SegaWorld, theme park or Arcades? read first please.

[Daisy-Fan]

Hey there, Daisy-Fan here and i wanted to know first thing before starting these thing about the topic, if its something bases on sega games its on gaming section correct? if its OT then its possible to put this thread on the right spot? thanks if so! = )

Alright watch out for the terrible English coming, just to warn you about it haha.

Alright what is SegaWorld? sorry if am sounds noob, but its use to be a kinda Theme park Arcade style correct? if there anyone have the experience to share or help me out to understand this could it be very nice. also there a lot of them still on? Have a great one also.

[FourCartridge]

Based on what you're saying, I can only assume you mean this:

It was a minigame collection designed around the PS2's Eye Toy and showcased various SEGA series. As far as I can tell, it was Nintendoland 10 years before the fact. I don't know how it was revived, but it started off the SEGA Superstars series(which ASRT is part of), so there that to thank it for.

[-Mark-]

FourCartridge, I think he's asking about the actual SEGAWorld theme park attraction that used to be in Central London.

I went there a number of times myself, it really was pretty much a hybrid of the two. They had a number of virtual 'rides' that basically gave an illusion of movement by having a video play inside a moving pod, as well as a ton of arcade machines.

So yeah, I'd say 'a bit of both' sums it up pretty well.

[Remy]

There was one in Sydney as well, although as it's before my time I know next to nothing about it. I have a SEGA t shirt my dad got from there though, alongside a sonic figure with bendy arms that fell off

[SuperLink]

I went to SEGAWorld in London a couple of times as a kid, I played SEGASonic Arcade there (to no avail, the controls didn't make sense to me at all) and most of the 'rides' and attractions were already gone (it was the late 90s so MegaDrive's ~golden era~ was over).

My brother and I got Sonic plushies there though, hooray.

Edited December 6, 2012 by SuperLink

[Danj86]

There's a SEGAWorld in London?? Grr, why are all the cool stuff I'd be interested in, always so far away!? So annoying...X0

Did find some photos of some of the places, using Google.

Bit blurry, but some text next to it said that this picture is from a branch in Osaka, Japan.

Some information I've come across seem to say that their is at least one in the UK, one in China and it looked like their was one in Australia, but that had so shutdown. Not sure about the others.

I found this picture of inside one of them.

For some reason, the lighting, those tube things around the escalator and generally how it's all laid out, kinda reminds me of the Race of AGES track on Allstar Transformed. Or is that just me?

[SuperLink]

^that looks kinda like the London one I went to.

Also keep in mind I'm pretty sure London's SEGAWorld no longer exists.

[Jix Hedgehog]

Went to Sega World Sydney 3 times.

Once when it was open, got to enjoy the rides, the excellent food, the gift stores and the arcade with all it's Sega game (and others) goodness. Went again when they were preparing to close down just to pick up some merch (wasn't much available but what was there was heavily discounted/free) then a 3rd time about a year later only to discover the giant statues out front were gone, all street arrows pointing towards it removed and the doors boarded up with a heart breaking thank you note left on the front entrance

Kicking myself for not picking up more stuff

[Daisy-Fan]

Woah! the London one seems to be a kinda Arcades paradise, aww sometimes i wish to know if there cool stuff on my side. But thanks very much to share the pictures!

Edited December 6, 2012 by Daisy-Fan

[MamboCat]

The SegaWorld in London was only around in the '90s, I believe...

[iDEATH]

I'm not sure if it was official or not but there was a fairly large arcade in Edinburgh at one point that had a big sonic styled logo, can't remember exactly what it was called but it was something along the lines of Segaworld.

....or I could be making it all up, I was really young when I went there.

[-Mark-]

There was only one London one, and yeah, if I remember correctly, it shut down in the late 90s/ early 2000s. I know I went there around 1998-1999, so it can't have shut down by then.

[JonoD]

The Sega World in London has indeed closed down, and was located in what is known in the 'Trocadero' complex in London's Piccaddilly Circus (This place), and was found at the very top of the complex.

As of now though, the escalator entrance to the attraction still exists, but... quite embarrassingly been blocked... by a drinks machine.

The complex at the top where the park used to be is now... as far as I'm aware, empty.

[Daisy-Fan]

Very huge info s, surprise there none on this in japan, mean the Segaworld of course.

[SonikkuForever]

I'm a bit of a Sega World fangirl, and I've spent quite some time searching the internet for all things Sega World related. Long story short, there were many amusement facilities run by Sega, and not all of them were called Sega World. All of them included extensive arcades, and some of the larger ones included rides and other attractions. I've made a list of most Sega parks below (I'm sure I've missed a couple):

Sega Joypolis: The first Sega theme park, which opened in Yokohama, Japan in 1994. Joypolis contained interactive rides and the latest SEGA games, and had lots of Sonic theming. Multiple Joypolis' opened and closed over the years, but there are still 3 left in Japan today. One of the Joypolis' built a SonicTown section in 2003, which was a small arcade section meant for kids that was very Sonic-themed. SonicTown even had live shows with costumed characters.

Sonic Bowl: A Sonic-themed bowling alley in Japan. It is unknown if it is still open.

Sega Hi-Tech Land opened in 1996. It's a massive 5-level game center in Akibahara, Japan, which is now called Club Sega.

Sega Arena: Another Japanese arcade. Does not contain any rides, but has the nicest entrance ever:

And of course, there are many small Sega Worlds scattered around Japan. They're usually just a nice Sega arcade with Sonic-themed interiors. Some are in shopping centers, and others are stand-alone buildings. They tend to be very colorful, as you can see below:

Player's Arena: A massive, 12,000 sq. foot game center which opened in 2007 in a shopping mall in Shanghai. Sadly, it closed in 2011 due to poor sales. A shame, really, the place was the largest indoor amusement park in China, with 2 stories of games and rides, and an absolutely gorgeous futuristic interior. (An unrelated, smaller Sega World also operated once in the basement of the same mall, it had a Waku Waku Sonic patrol car and SegaSonic artwork on the walls).

Australia had Sega World Sydney from 1996 to 2000. It was one of the larger Sega parks ever constructed, containing over 200 games and 8 rides, including an indoor roller coaster. It embraced the Sonic series, particularly the SatAM/AOStH canon, and was one of the only places to get official merchandise of Sally Acorn.

England also had a large Sega World, which opened in 1996 in Piccadilly Circus. It was similar to Joypolis and Sega World Sydney in attractions and layout. In the late 1990s, the facility was sold and renamed Funland by it's new owners. Funland then closed in 2011. Other small Sega arcades also existed in the U.K., such as SegaPark in Brighton, Bournemouth, and Southampton. Tamworth and Birmingham also had smaller Sega Worlds, which were nothing more than arcades.

Sega Republic opened in the Dubai Mall in 2009. It is a large, multi-story "world" based off of Sonic the Hedgehog, with a Sonic drop ride and an Eggman roller coaster, as well as many arcade games.

The United States was rather deprived in the Sega arcade department when compared to other countries, but we did have Sega VirtuaLand, which opened in 1993 in the Luxor hotel and casino in Las Vegas. It was the first Sega amusement facility and precursor to the other Sega parks which later opened in Japan, England, and Australia. VirtuaLand contained the latest interactive virtual reality attractions and games, and sold exclusive Sonic merchandise. The little-known Sega City arcade was part of Irvine, California in the mid-90s, until it became a GameWorks in 1997.

In 1997, Sega GameWorks started up as a venture between Dreamworks, Sega, and Universal. There were multiple GameWorks facilities in major cities around the United States, as well as a few in Austria, Mexico, Kuwait, Guam, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. All of them contained lots of Sega games, virtual-reality attractions, and Sonic theming, with Sonic mascot suits making appearances occasionally in the parks. Sega gained full ownership in 2004, and sold the chain to investors in 2011 (however, they still give out exclusive Sonic-themed prizes in the redemption area). Most GameWorks' sold food and drinks as well, and some of the larger ones had an interactive drop-tower ride. This is the only Sega park I've been to so far, and I still have happy dreams about it sometimes. A spinoff of GameWorks was Sega's World Sports Grille, which seems to be exactly the same as GameWorks but with a greater emphasis on the sports bar aspect of it. There are currently 3 in operation in the U.S., all of which were sold to investors by Sega along with Gameworks.

Finally, one of the world's most obscure, forgotten Sega parks: Sega City Playdium, which operated in Toronto, Canada. Like Gameworks, it is still operational today, although Sega no longer owns it and it is simply called the Playdium now. It is huge, with 40,000 square feet of futuristic theming and virtual reality rides, as well as over 200 games.

Edited December 8, 2012 by SonikkuForever

[Lanmanna]

I'm a bit of a Sega World fangirl, and I've spent quite some time searching the internet for all things Sega World related. Long story short, there were many amusement facilities run by Sega, and not all of them were called Sega World. All of them included extensive arcades, and some of the larger ones included rides and other attractions. I've made a list of most Sega parks below (I'm sure I've missed a couple):

Sega Joypolis: The first Sega theme park, which opened in Yokohama, Japan in 1994. Joypolis contained interactive rides and the latest SEGA games, and had lots of Sonic theming. Multiple Joypolis' opened and closed over the years, but there are still 3 left in Japan today. One of the Joypolis' built a SonicTown section in 2003, which was a small arcade section meant for kids that was very Sonic-themed. SonicTown even had live shows with costumed characters.

Sonic Bowl: A Sonic-themed bowling alley in Japan. It is unknown if it is still open.

Sega Hi-Tech Land opened in 1996. It's a massive 5-level game center in Akibahara, Japan, which is now called Club Sega.

Sega Arena: Another Japanese arcade. Does not contain any rides, but has the nicest entrance ever:

And of course, there are many small Sega Worlds scattered around Japan. They're usually just a nice Sega arcade with Sonic-themed interiors. Some are in shopping centers, and others are stand-alone buildings. They tend to be very colorful, as you can see below:

Player's Arena: A massive, 12,000 sq. foot game center which opened in 2007 in a shopping mall in Shanghai. Sadly, it closed in 2011 due to poor sales. A shame, really, the place was the largest indoor amusement park in China, with 2 stories of games and rides, and an absolutely gorgeous futuristic interior. (An unrelated, smaller Sega World also operated once in the basement of the same mall, it had a Waku Waku Sonic patrol car and SegaSonic artwork on the walls).

Australia had Sega World Sydney from 1996 to 2000. It was one of the larger Sega parks ever constructed, containing over 200 games and 8 rides, including an indoor roller coaster. It embraced the Sonic series, particularly the SatAM/AOStH canon, and was one of the only places to get official merchandise of Sally Acorn.

England also had a large Sega World, which opened in 1996 in Piccadilly Circus. It was similar to Joypolis and Sega World Sydney in attractions and layout. In the late 1990s, the facility was sold and renamed Funland by it's new owners. Funland then closed in 2011. Other small Sega arcades also existed in the U.K., such as SegaPark in Brighton, Bournemouth, and Southampton. Tamworth and Birmingham also had smaller Sega Worlds, which were nothing more than arcades.

Sega Republic opened in the Dubai Mall in 2009. It is a large, multi-story "world" based off of Sonic the Hedgehog, with a Sonic drop ride and an Eggman roller coaster, as well as many arcade games.

The United States was rather deprived in the Sega arcade department when compared to other countries, but we did have Sega VirtuaLand, which opened in 1993 in the Luxor hotel and casino in Las Vegas. It was the first Sega amusement facility and precursor to the other Sega parks which later opened in Japan, England, and Australia. VirtuaLand contained the latest interactive virtual reality attractions and games, and sold exclusive Sonic merchandise. The little-known Sega City arcade was part of Irvine, California in the mid-90s, until it became a GameWorks in 1997.

In 1997, Sega GameWorks started up as a venture between Dreamworks, Sega, and Universal. There were multiple GameWorks facilities in major cities around the United States, as well as a few in Austria, Mexico, Kuwait, Guam, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. All of them contained lots of Sega games, virtual-reality attractions, and Sonic theming, with Sonic mascot suits making appearances occasionally in the parks. Sega gained full ownership in 2004, and sold the chain to investors in 2011 (however, they still give out exclusive Sonic-themed prizes in the redemption area). Most GameWorks' sold food and drinks as well, and some of the larger ones had an interactive drop-tower ride. This is the only Sega park I've been to so far, and I still have happy dreams about it sometimes. A spinoff of GameWorks was Sega's World Sports Grille, which seems to be exactly the same as GameWorks but with a greater emphasis on the sports bar aspect of it. There are currently 3 in operation in the U.S., all of which were sold to investors by Sega along with Gameworks.

Finally, one of the world's most obscure, forgotten Sega parks: Sega City Playdium, which operated in Toronto, Canada. Like Gameworks, it is still operational today, although Sega no longer owns it and it is simply called the Playdium now. It is huge, with 40,000 square feet of futuristic theming and virtual reality rides, as well as over 200 games.

Thanks for all of that info! I wish I could go to a Sega World/Land/etc.

[Conando]

I went to the SEGA GameWorks in Las Vegas when I was around 14 or so, I believe at that point it was still also co-owned by DreamWorks and Universal. It was the best damn arcade I'd ever been too, there was every SEGA arcade game under the sun and then some. They also had a few attraction rides which were light gun SEGA games where you were in an enclosed room with a big screen and chairs that moved similarly to what you'd get from say...Star Tours.  They also had this cool cabinet for Virtua Tennis where you sat down in comfy chairs with an arcade stick in front of you. You could also find extremely rare SEGA arcade cabinets such as Sonic the Fighters and SEGA Sonic Arcade.Apparently it's closed down now but, not forever; it's apparently relocating to a different part of the strip; though it's not owned by SEGA anymore.

[Multikaris]

On 12/7/2012 at 6:42 PM, SonikkuForever said:

I'm a bit of a Sega World fangirl, and I've spent quite some time searching the internet for all things Sega World related. Long story short, there were many amusement facilities run by Sega, and not all of them were called Sega World. All of them included extensive arcades, and some of the larger ones included rides and other attractions. I've made a list of most Sega parks below (I'm sure I've missed a couple):

 

Sega Joypolis: The first Sega theme park, which opened in Yokohama, Japan in 1994. Joypolis contained interactive rides and the latest SEGA games, and had lots of Sonic theming. Multiple Joypolis' opened and closed over the years, but there are still 3 left in Japan today. One of the Joypolis' built a SonicTown section in 2003, which was a small arcade section meant for kids that was very Sonic-themed. SonicTown even had live shows with costumed characters.

 

Sonic Bowl: A Sonic-themed bowling alley in Japan. It is unknown if it is still open.

 

Sega Hi-Tech Land opened in 1996. It's a massive 5-level game center in Akibahara, Japan, which is now called Club Sega.

 

Sega Arena: Another Japanese arcade. Does not contain any rides, but has the nicest entrance ever:

 

 

 

And of course, there are many small Sega Worlds scattered around Japan. They're usually just a nice Sega arcade with Sonic-themed interiors. Some are in shopping centers, and others are stand-alone buildings. They tend to be very colorful, as you can see below:

 

 

Player's Arena: A massive, 12,000 sq. foot game center which opened in 2007 in a shopping mall in Shanghai. Sadly, it closed in 2011 due to poor sales. A shame, really, the place was the largest indoor amusement park in China, with 2 stories of games and rides, and an absolutely gorgeous futuristic interior. (An unrelated, smaller Sega World also operated once in the basement of the same mall, it had a Waku Waku Sonic patrol car and SegaSonic artwork on the walls).

 

 

 

Australia had Sega World Sydney from 1996 to 2000. It was one of the larger Sega parks ever constructed, containing over 200 games and 8 rides, including an indoor roller coaster. It embraced the Sonic series, particularly the SatAM/AOStH canon, and was one of the only places to get official merchandise of Sally Acorn.

 

England also had a large Sega World, which opened in 1996 in Piccadilly Circus. It was similar to Joypolis and Sega World Sydney in attractions and layout. In the late 1990s, the facility was sold and renamed Funland by it's new owners. Funland then closed in 2011. Other small Sega arcades also existed in the U.K., such as SegaPark in Brighton, Bournemouth, and Southampton. Tamworth and Birmingham also had smaller Sega Worlds, which were nothing more than arcades.

 

Sega Republic opened in the Dubai Mall in 2009. It is a large, multi-story "world" based off of Sonic the Hedgehog, with a Sonic drop ride and an Eggman roller coaster, as well as many arcade games.

 

The United States was rather deprived in the Sega arcade department when compared to other countries, but we did have Sega VirtuaLand, which opened in 1993 in the Luxor hotel and casino in Las Vegas. It was the first Sega amusement facility and precursor to the other Sega parks which later opened in Japan, England, and Australia. VirtuaLand contained the latest interactive virtual reality attractions and games, and sold exclusive Sonic merchandise. The little-known Sega City arcade was part of Irvine, California in the mid-90s, until it became a GameWorks in 1997.

 

In 1997, Sega GameWorks started up as a venture between Dreamworks, Sega, and Universal. There were multiple GameWorks facilities in major cities around the United States, as well as a few in Austria, Mexico, Kuwait, Guam, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic. All of them contained lots of Sega games, virtual-reality attractions, and Sonic theming, with Sonic mascot suits making appearances occasionally in the parks. Sega gained full ownership in 2004, and sold the chain to investors in 2011 (however, they still give out exclusive Sonic-themed prizes in the redemption area). Most GameWorks' sold food and drinks as well, and some of the larger ones had an interactive drop-tower ride. This is the only Sega park I've been to so far, and I still have happy dreams about it sometimes. A spinoff of GameWorks was Sega's World Sports Grille, which seems to be exactly the same as GameWorks but with a greater emphasis on the sports bar aspect of it. There are currently 3 in operation in the U.S., all of which were sold to investors by Sega along with Gameworks.

 

Finally, one of the world's most obscure, forgotten Sega parks: Sega City Playdium, which operated in Toronto, Canada. Like Gameworks, it is still operational today, although Sega no longer owns it and it is simply called the Playdium now. It is huge, with 40,000 square feet of futuristic theming and virtual reality rides, as well as over 200 games.

 

Further, SEGA made a few American destinations even before their popularity boom in the 1990s:

 

https://segaretro.org/P.J._Pizzazz

 

The First is P.J. Pizzazz, an attempt to match Pizza Time Theater and Showbiz Pizza. It had its own eponymous robotic mascot character, P.J. It regularly featured performances by Dixieland bands, cartoonists, and magicians, a stark contrast to their edgy 90s image. After 1982, the choice as made to not expand further, and P.J. now rots with Smart Alex, Professor Asobin, and SEGA-Chan, left forever in obscurity without any acknowledgement they once existed. 

 

Time-Out (or “SEGA’s Time-Out Family Amusement Centers”) was another chain established by SEGA during the Arcade interregnum of the later half of the eighties. However, SEGA’s newfound popularity and image in the 1990s made them quick to sell the chain, which they did in 1992. The one in Fox Hills Mall is notable for use in horror movies and an early interview with the late Carrie Fisher.

 

Spain, Taiwan, and France have also received SEGA establishments over the years, with names such as Sega Park.

 

https://segaretro.org/Category:Venues

 

Surprised Sega hasn’t tried again recently...