A new gaming lounge, The Guild, quietly opened at 668 State St. in July, according to The Capital Times. Co-owners Sonia Tan and Jin-Kahn Lee, who also own the board game cafe Roll Play, said they opened the 5,000-square-foot space for casual gamers, competitive players, students and Madison newcomers.
The business features 40 gaming PCs, six console stations with platforms such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and a library of single and multiplayer titles. The lounge will offer both solo play and tournaments.
Lee and Tan designed The Guild to be accessible and community-driven. There is no fee to enter The Guild, but monthly memberships and hourly options for play are available.
The lounge also has a bar with a menu offering international snacks, cocktails and bubble tea, and the space includes a retail shelf for local vendors.
Plans for a merchandise store and a content creation lab are in the works. The latter would provide a space for prospective creators to film videos or record audio.
This month, The Guild will host a series of events coinciding with the return of UW-Madison students to campus. It is expected to have a “hard launch” on Aug. 16.
