In a Twitter post on August 2, the Ikebukuro SEGA arcade branch has announced that they will be closed on September 20th. They explained that the lease contract for the building that houses the arcade has expired and is ready for renovation. The arcade opened up in 1993, housing many arcade classics as the rising SEGA boom was taking over during the 90s (a 28-year open service). They also wish to provide the same premier customer service that brought in customers since opening. Currently celebrating the 28th anniversary, exclusive prizes can be won via UFO catcher machines or be bought for the month of August.
The very small good side of this is that the arcade is closing down due to the code and leasing on the building, rather than the arcades itself or the surprise that befell the SEGA Akihabara 2. The northeastern Tokyo hub closed down August 30, 2020 with no official reason, aside from speculation. It opened in 2003 and was known best as the arcade with the orange escalators labeled on the side of the building (and possibly the most popular). As for Ikebukuro, hopefully they will move the machines to different locations to still enjoy.
