The legendary arcade and family entertainment brand Chuck E. Cheese has just announced that it has launched a new set of arcades across the US geared specifically towards adults.
According to the press release (as spotted by CNN and USA Today), these locations, called "Chuck's Arcades", are aimed at "adults and lifelong fans who grew up surrounded by the electric glow of arcade screens", and are expected to feature a combination of retro games like Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong and Centipede, alongside more modern titles such as Halo: Fireteam Raven and Connect Four Hoops.
There are currently 10 of these in operation across the US — in St. Petersburg, Florida; Trumbull, Connecticut; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Victor, New York; Buford, Georgia; El Paso, Texas; Nashua and Salem, New Hampshire; and Kansas City — with another additional arcade set to open at Brea Mall, in California, this August.
Each of these locations will feature a different design, but will all be fitted with a non-moving animatronic character statue such as Chuck E. Cheese (or one of the other characters from Munch’s Make Believe Band) "as a nostalgic nod" to the company's past. Some locations will also feature retro merchandise (classic logo apparel, collectible toys, novelty candy, and prize redemption items), while the Kansas City location will also offer food.
Since it was originally founded back in 1978 by Nolan Bushnell and Gene Landrum, Chuck E. Cheese has traditionally been a brand that has focused on providing entertainment for kids and families, but with these new arcades, it appears its current parent company CEC Entertainment is hoping to tap into the growing interest in retro gaming to further raise profits.
As USA Today notes, this news comes five years after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020.
CEC Entertainment attributes the turnaround in the company's fortunes to its recent remodelling of 475 Chuck E. Cheese locations in the US, which reportedly helped the company return to pre-COVID revenue in 2023.