Iconic red building, once Sega's flagship arcade, in Tokyo's Akihabara shutters on Aug. 31 after 33 years

If you've been to Akihabara in Tokyo, you might have noticed a tall red building towering over the city's anime and video game district.

For 33 years, the red building, once the flagship of Sega's arcade business, provided hours of entertainment to patrons.

However, after Aug. 31, the district's streetscape might see a change as the arcade, now called Gigo Akihabara Building One, shuts down for good.

Crowd gathers on closing night

On July 15, the building's current owner, Genda Gigo Entertainment, announced that Gigo Akihabara Building One will close at the end of August due to the lease expiring, IGN reported.

Genda Gigo Entertainment, a major arcade operator in Japan, bought over the arcade from Sega in 2021, SoraNews24 wrote.

In the days leading up to Aug. 31, scaffolding was put up around the building.

A banner with the words, "Thank you for 33 years", was draped over the scaffolding.

In Japanese, the greeting was written in a pixelated font in a subtle nod to arcade culture.

今で沢山のありがとうございました

GIGO秋葉原1号館さん#GIGO秋葉原1号館 pic.twitter.com/CXA6nJ69XB

— 秋葉原工作室 (@akihabarakousak) August 31, 2025

At 10pm on Aug. 31, crowds gathered on the street outside the building as the arcade lowered its shutters for the final time, SoraNews24 reported.

The arcade manager took a few minutes to address the crowd and was met with enthusiastic cheers and applause.

GiGO秋葉原1号館閉店。SEGA時代から続く33年間に幕。店頭に溢れるほどのひとたち。自転車に乗った通りすがりの赤い彗星も閉店を見送っていた pic.twitter.com/XjOrThfB4j

— ﾂﾙﾐﾛﾎﾞ (@kaztsu) August 31, 2025

Sega, the Japanese video game maker that gave the world classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, posted a tribute to the building on X , sharing an image of when the red building bore Sega's iconic logo in 2020.

#GiGO秋1の思い出

1992.11に「ハイテクランド・セガ シントク」（のちのセガ秋葉原1号館）が開業。秋葉原に最初にオープンしたセガ店舗でした。

セガのアーケードゲーム機器の数々のロケテストやイベントなどが行われ思い出いっぱい。おつかれさまでした！ pic.twitter.com/kXHW9WG6PG

— セガ公式アカウント🦔 (@SEGA_OFFICIAL) August 31, 2025

Still in business

Gigo Akihabara Building One houses six floors of arcade machines.

The arcade was first opened in 1992 by Sega alongside four others, all designed with the familiar red exterior.

The arcades were numbered one to five.

They were taken over and renamed by Genda Gigo Entertainment following Sega's exit from the arcade business.

Gigo Akihabara Building Four closed in 2022, similarly due to lease expiry.

The remaining outlets, Gigo Akihabara Building Two, Three and Five, are still welcoming gamers.

A new tenant will be taking over Building One, SoraNew24 wrote.

Top image via Silconera, @GiGO_akiba_ac