The owner of the Halifax arcade, Blast From The Past, has announced on Facebook that the location will close at the end of this month, following a number of issues that has left him with no choice but to close up, including "rising costs", "a dramatic drop in footfall", and "difficult operating conditions".
Located in the Halifax's iconic Piece Hall, Blast From The Past was the brainchild of avid arcade fan Ryan Pearson, who set up the business in 2022, and was designed to be unlike other much larger arcades, situated in the UK, offering a more unique and personal experience.
Positioned on the Piece Hall's top floor, it set out to offer visitors the chance to play original retro consoles like the Sega Mega Drive and Atari 2600, as well as classic arcade machines such as Galaxian, Pac-Man, Defender, Space Invaders, and a range of rare and interesting pinball machines such as William's NASA-inspired Apollo, Bally's Captain Fantastic, and Gottlieb's Humpty Dumpty (the first commercial pinball machine to feature flippers). In addition to that, it also had an impressive recreation of an actual living room, featuring a CRT TV, an NES, and a bunch of decorations and artifacts to make you feel like you were really experiencing the games as they had been back in the day.
Speaking about the decision to close, Pearson seemed to indicate that the business had been negatively affected by the Piece Hall's gig season, which had forced the location to close early on multiple occasions to facilitate other events, and encouraged locals to support the other independent businesses inside The Piece Hall.
He also delivered the following message on Facebook, reflecting on the journey over the last three years the location has been open: "I've put my entire heart and soul into creating this tribute to the past, and I hope it's been just as special of a place to you all as it has been to me! I wanted to bring something different to Halifax, not only a true classic arcade with original machines, but a place that was incredibly welcoming and had all the bells and whistles to make you feel like a kid again. And to show the next generation of kids where video games all began and what other incredible things came out of the 70s & 80s!
He continued, "I've always given my all to the arcade to bring you the best experience possible, exactly how you remembered it being; no emulation, no flats screens, no replicas, no corners cut, just original 80s gaming fun. I'd say I successfully created a place not only unique to Halifax, but different to any arcade you've ever been to or ever will!"
Pearson thanked those who had visited the arcade over the last three years and apologised to regulars that he couldn't keep the location open for longer.
He revealed that the last day of operation will be August 25th, and stated that he will continue to offer private hire slots until August 24th as well as general entry.
In other words, if you'd like to visit Blast From The Past before it's gone, you sadly only have a few weeks left.