A failed gaming arena becomes a 1,700-square-metre play venue
Chipper Social opened at Kampstraße 1 in Dortmund on 3 September. GA Bars runs the venue with The Social Gaming Group. GA Bars is a Norwegian hospitality and leisure operator, and the two German sites are its first expansion into Germany.
The address held the BaseStack gaming arena until that operator closed the site at the end of February 2025 after insolvency proceedings.
What the venue holds
The Dortmund site runs to nearly 1,700 square metres. It holds 13 Flyby Darts units, six SHUFL Tech units, an 18-hole mini-golf course, a karaoke room, billiards, three bars and lounge areas. Entry runs from age 18.
Both German sites are built for social groups, corporate bookings, tourists, after-work occasions and celebrations. The venue has no kitchen of its own, and groups book catering through the neighbouring Base Hotel and its restaurant.
Hamburg opened first
The first German Chipper Social opened in Hamburg on 15 August. Both German sites run with GA Bars.
The two operators on the market
Ben Minter is B2B Sales Director at The Social Gaming Group. He called the German launch an important step for both businesses.
“Games turn spaces into experiences and social engines that drive engagement and loyalty,” he said.
Minter named three features of the German market: large city-centre hospitality markets, corporate entertainment demand, and customers looking for interactive shared experiences. He said operators want concepts that increase dwell time and support group bookings.
Jørn Akerhaugen is Country Manager at GA Bars for Germany and Denmark. He said competitive socialising is moving into the established hospitality and leisure mix across mainland Europe.
“Launching Chipper Social in Dortmund and Hamburg marks the start of a new market expansion for us beyond the Nordics,” he said.
Akerhaugen said the strongest concepts treat games as a core part of the customer experience and the commercial model.
The companies behind the venues
The Social Gaming Group AS is registered at Rådhusgata 30B in Oslo. The company states 15 years of building games and social spaces. SHUFL and Flyby Darts are its product brands, and it supplies both systems to venue operators.
Oche is the group's darts-and-dining venue brand.