Pete Hirschberg is selling Luna City Arcade

[XYXZYZ]

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=124570

http://lunacityarcade.com/photos.htm

Peter Hirschberg is the arcade collector who built the legendary Luna City Arcade. I'm sure you've all heard of it by now.

He's not really clear on just why he's selling it, I assume the current recession has something to do with it. Says he wants to keep it as it is with a new owner, as he can't bear to watch it get dismantled.

Kinda sad, isn't it? :(

[jcalder8]

Man that's really sad, but after investing that much time and money it's not really surprising. Just the electricity bill alone would be enough to bankrupt me.

[Rifter01]

Dang, I couldn't imagine being in that position.. Hopefully someone will come along and either donate money to keep it in operation, or, buy it out and take great care of what he has established there.

This is as bad of news (if not worse) as hearing of a local Arcade closing up.

[NYLatenite]

Man, I always hoped to make a trip out to Luna City sometime when he had one of those charity events - never got to make the trip.

Looks like Luna City is going to be gone for good thought, as I think he gave up on the idea of someone taking it over completely and has started selling it off piecemeal, because if you check the spreadsheet link, a very large number of the games have already been sold off.

He doesn't specifically mention why he's selling, but it certainly doesn't sound good. I hope all is well with him and his family. It's funny, but I take comfort in the fact that he's at least getting to keep some of his favorite machines.

I wish Mr. Hirschberg all the best. He gave us all, if even for a little while, something a little magical.

[DreamTR]

He put that up about a month ago, but what he is asking is not logical. He is trying to sell the house WITH the arcade and there is ZERO market for that. The person that owns those machines is going to sell/do something with them. They just happen to be in addition to his house and if someone wants the machines 99.99999% this thing needs to be pieced out.

It is alongside the same logic I have with my collection, I would hate to see it go and rather see it go to one person/museum/etc, but it's not logistically possible or logical whatsoever, so it's the same idea.

The guy has an amazing setup, I'll say that, but he has to piece them out if he needs the cash...

[Bojay1997]

He put that up about a month ago, but what he is asking is not logical. He is trying to sell the house WITH the arcade and there is ZERO market for that. The person that owns those machines is going to sell/do something with them. They just happen to be in addition to his house and if someone wants the machines 99.99999% this thing needs to be pieced out.

It is alongside the same logic I have with my collection, I would hate to see it go and rather see it go to one person/museum/etc, but it's not logistically possible or logical whatsoever, so it's the same idea.

The guy has an amazing setup, I'll say that, but he has to piece them out if he needs the cash...

I don't know, I could see someone buying an entire collection at once, but I think the problem here is that he needs an arcade collector looking for a house in the exact city where he lives in Virginia who has the money to buy said house and collection. I think the number of people fitting that description is exactly zero.

[DreamTR]

And said arcade collector probably has his own arcade games that would have to go elsewhere on top of it...

The only reason I have as many arcade machines as I do is because of having an arcade myself and a storage thing that is included with the rent of the arcade less than 300 feet away...If I had an extra addition to my house it wouldn't fit everything in Luna City...

[XYXZYZ]

The only reason I have as many arcade machines as I do is because of having an arcade myself and a storage thing that is included with the rent of the arcade less than 300 feet away...

Just out of curiosity, how much of your game collection is presently earning money?

And I think one chance he has of selling Luna City would be if some celebrity rockstar type, or a Google executive or something makes an impulse buy after seeing how cool it is in the pictures. He would have to get the word out, in more places than KLOV.

[Bojay1997]

Just out of curiosity, how much of your game collection is presently earning money?

And I think one chance he has of selling Luna City would be if some celebrity rockstar type, or a Google executive or something makes an impulse buy after seeing how cool it is in the pictures. He would have to get the word out, in more places than KLOV.

But even a celebrity or a billionaire business person is not going to buy an extra house to go with the arcade building in the middle of Virginia. Honestly, there is no market for this. As DreamTR has aptly put it, most arcade collectors already have a collection and even if they were to add this collection to their own, they would have no interest in a residential home and all the taxes, headaches, etc...owning an extra home would bring. Also, if you're rich enough, you can build your own Luna City on your own existing property. There is no reason to buy this place and move to somewhere you don't want or need to live.

[DreamTR]

Just out of curiosity, how much of your game collection is presently earning money?

And I think one chance he has of selling Luna City would be if some celebrity rockstar type, or a Google executive or something makes an impulse buy after seeing how cool it is in the pictures. He would have to get the word out, in more places than KLOV.

I think I own about 175 or so arcade and pins and 165 of them are earning money (well, were until we closed a location (forced) with 60 machines so I guess 105 of them are earning money at the moment....

[nensondubois]

It's a real shame. I hope someone donates, or buys it under maintained operation.

[cyberfluxor]

He's not really clear on just why he's selling it, I assume the current recession has something to do with it. Says he wants to keep it as it is with a new owner, as he can't bear to watch it get dismantled.


From what I'm aware of he donates money raised when Luna City Arcade is open to cancer research. Apparently the selling of the arcade is a dramatic episode from a relationship. The whole drama has been unfolding at the KLOV boards for a month or so now (http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=126327). I met the guy back in Jan at MAGFest, seemed like a nerd with many things on his mind (like his new game).

[DreamTR]

I'm shocked he would want his personal business aired out like that, but divorce makes sense now why this is happening, but regardless, it's going to be impossible to sell all that at once.

[portnoyd]

Oh wow, holy shit. Psych ward, suicide watch and divorce. Ouch.

[MachineGex]

I'm shocked he would want his personal business aired out like that, but divorce makes sense now why this is happening, but regardless, it's going to be impossible to sell all that at once.

Going through a divorce makes people do crazy stuff. They tend to talk to EVERYONE about the divorce for as long as the stranger will listen. It is a crazy time and you really find out what kind of person someone really is.