First officially licensed video game bar opening in Tokyo

A retro video game bar and restaurant named Tokyo Video Gamer has opened within Tokyo’s Akihabara cultural and shopping hub. Customers are able to play games at arcade cabinets for free while they eat and drink, and everything, from the menu items right down to the drinks coasters, is video game-themed.

Video game bars are a fairly common sight, particularly in Japan, but this one has the unique selling point of being officially licensed. The bar’s owners have made a point of securing permission for the music and games they’re making use of, and claim to be the first to do so.

There are a few advantages to this. For one thing, it means there’s no concerns over copyright infringement, an issue which has led to the closure of several video game bars in the past. It also allows the bar to use officially licensed displays and decorations to spruce up the place.

Here’s the full list of companies Tokyo Video Gamer has reportedly received consent from: Sega, Arc System Works, Jaleco, SNK Technos Japan and Data East.

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Matt Bassil

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