Arcade machines up for auction after business folds

Auctioneer Paul Cooper tries his hand at one of the arcade machines which will go under the hammer

Gaming equipment including arcade machines is to go under the hammer after the collapse of Liverpool's first dedicated gaming venue.

An online auction for the equipment from leveltap, which also includes PCs and monitors, ends on Wednesday.

When launched in April 2023, it was hoped leveltap, in Hanover Street, would be the start of the city becoming a major hub for eSports.

Paul Cooper, from auctioneers Eddisons, said the items were "attracting an off-the-chart level of interest from all over the country", with the early bidding being "extraordinary".

He said the 67 lots included 13 AlphaSync gaming PCs and four Roll Model Pandora Box arcade machines loaded with a selection of games.

Despite being more than 30 years old, Mortal Kombat remains a firm favourite with gamers

One machine, named 80s Classics, allows gamers a chance to play the likes of Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Q-Bert, while a Mortal Kombat-branded machine, named after the much-loved martial arts brawler, also offers other fighting games like Tekken and Street Fighter.

The two other machines contain general selections from across the heyday of arcade gaming, including the space age side-scroller R-Type, mid-90s beat 'em up Marvel Super Heroes and run and gun shooters Shock Troopers and Metal Slug.

Mr Cooper said advance bidding on the gaming PCs "reached close to £10,000 a week before the auction ends".

Insolvency firm Begbies Traynor has overseen the winding-up of the business and has instructed the auctioneers to sell leveltap’s gaming PCs and electronic gaming equipment.

The equipment being auctioned off has been stored at Eddisons Auction Centre in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.

The online auction ends at 13:00 BST on Wednesday.