Namco - International Arcade Operations

International Arcade Operations

In 1977, Namco launched its first international arcade subsidiary, Namco Enterprises Asia Ltd., in Hong Kong. Further expansion in Asia would follow in 1993 with Shanghai Namco Ltd., based in mainland China.

Namco purchased the arcade operations of Atari Games in 1990, renaming it Namco Operations Inc. With the purchase, Namco began its arcade management business in the United States. Namco Operations managed several large facilities in venues such as Pier 39 in San Francisco, California, and Church Street Station in Orlando, Florida.

In 1993, Namco purchased the Aladdin's Castle arcade chain from Bally and merged it with Namco Operations to form Namco Cybertainment Inc. The merger produced the largest arcade operator in the United States. Arcades were branded under the principal trade names of Aladdin's Castle and Cyberstation. Throughout the 1990s, NCI continued to merge or purchase several arcade companies. Chief among them was Edison Brothers Mall Entertainment (operating under the Time-Out and SpacePort names) in 1996. Also in the late 1990s, Namco acquired Diamond Jim's and in the early part of the new century purchased Pocket Change America Inc.

The Namco Bandai merger had little effect on the Namco Cybertainment subsidiary, which continues its original mission of operating arcades in the U.S, although most of its mall based arcades are now closed. It has been organized under the parent company's Amusement Facility SBU. On January 1st, 2012, Namco Cybertainment Inc. was renamed as Namco Entertainment Inc. Namco Entertainment Inc. now operates locations in nearly 1,000 locations throughout North America and the Caribbean including a growing number of mall locations along with partner locations including select locations for major chains such as AMC Theatres, Walmart, and Brunswick Zone.

Namco Entertainment's corporate offices reside in Wood Dale, Illinois. Its sister company, Namco America, which manufactures arcade cabinets for Bandai Namco Games arcade titles, relocated to Elk Grove, Illinois, in 2008.