Sega’s new Ikebukuro arcade, named "Sega Ikebukuro", opened on October 22. This development was carried out directly after the permanent closure of the Sega Ikebukuro GiGO Arcade on September 20, after 28 years of operation.

The new building is the first of the three parts of Sega's "Ikebukuro Project", which is significantly smaller and narrower than the iconic arcade it replaced across the street. The arcade consists of five floors, four of which are dedicated to crane games. A little space on the top floor is reserved for gashapon machines (capsule toys) and a cafe area, although it is not a typical cafe: there are no chairs, and the drinks are self-service beverage bars.

The basement of the arcade is exclusively for console arcade games-or rather, there is only one console arcade game: Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Battle. 2 XBoost. The game was launched on Japanese arcade machines in March and is one of the few new arcade games in 2021. This area contains a total of 20 machines.

It's not surprising to see arcades almost completely full of crane games, especially now. Sega pioneered this style of game (called "UFO Catcher" in Japan) in the 1990s, and today it is one of the only arcade game types that are actively profitable in a declining industry.

According to an industry survey conducted by the Japan Amusement Industry Association, its members earned 298.8 billion yen (approximately US$2.6 billion) through crane games in 2019. This accounts for 55.3% of its total arcade revenue. Due to COVID-19, arcade games have been hit hard, and crane games have become the lifeblood of modern Japanese arcade games more than ever.

Sega has announced the second and third parts of its "Ikebukuro Project", so other new arcade machines may appear to replace Sega Ikebukuro GiGO, which has eight-story arcade games, crane games, karaoke, photo booths, etc.