Step into the new Balboa Fun Zone Arcade on the Balboa Peninsula, and you may feel like you’re in a game of Minecraft or Space Invaders.
That’s because the tile floor’s pattern duplicates the designs of those video games. The vibe is meant to get people of all ages in the mood for fun.
The entire building, built in 1936, has been renovated. The dropped ceiling has been removed, exposing more of the the original structure of the building. The sign outside is also new, though the arcade’s new operators said they made sure it has a vintage feel.
“We could have rented a different space, but we thought the nostalgia of the Fun Zone is really, really cool,” said Albert Hall, a Newport Beach sports marketer. He has partnered with Derek Poirier, who is in gaming and operates other arcades in Southern California, to come up with a new concept for the decades-old icon of the Balboa Fun Zone.
Hall, who co-founded the NBA Summer League where the pro teams try out rookies and second-year players, met Poirier there, and the two decided their skills would be a complimentary match for a new venture at the old arcade.
The arcade has been part of the Fun Zone since the mid-1980s and was last operated by Shannan Park and her husband, Max Moore, after they took it over from a former operator in 2007.
In December, Park’s lease was not renewed by the Pyle Family of Newport Beach, which in 2021 purchased the block-long Fun Zone, including the 1,600-square-foot arcade. Henry Pyle said at the time of the old arcade’s exit that a new operator was in the wings.
On Wednesday, March 13, Hall and Poirier held a soft opening for family and friends to get feedback, which Hall said “was a big hit with rave reviews.” The arcade opens to the public at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15, and will be open until 11 p.m.
“We committed to honoring the past, representing the present, and embracing the future,” Hall said about the concept for the re-envisioned arcade, which he…
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