New Arcade In DFW? *Updated*

[J_Fresh]

So this is a great and interesting concept.

The only problem is that it doesn’t seem like you guys have laid out a thorough business plan for this to succeed. You say it will be enough to keep you alive but I even think that’s highly doubtful. Do you plan on just approaching a bank with an ‘idea’ and hoping they will take you for granted and give you a loan? I’m confused on what your full process is.

Also what determined your specific location? You say you did research but was that just asking a few people in the area (apologies for not going through every word in this thread if this was answered). The demographics in the area will be something to also consider as well as median income.

You mention only catering toward fighting games which is a bit baffling. That will surely not succeed. Places like Dave & Busters and GameWorks survive only because they can cater toward a casual market as well as opposed to just a hardcore fanbase which may only equate to a couple dozen people if you stuck with just one genre. In the end it will be a heavy investment.

And most importantly what are your marketing plans for this location? Are you going with a grass roots marketing effort? How many resources are you dedicating into marketing? This will be vital to know and to plan for this to be of any type of success. Guerilla Marketing efforts would probably be your most reasonable and cost effective way of obtaining a general customer base.

Anyways - Just wanted to question a few things and bring them to attention. DFW is so vast compared to many other metropolitan areas. The population is spread out amongst so many suburbs that its difficult to launch a central hub anywhere.

Anyways if you need Marketing advice… give me a holler I wouldn’t mind helping. I actually work in video game marketing.

Nice, we have a business plan but I will ask some question If I need to. Thanks for lending your help.

[ExHaseo]

Thank you everyone for your input.
It seems a lot of people got the wrong idea.
We’re still in the planning stages.
We posted this thread to see if people liked the idea of an arcade in general, not to get into specifics like what our business plan is.
We got a lot of useful information from everyone that will be a lot of help.
Once we have more information, we’ll be sure to let everyone know!

[nmbr1krush]

progress?

[mothugs]

I was wondering about your progress too, I still hope.

[Alucardd]

i feel that mocking bird station is actually a great idea.

[kanedo]

i feel that mocking bird station is actually a great idea.

Mockingbird Station would be cool except the rent there is probably too high for this business to sustain.

[totaltoanage]

dude your rent is gonna like 5 times more then the usual. and the business there is gonna be soo shitty it aint worth it. would be cool but you’re just wish thinking.

i suggest valley view mall, but its gonna be somewhere in the middle and you need alot of money to make it look nice ie. neon lighting haha

[nmbr1krush]

Thats if the mall stays open. I asked a manager at Foot Locker, they say they still dont know.

[FindMyFarms]

I doubt this is happening.

[argonik]

Thats if the mall stays open. I asked a manager at Foot Locker, they say they still dont know.

i stoped by the other day, and its a ghost town in there, most of the major players have all pulled out.

[amodf]

oh no valley view mall dallas’ arcade tradition crumbling

do they still have that cheesecake place with the yum fries those fries were yum

i think opening an arcade at all is even dicier now that sf4 is no longer THE HOTTEST NEW SHIT WOW GOTTA GO CHEK IT OUT and blazblue is out on consoles.

but whatever daemon bride yo

[System_1]

i’m with fmf I would love it to happen but i don’t see it happening with the decline of the american arcade.

[Focusflute]

FIGHT CLUB

Friday the 28th @ 7pm and almost every Friday after this one!

This is a great place to meet up and play if you live closer to the middle of DFW than the NE side of Dallas. Great location with plenty of parking!

We have a 65" 1080p tv downstairs. Upstairs is a very large “gamer room” with 4 large desks/4 tvs/8 stools side by side (very arcade like).

Set up will be: SF4 on big screen downstairs, upstairs will be SF4, BlazBlue, VF5, and KOF12 all going simultaneously side by side. Game on big screen may change if enough ppl want.

Would like to do a couple of ranbat series over here at some point if there is enough interest.

We have a 360 downstairs on the main screen and one upstairs. Will need at least 3 ppl to bring their 360. And don’t forget your sticks!!!

another thing about our place: You can drink (I know I will) but please no drugs. Leave shoes at the door like House of Goons. Eat before you come (this rule may change in the future) You make a mess you clean it up. That’s all really.

Also, if you wear a bandanna of any kind then it will be immediately removed, you will be forced to dress up like a Klingon, we will take you into the back yard and beat you with sticks, and then dance around on your mutilated body while singing “Shiny Happy People”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkkud_rem-shiny-happy-people_music

For real, don’t test us on this one.

Address:
4416 Northern Cross
Fort Worth, TX 76117

832-984-1768 ask for Kent

[System_1]

FIGHT CLUB

Friday the 28th @ 7pm and almost every Friday after this one!

This is a great place to meet up and play if you live closer to the middle of DFW than the NE side of Dallas. Great location with plenty of parking!

We have a 65" 1080p tv downstairs. Upstairs is a very large “gamer room” with 4 large desks/4 tvs/8 stools side by side (very arcade like).

Set up will be: SF4 on big screen downstairs, upstairs will be SF4, BlazBlue, VF5, and KOF12 all going simultaneously side by side. Game on big screen may change if enough ppl want.

Would like to do a couple of ranbat series over here at some point if there is enough interest.

We have a 360 downstairs on the main screen and one upstairs. Will need at least 3 ppl to bring their 360. And don’t forget your sticks!!!

another thing about our place: You can drink (I know I will) but please no drugs. Leave shoes at the door like House of Goons. Eat before you come (this rule may change in the future) You make a mess you clean it up. That’s all really.

Also, if you wear a bandanna of any kind then it will be immediately removed, you will be forced to dress up like a Klingon, we will take you into the back yard and beat you with sticks, and then dance around on your mutilated body while singing “Shiny Happy People”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkkud_rem-shiny-happy-people_music

For real, don’t test us on this one.

Address:
4416 Northern Cross
Fort Worth, TX 76117

832-984-1768 ask for Kent

Is this like somebody’s house or like a building you guys are renting or what? And how many people are showing up?

[ExHaseo]

We just wanted to come and let you guys that are still curious about our progress.

Unfortunately, we’ve had to take a break and focus on other things, like work. However, we’re getting closer.
We plan on opening this arcade by the end of next year, and we’re getting closer to getting enough money to open. We’ll be sure to let everyone know once we’ve made some more progress!

Please remember, we’re still kinda far off, so we still don’t know specifics on things like location.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please be sure to either post here, or PM me or J Fresh!

Thanks everyone!

Note: Please don’t use our thread just to advertise. We’d be happy to spread the word of any tournaments or get togethers, but please at least ask first.

[CatBread]

My advice is, I hope you have your house/car paid off, your retirement money, and a full college fund for your kids.

Opening a strip mall arcade + overpriced games you can get on a console = disaster

I will be out there though to support your arcade, one (or four) quarter(s) at a time. TuT

[amodf]

this was a bad idea 6 months ago.

now its an even worse one now that there aren’t any new arcade games.

i guess everyone can go to the butthole of the HEB area and play normal street fighter 4, normal blazblue and other old games. just sayin

[ExHaseo]

this was a bad idea 6 months ago.

now its an even worse one now that there aren’t any new arcade games.

i guess everyone can go to the butthole of the HEB area and play normal street fighter 4, normal blazblue and other old games. just sayin

True that right now there aren’t many games you can’t just get on console, there are still a couple though, like Melty Blood and Arcana Heart 2.
More importantly, an arcade is more about the atmosphere. It’s much more exciting and fun to play SF or BB at an arcade face to face with someone, than it is to just sit around and play online or against a computer on a mediocre arcade stick or controller.
Also, most games have arcade releases before console, so next year when BB2 comes out, we should have it way before it comes out on consoles.

Once we open, I suggest you come out and at least give it a try. A lot of people are usually skeptical until they’ve actually experienced it.

@Shin - Thanks for the support!

[FindMyFarms]

Once we open, I suggest you come out and at least give it a try. A lot of people are usually skeptical until they’ve actually experienced it.

You’ve opened other arcades before? Hopefully that’s what you’re implying, and not that Logan’s never been to an arcade. Please keep in mind that most of the people giving you advice in this thread have been around WAY longer than you and are OG’s in the Tx fighting game community. It’s kind of pointless explaining the appeal of an arcade to people that have been regulars at all the big ones.

Also, don’t take playing face to face(i.e. in person) as a selling point, as everyone in Dallas already does that.

Remember, SRK members aren’t the ones that are going to pay the bills!

And sweet jesus don’t waste your money on Melty Blood or Arcana Heart 2. Half the fighting game community hasn’t even heard of those games, could you imagine anyone in the metroplex that wouldn’t even CARE about them?

[PezRadar]

We just wanted to come and let you guys that are still curious about our progress.

Unfortunately, we’ve had to take a break and focus on other things, like work.

Yea… in other words… You aren’t put enough effort into it.

However, we’re getting closer.
We plan on opening this arcade by the end of next year, and we’re getting closer to getting enough money to open. We’ll be sure to let everyone know once we’ve made some more progress!

If you don’t have enough money maybe a wise investment would be to do something else… an arcade in Dallas is going to be a struggle for any profit like what has been mentioned numerous times already.

Note: Please don’t use our thread just to advertise. We’d be happy to spread the word of any tournaments or get togethers, but please at least ask first.

Im totally interested in posting about a tournament in this amazingly popular thread that just received 3 new posts since August 23rd!!!