| |
| Exterior of the park in 2010 | |
| Location |  |
| Status | Defunct |
| Operated | 18 July 1998 to 2 September 2018 |
| Owner | Sega Corporation (1998-2012) Sega Entertainment Co, Ltd. (2012-2018) |
| Operating season | Year-Round |
Okayama Joypolis (Japanese: 岡山ジョイポリス) was a Joypolis branded game center and amusement park owned and operated by Sega Corporation, located in Okayama, Japan on the Joyful Town complex. It operated for twenty-years, from 1998 until 2018. The venue initially traded as a theme park for its first decade before its attractions were entirely removed by 2008.
History
Sega intended on opening a game center within the Joyful Town complex during it's construction, but it had been rumored that the management of the complex alongside the community had requested a Joypolis park to open in place of the intended game center.
Okayama Joypolis was therefore constructed and opened on 18 July 1998. Compared to other Joypolis venues, the Okayama branch did not debut any newly-produced attractions, with all of them having been operating at other Sega-owned venues before the park's opening. The park also saw little additions in attractions aside from Sega's own Wild River and a "3D Adventure the Ride" installment. Those, alongside opening day attractions Sega Touring Car Championship Special and Murder Lodge were the only remaining attractions at the venue by 2007.
On March 23, 2008, the remaining attractions were removed from the site. Sonic Bowl and Sega Karaoke soon followed suit in July. With this, Okayama Joypolis solely traded as a game center. A indoor play area titled "Pocket Park", opened at the venue on July 16, 2011.
Ownership of Okayama Joypolis transferred over to Sega Entertainment Co, Ltd. in October 2012. Due to this, it remained the only Joypolis venue under direct ownership of Sega after the company sold Sega Live Creation and the other Joypolis parks to China Animations in 2017.
On August 6, 2018, it was announced that Okayama Joypolis would close permanently on September 2 to make way for redevelopment of the area. A bowling alley situated within the same building - Ryobi Bowl, would also close on the same day.[1][2]
The venue was demolished in December 2018, and was soon paved over. As of 2024, it is home to the Forest City Grace Bus Terminal.
Former Attractions
| Name | Manufacturer | Type | Opened | Closed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Adventure The Ride | TBC | Motion Simulator | March 23, 2008 | Scrapped | |
| Aqua Nova | Sega AM5 Digital Universe |
Motion Simulator | July 18, 1998 | 2000's | Scrapped |
| Fortune Museum | Sega AM5 | Walk-Through | July 18, 1998 | 2000 | Scrapped |
| Horror Ride | Sega AM5 | Tracked Motion Simulator | July 18, 1998 | 2000's | Scrapped |
| Karu Karu Adventure | CQ Amenic Co., Ltd. | Walk-Through | 1999 | 2000's | Removed |
| Murder Lodge | Sega AM5 | Walk-Through | July 18, 1998 | March 23, 2008 | Scrapped |
| The Ring: 3D Sound | Sound Horror House | 1999 | 2000 | Removed | |
| The Ring 0: Love and Fear | Sound Horror House | 1999 | 2000's | Removed | |
| School Day of the Dead: 3D Sound | Kadokawa Shoten Co., Ltd. | Sound Horror House | 2000 | 2000's | Removed |
| Wild River | Sega AM5 | Motion Simulator | 1999 | March 23, 2008 | Scrapped |
References
- ↑ "セガ・岡山ジョイポリス、2018年9月2日閉館－「杜の街づくりプロジェクト」本格始動 | 都市商業研究所" (in 日本語). 2018-08-06. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ↑ "④"岡山JOYPOLIS"平成30年9月2日に閉店". 有限会社 ベスト．サービス (in 日本語). Retrieved 2024-04-18.