Games - Metreon

	Games - Metreon

Metreon, an entertainment shopping center, launched on June 16, 1999 as the first in a proposed succession of Sony urban centers aggregating dining, gaming, music, exhibitions, shopping, and movies. Located in downtown San Francisco, Metreon is a four story 350,000 square foot (33,000 m²) building. Sony intended the ambitious US$85 million project not only to be a theme park and gallery for Sony products but an anchor for strengthening a hip image to the Sony brand. Although enthusiastic -- Sony would open two additional centers in Tokyo and Berlin in 1999 -- profitability would be elusive for the maiden venture. Despite promising foot traffic of six million in the first year, one million ahead of pre-launch projections, by the summer of 2001, a major exhibit, "The Way Things Work", was closed and a major tenant, the Microsoft store exited in late 2001. The 15 screen Loews theater was a manifest success, operating as one of the most profitable theaters in the country and claiming a good portion of the Metreon foot traffic. The lease agreement, however, did not apportion ticket or concession sales to Metreon. By 2002, rumors persisted that Sony wished to pull out of management of the property. In February, 2006, Metreon was sold to The Westfield Group, the owner of the nearby San Francisco Centre shopping mall, and Forest City Enterprises, a real estate development company.

As a hub for Sony products, the Metreon often hosts special events for the public when new products are released. Consumers flocked to the Metreon for high-demand items such as the PlayStation 2 or PSP.

The Metreon is also home to Walk of Game, which is loosely based on the Walk of Fame - honorees include Shigeru Miyamoto, Nolan Bushnell, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog and Link from Legend of Zelda.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Metreon ]

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