After 11 years in operation, the family-owned Game Grid Arcade in West Valley City, Utah, is now Arcade Galactic after owner Adam Pratt was forced to change the name due to a copyright claim by a larger company.
“No one sets out to start a new business and come up with a great name only to have to change it down the road,” he said. “But sometimes Goliath crushes David.” However, Pratt rolled with the punches, opting for a new inspired name and some fresh classics (and new machines) on the game room floor.
“I’ve always been fascinated by astronomy and sci-fi,” he said. “So Arcade Galactic just seemed to be a good fit, and it combines well with the name of my news blog, Arcade Heroes.” (Pratt is also a RePlay contributor.)
Recently, the arcade added four classics to its lineup: Sega’s After Burner (1987), Namco’s Dragon Saber (1990), Sega’s Virtua Fighter 2 (1995) and Psikyo’s Strikers 1945 (1995). In February, Pratt says they’ll be joined by two more modern games from Sega, Luigi’s Mansion Arcade (2016) and Baby Swat (2017).
Some brand-new games are soon expected as well: Stern’s Stranger Things pinball, and indie games for the Exa-Arcadia platform: Kung Fu vs. Karate Champ – the first one-on-one fighting game to come to the U.S. market in years – and Aka & Blue Type-R, a vertical scrolling shoot ’em up aimed at skilled players.
Learn more at www.arcadegalactic.com or on their Facebook page.