By Devin Lewis
Arcade gaming may soon return to Cordova Mall as Fun Factory prepares to open a new location at the Pensacola shopping center. While the company has not yet announced an official opening date, the planned arcade would bring gaming back to the mall for the first time in nearly two decades. The addition would also revive a tradition that dates back to the mall’s opening more than 50 years ago.
According to Cordova Mall management, arcades were once a regular feature of the shopping center. “Aladdin’s Castle was here when the mall opened in 1971 to maybe the late 80s,” Courtney Radcliffe said in an email. “They changed the name to Blazing Flippers for a few years in between there.” Another arcade, Pocket Change, later operated in the mall until renovation in 2008. For nearly two decades after that renovation, Cordova Mall has not had a dedicated arcade space.
The potential arrival of Fun Factory reflects a broader revival of arcade-style entertainment venues in malls and tourist destinations across the country.
Arcades first gained popularity in the early 1970s after Atari released Pong in 1972, one of the first commercially successful video games. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, often referred to as the “golden age of arcades,” games such as Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Galaga drew crowds of players into Cordova’s Aladdin arcade. Shopping malls, such as Cordova, often served as prime locations for these gaming spaces, where teenagers gathered to compete for high scores and socialize.
The industry began to change in the mid 1980s as home gaming consoles became more common. Systems such as the Atari 2600 and later the Nintendo Entertainment System allowed players to experience video games without leaving their homes.
Arcades experienced a brief resurgence in the early 1990s with the rise of competitive fighting games such as Street Fighter II, my personal favorite at the time, and Mortal Kombat. These titles attracted crowds of players eager to challenge one another in head-to-head matches. However, advances in home gaming technology, including consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and later online multiplayer gaming, gradually reduced the need for dedicated arcade venues. As a result, many mall arcades across the country, including Cordova, closed during the late 1990’s and early 2000s.
In recent years, however, arcade style entertainment has begun to return in a different form. Modern arcades often focus on social gaming experiences that cannot easily be replicated at home. Many venues feature ticket redemption games, racing simulators, rhythm games, machines, and other interactive attractions designed for groups and families. Fun Factory locations typically operate as family-oriented arcades offering a variety of video games and prize redemption machines. Instead of coins, many modern arcades use reloadable cards that allow players to activate games and collect digital tickets redeemable for prizes.
While specific details about the Cordova Mall location have not yet been announced, the company’s other locations suggest visitors can expect a brightly lit arcade filled with modern gaming machines and family friendly entertainment. Radcliffe said mall officials will share more information about the opening once additional details become available. If the arcade opens as planned, the familiar sounds of game cabinets, flashing lights and ticket machines may soon return to Cordova Mall, continuing a gaming tradition that began when the mall first opened in Pensacola in 1971.