No archaic arcade
Newest tenant of Denver Pavilions offering “latest and greatest games”
It was still quiet Thursday inside the newest tenant of the Denver Pavilions, but come 6 p.m. Friday, it should be full of the whir of arcade games, music and victory celebrations.
FTW, a new arcade-gastropub concept from the company behind Lucky Strike, will unwrap its third U.S. location Friday, a 15,000-square-foot gaming destination connected to the bowling alley on the downtown shopping center’s third level.
Short for “For the Win,” you won’t find sticky floors, reels of paper tickets or antiquated arcade machines here.
FTW boasts 195 player stations with the “latest and greatest games, technologies and attractions” in a steampunk-inspired environment, said Jim Bennington, national manager of games and redemption. Balances and winnings are tracked via a cardswipe system, eliminating the need for cash.
“Think about arcades in the 1980s — they were dark, dingy, no returns, play at your own risk,” Bennington said. “This is the arcade re-imagined. This isn’t 8-bit anymore.”
Among the maze of games packed into the space are classics such as Skeeball, Popa-Shot and the “World’s Largest Pacman” — as well as first-to-market attractions including Sega Showdown, a four-player, motion-based demolition derby game displayed on 80-inch 4K Ultra HD monitors.
Another game, Lost Land Adventure, boasts a “personal interactive spherical display,” essentially your own little IMAX screen for game play. A two-player air hockey table — there’s also a four-player version called QuadAir — comes equipped with slo-mo replay cameras to catch your opponent’s reactions.
“You will always win something when you come in to play,” Bennington said. “We create a winning environment.”
Inside The Payoff, an 850-square-foot retail store that replaces the traditional prize counter, prizes include candy and novelties, as well as high-end electronics such as the Apple Watch and handmade steampunk top hats and jewelry.
The arcade shares a bar and kitchen with Lucky Strike, and servers will deliver the gastropub-style eats and drinks wherever guests are in the complex.
The bowling alley also underwent a comprehensive remodel as part of the FTW project, with new furniture, lighting, audiovisual equipment and decor.
For the Denver Pavilions, FTW marks a win of the first-to-market variety, joining Uniqlo, Henry’s Tavern and H&M’s Home collection in just the last year or so, Gart Properties president Mark Sidell said.
Tenants such as FTW are part of a growing trend in retail as consumers’ shopping habits change, he said — the trend toward experiences.
“These experiences can only be had in person,” Sidell said. “The anchor of the shopping center used to be just the biggest tenant. Today, the anchor is the one who draws the people.”