Magic City @ Niigata Joypolis
1998 - 2001
Niigata Joypolis
1995 - 1998
Magic City @ Niigata Joypolis (Japanese: マジックシティ@新潟ジョイポリス) was an indoor entertainment center located in Niigata City, Niigata, Japan within the Bandai City complex, operated by Magic City Co. Ltd. and owned by Sega. Before 1998, the venue operated as a Joypolis branded amusement park until Sega sold the operations.
History
Nigatta Joypolis
Niigata Joypolis (Japanese: 新潟ジョイポリス) was first reported to be in the planning stages in May 1995, and would contain Japan's first IMAX Ridefilm simulator[1] following a deal between Sega and IMAX.[2]
The park opened earlier than planned on 9 December 1995.[3][4] It was the second park to open under the Joypolis brand after the Yokohama branch. However, aside from the IMAX Ridefilm simulator (which as stated itself, was not an original Sega product), the park did not contain any newly-produced Sega attractions as all of them had already been added to its sister branch as well as the Galbo parks.
Similarly to the Yokohama branch, Niigata Joypolis had a successful first year but soon suffered from low attendance within the next few years of operation.
Magic City
Following continued low attendance numbers, Sega sublicensed operations of the park in early 1998 to Magic City Co, Ltd., a Japanese-based subsidiary of the Canadian company International Leisure Systems (ILS). Magic City renovated the facility from an indoor theme park to an American-style Family Entertainment Center with most of Joypolis' facilities and décor being removed or replaced. New additions added included casual arcade facilities (including football tables), a bowling alley and additional restaurants. The remainder of Joypolis' attractions were now available through prepaid cards, titled "Magicards", making it the first Japanese theme park to utilize this method.[5] The newly christened Magic City @ Niigata Joypolis opened on 18 May 1998. Despite the change in operations, Sega continued to own the venue, operate the website, and handle maintenance.
Closure
Magic City @ Niigata Joypolis closed on 16 January 2001.[6] Reasons for its closure was following Magic City Co, Ltd. being in over ¥500 million in debt, management issues between the company and Sega, and Sega's restructurings which led to the closure of the other Joypolis venues aside from the Tokyo, Umeda and Okayama parks.
Following closure, the building was redeveloped for Bandai City as a cinema and an Anime convention center.
Former Attractions
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS-1 | Sega AM5 | Simulator | December 9, 1995 | January 16, 2001 | Unknown |
| Ghost Hunters II | Sega AM5 | Tracked Dark Ride | December 1996 or earlier | January 16, 2001 | Unknown |
| The House of Lord Grandish | Human Co, Ltd. | Walk-Through | Unknown | January 16, 2001 | Unknown |
| Mad Bazooka | Sega AM4 | Bumper Cars | December 9, 1995 | January 16, 1998 | Unknown |
| VR-1 | Sega AM3, Sega AM4, Sega AM5, Virtuality | Simulator | December 9, 1995 | 1998 | Unknown |
References
- ↑ https://retrocdn.net/images/9/91/SSM_JP_19951201_1995-12.pdf
- ↑ https://retrocdn.net/images/7/74/GameMachine_JP_495.pdf
- ↑ "Data". Niigata Joypolis. Archived from the original on 1997-02-15.
- ↑ "Arcade Game Machine" (PDF). p. 154.
- ↑ "ゲームマシン". www.ampress.co.jp. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20010602084138/http://www.sega.co.jp/sega/atp/niigata/
| Amusement Parks and Game Centers operated by Sega | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joypolis | |||||||||
| Galbo | |||||||||
| Overseas Parks | |||||||||
| Game Centers with Attractions | |||||||||
| Overseas Arcades with Attractions | |||||||||
