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Idea for CityWalk: Level 257

Jul 24, 2008
11,850
26,353
Orlando, FL
Could be a cool addition to CityWalk.

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From The Examiner:

"Namco Entertainment Inc., based in Wood Dale, IL, and part of the company that created the world's most recognized game character—PAC-MANTM—has announced it will open an up-scale restaurant and entertainment venue called Level 257®, designed to create a seriously fun social experience.

The President and CEO of Namco Entertainment, Mr. Hitoshi Yoshida, offered, "We're very excited to bring our new vision of out-of-home entertainment to Schaumburg with over 40,000 square feet of dining and leisure."

Within the venue, the central restaurant will specialize in "fresh and innovative dishes prepared by chefs, all carefully curated for the local market and paired with great drinks."

It was also announced that the venue will feature stylish cocktail lounges, an exciting modern twist on the classic game parlor, 16 boutique bowling lanes—the only lanes in Schaumburg—and entertainment spaces that include an over 300 person multi-purpose banquet and event suite, as well as state-of-the-art presentation rooms.

"One of the most intriguing aspects of the concept is the inspiration provided by Namco's lauded video game character. Yoshida shared, "PAC-MANTM has reminded all of us of the importance of play for over three decades, and Level 257® will explore PAC-MANTM as a global pop-culture icon in new and creative ways, reinforcing the importance of fun in all of our lives. Our guests can indulge in what they love now—fantastic food and drinks—while the venue allows everyone to engage in the art of play in a distinctive environment."


Namco's hugely popular creation, named history's "Most Recognizable Video Game Character" in 2010 and recently celebrated within numerous exhibitions at well-known museums and research institutions nationwide, will have his own art gallery space and a first-of-its-kind PAC-MANTM retail shop.

Further details on the project are expected in the near future but there is already a website available at www.level257.com allowing guests to sign up for news."


http://www.examiner.com/article/nam...and-entertainment-concept-slated-to-open-2015

http://www.level257.com
 
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Sooo..it's a restaurant designed by the Pac Man creators?

Yaasss

p.s. for a moment there I thought you wanted a Sears at Citywalk :p
 
This would be pretty awesome, would bring an arcade and bowling alley to City Walk to compete with DTD's Splitsville/Disney Quest. Only problem, I don't see the space this would require.
 
Namco had a restaurant and bar for years at Pointe Orlando. The place was called XS and I loved it. Sadly it closed in 2003, but I'd love to see something like it come back.
 
Namco had a restaurant and bar for years at Pointe Orlando. The place was called XS and I loved it. Sadly it closed in 2003, but I'd love to see something like it come back.

And it was originally called ... "PacMan Cafe." Everything is cyclical. I do remember it being fun.

Clever idea, but would take a lot of space I'm not sure CityWalk has, and already a cluttered market. The world's worst Dave & Buster's on I-Drive for the tourists, while Player 1 and Cloak & Blaster have a lock on the locals. The PacMan branding is pretty genius tho.
 
I'm sure it could be scaled down. No need to add the bowling alley because there is on at Cabana Bay and you don't need the banquet space because you have the hotel meeting space. Cutting out the banquet space reduces the size by about 3k sq ft and the bowling alley would be another few thousand sq ft cut as well. Plus, they could always build up. Bar on level 1, arcade on level 2 and restaurant on level 3.... 10k sq ft on each level.
 
Love the idea... but I still have a hope Universal will build some Nintendo attractions. The armchair designer in me says demolish HRRR, Blue Man Group, and the soundstages, build a Nintendo-themed restaurant like this between the Hard Rock Cafe and the USF entrance, and then a Nintendoland behind it in the park, have a park entrance within the restaurant.
 
There's a video game bar close to Universal called Player 1 that is tons of fun, I would love to see something like that at CityWalk.
 
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