Hasbro's first arcade has G.I. Joe laser tag, Candy Land milkshake bar. Here's where in NJ

The company behind such well-known brands as Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony and Nerf is opening its first-ever gaming and entertainment center, which will be at the American Dream mall in the Meadowlands.

The Gameroom Powered by Hasbro will feature 41,500 feet of arcade games, full-service dining and other attractions. It’s scheduled to open in June.

The attractions range from a Candy Land milkshake bar to G.I. Joe laser tag and a full-service restaurant featuring appetizers, entrees, cocktails and desserts from well-known games.

The Gameroom is about creating experiences for people of all ages, said its vice president, Matthew Proulx. Some of the brands owned by Rhode Island-based Hasbro stretch back a century, after all.

“All too often there’s a lot of these experiences that are focused on younger kids, or teenagers or twenty-somethings or even just older members of the family,” Proulx said in an interview. “What we really wanted to do is have something for everybody.”

Future of malls

Hasbro’s Gameroom will be the latest attraction at a megamall whose executives — including Bryan Gaus, the mall's senior vice president and general manager — have dubbed it not so much a mall as an “entertainment retail complex.”

“You can spend the day here," he said in November. "Where else in the area, I mean if you wanted to, can you go skiing in the morning, jump on a roller coaster, grab a bite to eat, then go to DreamWorks waterpark and be 85 degrees when it’s snowing outside?”

At over 3 million square feet, the American Dream mall, owned by Canadian developer Triple Five, includes an indoor amusement park with roller coasters, an indoor water park, a 300-foot Ferris wheel, indoor miniature golf and ice skating, and the only year-round indoor ski and snowboard park in North America.

American Dream also has more than 200 stores — including flagships for Toys R Us and Babies R Us — and over 50 dining options, including fast-casual and sit-down.

What The Gameroom has to offer

One offering at The Gameroom is “G.I. Joe Battlestation” — a laser tag experience featuring skirmishes between Teams Cobra and G.I. Joe, where players can battle it out in a chemical plant.

“This is the tried and true story of good versus evil,” Proulx, the Hasbro executive, said of the G.I. Joe game. “That’s what we’re trying to take into account here.”

Guests can also play Skee Ball, Monopoly, Hungry Hungry Hippos, giant Connect Four and giant Sorry.

Then there’s “Ultimate Rollergames,” where groups of up to five players test their skills on nine tech-forward game lanes showcasing Hasbro brands such as Transformers, Candy Land, Battleship and Monopoly.

Guests can treat themselves at the Candy Land shake bar, inspired by the classic board game. Or they can enjoy appetizers, entrees and dessert at the theme restaurant “Gameroom Eats,” which features dishes from well-known games.

And there will be a highly curated collection of arcade games, including “beloved classics," a press release said.

There, players will have the chance to win Hasbro-branded prizes, Proulx said.

There would be small and large plush animals for prizes, Proulx said, as well as T-shirts and board games, all paying homage to Hasbro brands.

Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record. 

Email: [email protected]; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: American Dream mall is getting a Hasbro game room