GameWorks has closed its last venues after pandemic struggles
The financial instability of the pandemic led to the closure of one of the highest rated entertainment venues.
Over the last year, we’ve seen countless establishments close up shop due to financial difficulties during the pandemic. Inevitably, GameWorks is the latest chain of entertainment center venues to close its doors permanently – halting years of nostalgic arcade gaming and family bonding.
GameWorks broke the news via Twitter and recounted becoming slammed financially by the pandemic. The past 20 months had turned their business upside-down from the ground up, and the slow crawl back to economic recovery left them with “no choice other than to close.”
As a product of SEGA and film studios Universal Pictures and Dreamworks, GameWorks started as a 1996 entertainment hub center with nearly 30 locations across North America. After the ’80s and ’90s arcades closed their doors pre-2000s, GameWorks opened to draft in that crowd of gamers. But it was clear that the foremost audience would be families, as restaurants and other facilities expanded their venues.
As someone who grew up around entertainment venues and always enjoyed the rudimentary way of popping in coins to play games, this is a bittersweet goodbye. They’ll surely be missed by those brought together through arcade gaming at their locations.
Do you have any arcade memories at their locations? Let us know!
Via: Nintendo Wire
