On March 31, the Square Enix Cafe in Akihabara will close its doors for good.
Opened in 2016, the space themed after the storied game development studio is giving up the ghost after nine years. On paper, the Square Enix Cafe had everything going for it. Just steps from JR Akihabara Station in the heart of Tokyo’s lively otaku (geek or nerd) district, it regularly showcased various iconic Square Enix games (Final Fantasy VII, NieR and Dragon Quest, to name a few) through special menus and temporary displays, while also offering exclusive collectable goodies such as coasters for visitors.
And yet, the Square Enix Cafe lacked many hallmarks of what make the rash of similarly video game-themed cafes that have popped up across Japan so enduringly popular. Here, there are no barrel-shaped tables, swords on the walls or spectacular stained glass windows. The cold walls display changing decorations associated with the various games featured each month in the form of framed posters — but that’s about it.
At the Square Enix Cafe, there was little sense of magic.
Anyone coming for exclusive products also ran the risk of disappointment To get what you want, the Square Enix Cafe employed a gacha (capsule toy) mechanism akin to gambling.
On a recent visit to the cafe in early March, I saw the space festooned with NieR merchandise and coasters offered as take-home prizes. Instead of purchasing the individual item I wanted, however, I received a wrapped mystery coaster with my drink order. With nine drinks on offer, that’s an 11% chance of receiving the item you want. More drinks purchased means more chances, but you could always receive duplicates of the item you don’t want.
Another point that may have sealed Square Enix Cafe’s fate is the poor quality of its food offerings. The menus at themed cafes aren’t renowned for their quality, but they often make up for it with their originality: rice served in the shape of a mascot, colored drinks with cute straws and trinkets. The food is funny, beautiful and Instagrammable while remaining edible.
But the Square Enix Cafe struggled to please even the most devoted fans.
“I need more than just a logo on a plate,” said a Tokyo resident in his 30s during my recent visit. “Honestly, and I say this because I’m a regular at collaborative cafes, the Square Enix Cafe is disappointing. The only cool thing they had was their collaborations with rarer games.”
Simply changing decor and merchandizing are no longer enough to retain a demanding clientele. So where have the Square Enix Cafe’s customers gone?
One answer is just a few blocks away from the Square Enix Cafe: the Final Fantasy XIV-themed Eorzea Cafe. Here, instead of pegging the shop’s identity on Square Enix as a whole, this cafe hones in on the decor and atmosphere of one of the studio’s games, offering a more targeted experience for fans. And in Shinjuku, the Artnia shop offers a more typical gift shop and cafe experience for shoppers still interested in Square Enix's franchises but who can't be bothered with reserving spots ahead of time.
In Roppongi, the Dragon Quest-themed Ludia’s Bar does the same for the long-running RPG franchise, and as the Square Enix Cafe prepares to close, this spot is celebrating its 15th anniversary.
Plus, a rotating list of pop-up cafes based on popular games, anime series and stand-alone characters are continually setting up shop in different parts of the city, creating a sense of urgency that motivates fans to visit quickly before they’re gone.
The closure of the Square Enix Cafe is above all a reminder that, in an ultra-competitive market, even the most famous names are not immune to failure.
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