If you were a London child, this escalator probably means a lot to you. Once upon a time, in a perfect world where happiness is allowed to exist, the Rocket Escalator was your one way ticket to SegaWorld. Home to rides, games and all sorts of Sega-related attractions, this is where dreams came true. And then it was bought, shut down, and left a desolate hidden floor blocked by a soda vending machine. And then all the arcades in the rest of Trocadero, a huge entertainment complex full of arcades and attractions in Piccadilly, London, went all together.
And as the bringer of bad news, I’m here to tell you not to get your hopes up of it ever coming back. When Twitter user iMcfly tweeted Sega Amusements, claiming that “London needs Sega World” and asking if there was any chance of it returning, they crushed the children in all of us in replying “No plans, sorry.” While they did go on to recommend their Bowlplex Sega Zones, it’s still sad knowing a company putting so much behind their arcade business probably isn’t coming home.
[Source: Twitter]
One of my fondest childhood memories was going to Sega World. Only went once, but it was like the Disney Land of games. Never seen a proper arcade before or since.
There’s one in Soho I can think of that’s a lot smaller and has mainly dance games and things, I think, but otherwise they’re super hard to come by.
The saddest thing for me was when they first put the vending machine in front of the stairs, and every year I’d go back hoping it would be gone, until one day the escalator was gone all together. Sad.