Virtualand Singapore has announced they will be closing their Bugis Junction branch on Jan. 3, 2017.

For the uninitiated, Virtualand is an arcade gaming place.

And if your first thoughts were, "Must be the lack of business", it's very much the opposite as to why they are closing.

Despite the rise of mobile gaming, arcade games have seen a niche revival of sorts over the past few years.

The reason for the Bugis branch's closure is because the mall that they are located in, Bugis Junction, is undergoing redevelopment.

The other branches are unaffected and will continue operating.

In fact, many regular Virtualand patrons are quite upset about the closure of what they consider to be the flagship outlet, due to its central location and a large variety of arcade machines.

Some are also afraid it might be the beginning of the end:

Virtualand Bugis is a venue of many memories for avid arcade goers, who are fans of games such as Maimai, a rhythm arcade game where players interact with a circular touch screen:

And Dance Evolution, where players need to dance in time with the avatar on screen, and the classic Dance Dance Revolution, which took the 90s by storm.

The Bugis Junction branch is also well-known for hosting competitive tournaments, such as the Maximum Tune 5 racing tournament that was held in June this year:

And they even hosted a meet-and-greet session with fighting game Tekken's Director Katsuhiro Harada and Tekken Project Senior Game Designer Michael Murray in 2012.

A new home

It is still uncertain if Virtualand will return after the redevelopment.

Patrons, however, have been told -- although unconfirmed -- that a new home for their beloved Dance Dance Revolution gaming machine will be at the Virtualand outlet in Clementi:

Netizens also took the opportunity to cherish good memories that the Bugis outlet gave them:

So long, Virtualand Bugis.

Top image via

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates