For just over sixteen years, GameTime Tampa has been so much more than a venue to us — it’s been home.

On April 16, 2010, we took over this location from Gameworks. At the time, it was a closed venue that wasn’t performing well, and we believed in this community enough to take on the challenge of bringing it back to life. We reopened those doors and worked alongside an incredible team to rebuild something special — and over the years, with your support, that’s exactly what it became.

It is with heavy hearts that we share that GameTime Tampa has closed its doors, with August 9^th serving as our last day open to the public.

This was an incredibly difficult decision. Our lease at this location is no longer in effect, and given the current economic climate and how Ybor City has evolved, we don’t see a path forward for us to stay here. After sixteen remarkable years, we have to say goodbye to this building — though never to this community.

When we look back, it’s hard to put into words everything this venue has meant to us. We’ve watched kids celebrate birthday parties as toddlers and come back years later as teenagers. We’ve hosted countless corporate events, team-building days, and family gatherings. We’ve had team members with us since almost the very first day we reopened — some who walked in for their first job and have grown into true professionals, building careers and friendships that have lasted ever since.

We’ve shared in some of life’s biggest moments here. We’ve watched first dates turn into engagements, engagements into weddings, and weddings into families who now bring their own kids back to visit us. We’ve welcomed guests who moved away and made a point to stop in on their way back through Tampa, just to see the place again.

We got through the hardest days of the pandemic together — when we had to close, keep our distance, and figure out how to keep everyone safe — and we came back stronger because this community stood behind us. Along the way, we kept innovating, adding new games and new experiences, always trying to give you something worth coming back for.

None of this happens without you — our guests, and our team. To everyone who has worked here, played here, celebrated here, and grown up here: thank you. You made this venue what it was.

What This Means for Your Game Cards, Tickets, and Gift Cards

We want to be very clear: any value on your game card — e-tickets, gift card balances, or otherwise — has not expired and will not be wiped clean.

If you didn’t make it in before we closed, don’t worry — that value stays on your card and can be used at any of our other Florida GameTime locations. The closest options to the Tampa market are the Fort Myers location to the south, and Kissimmee, along I-4 to the East.

What’s Next

This isn’t goodbye to Tampa — it’s goodbye to this building. If the opportunity ever comes to return, we would jump at the chance. Until then, we’re grateful for sixteen incredible years, and we’ll keep working to serve this community, whether here or somewhere new.

Thank you for everything.

With gratitude,

Michael Abecassis