The Wii has been a huge success with its ever-growing library of crazy and casual games, but where there’s so much fun to be had someone or thing has to take the pinch. This time around its not Wii users injuring themselves but the fallout for Namco Bandai’s arcade empire.
With the Wii offering so many quick arcade style and family friendly games, arcades throughout Japan are noticing a significant reduction. Between 50 to 60 Namco arcades are planned for closure and what with oil prices punishing Japanese family finances further, less people are willing to make regular trips to the big malls.
“A lot of the types of games that people played at an arcade can now be done at home,” company spokesman Yuji Machida said.
With roughly one fifth of Namco arcades closing they are following suit of Sega Sammy Holdings who have already announced around 100 closures. Unsurprisingly share prices for Namco Bandai have plummeted following this decision, so while Sony and Microsoft may feel like competitors, arcade operators are being left victims by the might of the Nintendo Wii and its growing gamer base.
