Sega Still hopeful for U.S. Arcade Games

Is it too little, too late or just in the nick of time? At first the idea of Sega releasing massively multiplayer online enabled arcade games seemed like a broken promise from 1999. But with traditional arcades all but dead and wireless technology the talk of the town, this may be just the right time to capture the attention of America.

And what better way to do it than with a big sport huntin’ game? Extreme Hunting 2: Tournament Edition has been wired up for tests in six of Sega’s GameWorks locations. Players swipe their cards at the cabinet and are able to register and login in minutes. While it’s a single player experience their scores are tracked and compared online. The first tournament winner was crowned just last month but Sega already has major plans for expansion.

Imagine this high tech wonder in a dark corner of a local pub or sports bar. Most Average Joes wouldn’t be caught dead playing a dinosaur battling card game, but give them a gun and some deer to shoot and suddenly it’s hot. And your local bar doesn’t need a whole room of arcade machines. One or two of these “always online” games is enough to draw just the right crowd and keep them coming back.

Are we coming full circle? Nearly thirty years ago arcade games were so popular that every business — from the laundromat to the convenience store — had the latest quarter-munchers wedged between washing machines and magazine racks. Could persistant online games with location-specific themes mark the flamey phoenix return of the arcade game?