Today was the last day of operation for Toys R Us, the kids' shopping center which made its official debut in 1957. The company was massively popular in the 1980s, but fierce competition from online retailers and a mountain of debt foisted upon it by a public equity firm ultimately spelled its doom.
Like others from my generation, I've got fond memories of Toys R Us... my most memorable game purchases came from the Lansing branch of the store. While I know there's still a Canadian branch of the retailer that somehow survived its bankruptcy, and other brick and mortar toy stores will surely fill the vacuum left in its absence, life just won't be the same without the Toys R Us from my youth. You'll be missed, Geoffrey the Giraffe. I'll pour a juice box out for you, homey.
In other "sunrise, sunset" news, Pinball Arcade will lose the rights to pinball games by Bally and Williams (a substantial chunk of its overall library) at the end of the month. If you've already purchased these tables, there's nothing to fear... they'll remain in your library regardless of where you're playing them. However, once July arrives, you won't get the chance to buy more. There's no word yet if Williams' current owner, Warner Games, will pick up the slack by distributing the tables in a collection of its own, but it seems like a safe bet.
Random observations on the classic gaming scene, courtesy of the former editor of The Gameroom Blitz.
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