Nintendo heading to San Francisco's Union Square
SAN FRANCISCO - Pokémon lovers, rejoice! Nintendo is coming to San Francisco.
In an announcement Friday, the Japanese-based video game company announced it will open an official store in Union Square.
Nintendo San Francisco will open sometime in 2025, the company said, and be the second official location in the United States.
The other Nintendo store is in New York City.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed proudly announced the news.
"This is great news for Union Square and fans from everywhere!" she wrote on social media. "We're excited for San Francisco’s future and look forward to welcoming this iconic brand to our City."
"Nintendo's decision to launch its second U.S. Store in San Francisco's iconic Union Square is a powerful testament to the district's resurgence and strategic significance," added Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of The Union Square Alliance in a statement to KTVU on Friday.
Union Square and downtown San Francisco have been hit particularly hard with storefront vacancies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Games for the Nintendo Wii sit on display inside the Nintendo World store in New York, U.S. (Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
That includes the closure announcements of the flagship Macy's store, as well as Shreve & Co., Zara, Northface, H&M, Crate & Barrel, The Gap, Uniqlo and Barney's.
Video game enthusiasts in the Bay Area are also hoping the new store offers a boost to Union Square
"People could go out, have a day in San Francisco and instead of going to the same old places like the Wharf, you know the beaches, they could play video games somewhere, talk about video games, and just enjoy Nintendo in general," said Jose Pineda, who was browsing through some of the Nintendo nostalgia at video game store, The Experience Share in Alameda.
"I get to experience this without traveling too, so it’s a win, win for the community to have something to kind of put the Bay Area back on the map," said Nintendo fan Darrin Sledge.
Nintendo of America said it would be releasing more details, including where in Union Square the store would be located, as the opening approaches.