It’s only been up-and-running since May, but such has been the success of “retro gaming lounge” Continue Arcades in Plymouth, it’s already expanding its revitalisation of the city centre into a unit next door

Another city and another new leisure success: as news comes that Continue Arcades in Plymouth is adding an additional 1,000 feet of floorspace just six months after opening. 

Billing itself as a “retro gaming lounge,” Continue opened in May in what was once a Dreams bedding shop, and offers customers the chance to play on classic80’s and 90’s arcade titles alongside brand new video and pinball machines. 

Such has been the popularity of the Continue experience that founder and owner Austin Wood has now decided to double the play floor by expanding into the unit next door, which has stood vacant since H Samuel closed shop in 2020.

As reported by local paper the Plymouth Herald, the additional floorspace is to be dedicated to a suite of private party rooms, allowing for players to book special reserved areas for birthday parties and other special occasions. 

As bricks-and-mortar retail continues its decline at the hands of online delivery services,Continue’s success is seemingly yet another example of how the leisure sector can step in and successfully regenerate high street locations.

“We’re incredibly proud to have contributed to the revitalisation of this area,”Wood himself attested. “By transforming these vacant units into a thriving arcade,we’re not only creating a great place for people to gather and have fun, but we’re also helping to breathe new life into Plymouth’s city centre.”