Downtown Crossing Scores an Arcade Bar This Fall

Why just eat dinner when you can play games, too? From childhood favorites like Chuck E. Cheese’s and Dave & Buster’s to flashy bowling venues like Kings, Flatbread Company, and Lucky Strike Social, not to mention the upcoming onslaught of ax-throwing bars, there’s no shortage of venues trying to feed as well as entertain.

When it comes to bar-arcade hybrids in particular, the local scene includes A4cade in Cambridge and Bit Bar in Salem. This fall, a new one joins the mix: Versus (stylized as VERSUS), from the Big Night Entertainment Group (BNEG), will open at 42 Province St. in Boston’s Downtown Crossing, the group announced today. BNEG also includes Red Lantern, Empire, Explorateur, and other venues in Boston and beyond. Versus will take over the space previously occupied by BNEG’s Gem Restaurant and Lounge.

The group is promising to pack the space with “retro-modern” arcade games, pop art murals by local artist Dirty Dek, televisions, 1980s pop culture-inspired design elements, and a fancy sound system.

Open for lunch and dinner, Versus will serve pub fare, cocktails, beer, and wine.

Stay tuned for updates as the opening gets closer (website, Twitter, Instagram), and swing by the job fair tomorrow, September 13, at Empire between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. to apply to work at Versus.