BattleTech Centers
Encyclopedia
BattleTech
BattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
universe. The games are played in fully enclosed cockpits with multiple screens, joysticks, and rudder pedals. The centers were initially created and operated by Virtual World Entertainment, LLC. Today, the gaming cockpits can now be found in various sites around the United States.
The first BattleTech Center opened in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1990, with others in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
following in August 1992 and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1993. Eventually 26 such facilities were built and included other game types and more elaborate operations. These new locations were called 'Virtual World'. Each Virtual World site featured at least 16 networked "pods" designed in part by Frog Design. By 1993, patrons could compete against players in other centers across the country. "Red Planet" was the first non-BattleTech game added, and involved racing through the mining tunnels of Mars using vectored thrust mining hover-crafts. However, rapid advances in arcade games and online games meant that the Japanese Centers began closing in 1995, and by 2000 no BattleTech Centers remained operational in Japan.
In 1996, Virtual World Entertainment and FASA Interactive Technologies merged and became wholly owned subsidiaries of Virtual World Entertainment Group (VWEG). In 1999, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Corporation purchased VWEG, sold VWE to a group headed by VWEG's former CFO, James Garbarini, and integrated FASA Interactive
FASA Interactive
FASA Studio was a video game developer that was founded in 1995 by the tabletop game company FASA Corporation, Spectrum HoloByte and Denny Thorley....
into the Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Game Studios
Microsoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
division. In 2005, all interest in VWE was sold to Nickolas 'PropWash' Smith and the principal offices were moved from Chicago to Kalamazoo, MI.
In November 2005, an independent operator of the Virtual World Tesla II cockpits, MechCorps Entertainment, LLC, in Houston, Texas, USA opened is doors to the public with eight Tesla II pods. They acquired another four pods in 2007, and hosted the 2007 National BattleTech Invitational in September 2007 with all twelve pods operational.
Virtual World Entertainment, MechCorps, and VGCorps decided to refit existing Tesla II pods and take the BattleTech Center experience on the road starting at GenCon in 2007. Gaming, Sci-Fi and Anime conventions (OwlCon, ChimaeraCon, Dragon Con
Dragon Con
Dragon*Con is a North America multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place once each year in Atlanta, Georgia...
and MechaCon
MechaCon
MechaCon is an annual three day anime convention in Lafayette, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana and held on a weekend sometime during July or August...
) in the south-central US were introduced to MechCorps' Mobile Armor Division while Virtual World Entertainment in association with MechJock LLC made appearances in the Mid-West at events including Gencon, Origins, Chicago Comi-Con, ACEN, CodCon and Youmacon
Youmacon
Youmacon is an anime convention held annually in the Metro Detroit area during the first weekend of November. Youmacon's inaugural year brought a variety of guests together from various facets of anime and Japanese culture inspired fandom...
.
In 2006, hardcore players in Japan purchased 4 Tesla pods from the US, and began to put together an 'unofficial' Virtual World Center in Tokyo. Despite many key components becoming 'Lostech' and their spare parts no longer available in market, the 4 pods are now semi-operational, though no commercial operation has resumed yet.
List of BattleTech centers
| Center Name | Location | Number and Type of Pods | Game(s) Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Fallout Shelter | Twin Cities, Minnesota | 12 Tesla II pods | BattleTech: Firestorm and Red Planet |
| The Airlock | Kirkland, Washington | 8 Tesla II pods | BattleTech: Firestorm and Red Planet |
| Hinkle Family Fun Center | Albuquergue, New Mexico | 6 Tesla II pods | BattleTech: Firestorm |
| MechCorps Entertainment LLC | Houston, Texas | 16 Tesla II pods | BattleTech: Firestorm |
| Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center | Colorado Springs, Colorado | 12 Tesla II pods | BattleTech: Firestorm |
| Skynet Gaming | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 6 Tesla II pods | BattleTech:Firestorm |
| VG Corps | Dallas, Texas | 8 Tesla II pods | BattleTech:Firestorm and Red Planet |
| VGL Underground | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 11 Tesla II pods | BattleTech:Firestorm and Red Planet |
There are 42 other cockpits in private hands not included in this list that are currently known and tracked.