Chuck E. Cheese has launched a new arcade, and it’s for adults
Chuck E. Cheese wants to make sure the grown-ups have fun, too.
The iconic kids arcade chain announced it’s looking to cater to teens and adults by opening Chuck’s Arcade locations across eight states, according to a news release.
Chuck’s Arcade will feature retro favorites like Ms. Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat and Centipede alongside newer games like Jurassic Park and Halo, the company said.
There are already Chuck’s Arcade locations in malls around the country, including 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 St. Louis.
The location in Kansas City, Missouri, features a full menu and original artwork on the walls. The company said “no two locations are exactly alike.”
“Chuck’s Arcade is a natural evolution — an opportunity to extend our arcade legacy into new formats that engage both lifelong fans and a new generation through a curated mix of retro classics and cutting-edge experiences,” Chuck E. Cheese CEO David McKillips said in the news release.
Each venue will be “overseen” by one of the company’s classic animatronic characters, from Chuck E. Cheese to other ones from Munch’s Make Believe Band. A video on the company’s website shows a statue of a character encased in glass in the middle of the arcade.
Some locations will also sell clothing, toys and novelty candy, according to the company.
The new locations come amid an ongoing rebrand for the company, which declared bankruptcy in 2020. A corporate restructuring and a $350 million investment then led to electronic ticketing, more adult menu items and new play areas at its hundreds of locations.
In March, it announced it was removing the iconic animatronic band from its locations.
“Of course, if you think about entertainment 47 years ago, it was incredible to have the animatronic band and new music,” McKillips told NBC News at the time. “But in reality, the animatronics were getting tired.”
“Kids are consuming entertainment on a digital platform,” he added.
The launch of Chuck’s Arcade is also a clear push to attract the same adult audience as rival Dave & Buster’s, which began allowing customers 18 and older to bet on arcade games last year.