Epic Arcade Project - a new videogame arcade coming to Edinburgh, UK, needs help

[AdamDawes]

Hi all,

I don't think this has already been posted (I couldn't find any sign of it). I recently discovered the "Epic Arcade Project", a group of people attempting to set up a new video game arcade in Edinburgh, Scotland. They are planning to have over 200 video games from the classics to modern games, pinball machines, and a whole lot more.

I'm not associated with this in any way, but am very excited about it. I'd love to be able to take my son to a *real* arcade and show him how things were when I was a kid -- I think he'd be in heaven!

The project is running an IndieGogo campaign to raise additional funds for the project, and they're currently even offering a "money back guarantee" in case the project doesn't go ahead. I thought I'd post about the project here in case others found the potential of this project as exciting as I do, and to help them raise the profile a little. :-) The $25 perk includes a day of freeplay access to the entire arcade, which sounds to me like a good day.

The project web site itself is here: http://epicarcadeproject.com

The Indiegogo funding page is here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/218246

I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed that this one makes it to reality!

[CheffoJeffo]

Ouch ... $30 raised of $465,000 goal.

I really wish them the best of luck, but I don't get the feeling that they have the first clue about a viable business model.

To put it in perspective, the biggest arcade in Canada, which is run by the biggest coinop distributor in Canada and has GoKarts, batting cages, water games, mini golf and more, has about 200 games (and no classics). The facility, and its sister located in the heart of downtown Toronto were launched by Sony and took a financial beating until they were taken over by Starburst Coin (now Playdium and Playdium store). The downtown location could never support the real estate cost and was closed.

The population of the Greater Toronto Area is more than 10 times that of Edinburgh.

Hi all, disappointed with the lack of uptake on the funding front considering all the attention we are now getting :-( we will be launching a second campaign if this one doesn’t reach target, plus we have our own personal money invested as well as some private investment. So it’s not a case of IF the Epic Arcade Project happens, just a case of WHEN.

Good luck, but I think the world is telling them something and they aren't listening.

[TPA5]

Sadly, like many things, classic arcades are becoming a thing of the past. It's a true shame, but the modern world has little room for nostalgia anymore. I'm 21, and I did not even grow up with arcades, where I live there was never any arcades. But I remember my dad telling me about the glory days of arcades, and I remember a picture his brother took of him in all his shaggy-haired mullet glory, cigarette dangling precariously out of his mouth as he hammered on a Galaga cab back in "the day". The concentration on his face and the glint in his eye spoke to me. He was really having fun. But like his mullet and smoking habit, arcades are too fading into the past, if they have not yet faded nearly completely. I'm building a cabinet because I believe that even though we may not be able to keep the arcade alive en masse, we can keep the spirit of the arcade alive in our basements and garages, attics and living rooms. And that is what truly counts, as arcades fade and make way for the next "big thing", we can take pride in our efforts to keep even a small piece of it alive. I believe in living in the preset, not weeping for the past. And one important part of living in the present is working to ensure that the past is remembered in fondness and warmth, not sorrow and gloom. So to all of you who spend countless hours planning, building, restoring, painting, tinkering, fixing, and making better; thank you. You're work to keep even a small part of the arcade wonder alive is appreciate by this young man.

[CheffoJeffo]

Still stuck at $30 ... 

[Gray_Area]

Yeah, maybe they should start with a small shop and ten games, with a plan of reaching monster proportions in 3-5 years.

[epicarcadeproject]

Hi, Barry here from Epic Arcade Project. Thought I'd draft as kind a response as possible to the comments from Cheffo Jeffo.

Firstly, with 2 successful businesses sold and my current one thriving, as well as my MBA from a well-known UK business school, I beleive I know all about viable business models.

Secondly, and if you had bothered to read everything there is about us, then you would understand that we're not doing this as a profitable business but as a project to preserve classic videogames whilst allowing the masses to play them. The donation aspect of this project will assist with ongoing overheads, whilst the very generous help from members of the public will help with maintenance, running the arcade, transportation, etc. It's called community spirit.

Thirdly, Indiegogo is only a small part of our fundraising efforts. We have over £50,000 GBP raised already, and most of that was before we even launched our website or our Indiegogo campaign. We also have an online marketing guru who recently contacted us that is a huge retro gaming fan and has agreed to help promote us at zero cost. Again, community spirit :-)

Lastly, and very importantly, this is a COMMUNITY arcade. It's not just aimed at the local residents of Edinburgh! Again, had you read our pitch in detail before throwing in your tuppence worth you would have understood that Edinburgh is perfectly situated for the global market. Edinburgh City Council and their tourist board have already embraced our project and they're happy to help promote where possible. We aim to attract people from around the world, and with well over 13 million tourists every year, plus a further 26 million visiting the rest of Scotland (all areas within 3 hours commute of Edinburgh), we feel that we're well placed for the retro gaming community at large to enjoy us. By citing info on Toronto's biggest arcade and the population of the Greater Toronto Area shows me that, sadly, you've clearly missed the point of what we're trying to achieve. You state that their Arcade has no classic games in it. We have a completely different business model to that. We ALREADY have a captive market, and you're clearly part of that market by contributing on this forum :-)

I'll happily give you a free pass and tour of our Arcade once it's up and running, happy trolling!

[CheffoJeffo]

Hi Barry -- thanks for posting.

First, please understand that I was not trolling. You are far from the first, nor will you be the last, to want to achieve such an undertaking.

Second, I sincerely wish you the very best of luck. I did the same for all of the others. I love classic coinop and visit those spots that exist as often as I can.

Third, I did read your website and the indiegogo pitch, your forums and subscribe to your Twitter feed. I am at least as informed as the general population that you are pitching to.

It is my considered (yes, considered) opinion that, if this venture depends on the 500K you are going after on Indiegogo, then you are going to fail. If, OTOH, the 500K is merely to top things up and you can proceed without it, then perhaps you should have picked a different number or been clearer as to exactly what the money will be used for.

$40

Raised of $465,000 Goal

14 days left

Again, good luck ...

 

EDIT:  I just retweeted latest calling me a skeptic ...

[ChadTower]

Gotta say that's a pretty lousy way to respond to someone who made one critical comment in a civil manner.  That sort of response probably ruined any chance the place had of receiving donations from a lot of people here.

Cheffo, if it does help, a friend of mine owns this place.  She opened it a little over two years ago and it's still there, clean, with just as many nice games as when she opened.  It's possible today to make this work but damn if she's not there 80 hours a week or more.  Of course, she is also retail sales and provides arcade repair service (with a long reaching reputation for quality) as well.

[drventure]

Cheffo, if it does help, a friend of mine owns this place.

That looks like a really nice place. If I ever get to NH, I definitely mean to check it out!

[CheffoJeffo]

Gotta say that's a pretty lousy way to respond to someone who made one critical comment in a civil manner.  That sort of response probably ruined any chance the place had of receiving donations from a lot of people here.

Cheffo, if it does help, a friend of mine owns this place.  She opened it a little over two years ago and it's still there, clean, with just as many nice games as when she opened.  It's possible today to make this work but damn if she's not there 80 hours a week or more.  Of course, she is also retail sales and provides arcade repair service (with a long reaching reputation for quality) as well.

Looks awesome. Next time I vacation in NH I'll have to set aside two days for classic gaming.

In my response I didn't mention the various spots around town that boast classic arcades, but I do frequent them and, yep, the owners spend tons of time there (the Pinball Cafe is now open from 6am until midnight, I think).

[ChadTower]

Pinball Wizard is awesome.  I drive 70 minutes each way monday nights to run a local league session there.  Anyone in the area should absolutely check the place out. 

Last week my 4 player group competed on Genie, Whitewater, Whirlwind, and Tron.  The week before that I had a former world champion in my group.  This sort of stuff was only possible in private homes as recently as a couple of years ago.  I don't know what is fueling this large scale arcade comeback but whatever it is thank god for it.

[CheffoJeffo]

In case Barry doesn't come back, they are looking at running a competition -- SF2 -- to raise funds.

To help raise funds for Epic Arcade Project we are planning to host 2 seperate SF2 arcade version competitions (on REAL cabinets). £100 entry fee, max 128 competitors per session, 50% of the takings to the winner. 1 held around the Manchester area, another North of the border. We'll be hiring out a grungy unit/loftspace/whatever for the event, plus some cabinets to keep the crowds entertained as well as the main cabinet(s) for the event. This will likely be aimed mainly at competitive SF2 players at the top of their game, though anyone is welcome to participate. Interested ?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Epic-Arcade-Project/352584454825890

[bluemini17]

Any updates on this? 

[CheffoJeffo]

The indiegogo venture raised $80 from 3 different people (one guy donated 3 times).

Nothing substantial on Twitter (just stuff like "pick 5 cabinets", etc.).

I truly do wish them luck, but it really does look like they are just passionate folks who jumped in without experience or a detailed plan (admittedly, they may have planned a lot behind the scenes and not told us about it, but it definitely looks like they didn't plan how they were going to raise the money).

The lack of discussion on the big arcade-related sites (or, for that matter, amongst the more outspoken Euro collectors) is rather telling.

Barry joined here to respond to my post and never came back. Haven't seen him at all on any of the other sites.

 

[bluemini17]

That's sad to hear. Even if they set up an arcade in perhaps a large private garage to begin with and see how that went.

I will keep an eye on this, I am often in Scotland, mainly Aberdeen for meetings. It would be nice to drop in while passing.

[CheffoJeffo]

My Twitter feed lit up with things arcadey over the weekend ... most of it from the folks at EpicArcadeProject.

Well, it seems like round 2 of funding is coming ... this time on KickStarter.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1878936378/epic-arcade-project-a-videogame-arcade-of-epic-pro

http://epicarcadeproject.com/epic-arcade-project-enters-a-new-phase/

http://epicarcadeproject.com/risks-challenges-a-project-of-epic-proportions/

http://epicarcadeproject.com/epic-arcade-project-financial-distribution/

While it is nice to see that they took some of my advice about talking more about the project, I am bewildered by the following claim to have posted in every forum imaginable, especially since I gave them a list of must-hit sites and haven't seen anything in my recent travels (although a quick Google does reveal a few postings).

Build it and they will come. We’ve revamped the site. We’ve submitted our press release to the world at large. We’ve added our games list. We’ve posted on every forum imaginable. And now, we’ve finally launched our all-or-nothing Kickstarter funding campaign. In as little as 28 days this project could become a reality. Arcade opens in 32 weeks and counting.

I wish them luck.

[bluemini17]

Hey Cheffo,

My feed also went mad with updates,

I see they are making a list of games that will be on site and also older console systems on big screens. I wish them well and hope to spend many a coin in the not so distant arcade?!?!

David

[CheffoJeffo]

There is a thread over on JAMMA+ in which they have posted more than everywhere else I have seen (combined):

http://www.jammaplus.co.uk/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=43077&PN=1&title=epic-arcade-project

It gives some more details that folks might find interesting.

EDIT: I just perused their games list ... the fact that they have Chiller and both GnG's impresses me a bit:

http://epicarcadeproject.com/what-will-it-have/

[lordnacho]

Is it wrong of me to steal their kickstarter video and strip the audio out?  Need a new hyperspin intro 

[CheffoJeffo]

For those following, a sad end to the story:

It is with regret that we must announce our intention to bring Epic Arcade Project to an end.

We’ve met some fantastic people along the way and we’d like to thank you all for your time and input, particularly those who donated money to the project.  Unfortunately, although we received a lot of good feedback, we didn’t get sufficient interest or financial support to continue.  As you know, we did not reach our fundraising goals and have been investigating alternatives.  It has become apparent that we’ll be unable to achieve our aims.

We’ve therefore decided to say goodbye to EAP and pursue other ventures.  The forum will remain open for a short time for those of you who wish to exchange contact details.  For those who have donated money we will be in touch very soon to arrange a refund.

We were really passionate about this project and are disappointed to be unable to see it through.  Maybe one day we will be able to revisit Epic Arcade Project, but for now farewell…and happy gaming!

http://epicarcadeproject.com/thank-you-and-goodnight/

While I did expect this result, it is never enjoyable to see projects like this die, especially when those behind it are passionate and you (erm ... me) are the curmudgeonly voice of experience. I wish Barry and crew the best.

 

[CpCaveman]

a project coming to the uk, and the funding in dollars, was expecting the website to be in chinese, smelled a bit off, the idea sounded good if i hadnt built it already and wasnt already taking up 2 square foot of my living room , gave my donations to cancer research dont have to read all the literature to know where its going to.