo Joypolis (1996 - )
Shanghai Joypolis (2014 - )
Qingdao Joypolis (2015 - )

Former locations

Yokohama Joypolis (1994 - 2001)
Niigata Joypolis (1995 - 2000)
Shinjuku Joypolis (1996 - 2000)
Fukuoka Joypolis (1996 - 2001)
Kyoto Joypolis (1997 - 2002)
Umeda Joypolis (1998 - 2018)
Okayama Joypolis (1998 - 2018)
Joypolis VR Shibuya (2018 - 2020)

Artwork

1994 logo
1996 logo
2012 logo

External links

Sega Japan's Joypolis homepage (Japanese)

References

Joypolis venues
Current
Tokyo Joypolis (1996) \| Shanghai Joypolis (2014) \| Qingdao Joypolis (2015)
Former
Shinjuku Joypolis (1996-2000) \| Niigata Joypolis (1995-2001) \| Yokohama Joypolis (1994-2001) \| Fukuoka Joypolis (1996-2001) \| Kyoto Joypolis (1997-2002) \| Umeda Joypolis (1998-2018) \| Okayama Joypolis (1998-2018) \| Joypolis VR Shibuya (2018-2020)

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 After strong financial growth during the late 1980s and early 90s, advancements made by rivals like [[Namco]] in opening large family amusement facilities, and high-tech developments at theme parks such as the opening of [[wikipedia:Star Tours|Star Tours]] at [[wikipedia:Disneyland|Disneyland]], Sega envisioned opening a global chain of indoor theme parks to expand its business beyond video games and become a major player in the entertainment industry. This tentatively began with the smaller [[Osaka ATC Galbo]] and the [[Galbo]] scheme in April 1994, before becoming solidified with the then-flagship [[Yokohama Joypolis]] in July.
-Typically, a Joypolis acts as a large, multi-story entertainment complex, with shops, restaurants, coin-operated arcade games, and the capacity for officially-held events. Its main selling points are Sega's [[Mid-size attraction|mid-size]] and [[lqrge attraction]]s, such as bumper cars, indoor roller coasters, and virtual [[reality]] simulators, which the company began designing and building in the late 1980s. It was not feasible for such large, permanent attractions to be featured in typical arcade settings, so Sega effectively built its own parks to house these concepts.
+Typically, a Joypolis acts as a large, multi-story entertainment complex, with shops, restaurants, coin-operated arcade games, and the capacity for officially-held events. Its main selling points are Sega's [[Mid-size attraction|mid-size]] and [[large attraction]]s, such as bumper cars, indoor roller coasters, and [[virtual reality]] simulators, which the company began designing and building in the late 1980s. It was not feasible for such large, permanent attractions to be featured in typical arcade settings, so Sega effectively built its own parks to house these concepts.
 Since the first Joypolis location opened in Japan, Sega has created numerous other indoor theme parks worldwide based on successful parts of the original parks, such as [[SegaWorld London]], [[Sega World Sydney]], and later [[Sega Republic]]. Managerial problems, cashflow issues, and general financial pressures at Sega during the late 1990s and early 2000s caused the closures and downsizings of many of these, however [[Tokyo Joypolis]] and newer branches opened in China during the 2010s continue to operate.