Of the more than 600 Chuck E. Cheese locations worldwide, fewer than 50 restaurants still have the quarter-century-old “Studio C” animatronic design that uses these floppy disks. Other restaurants have a version of the show that uses contemporary technology, while some do not have any animatronics. (Ars Technique has a story on the use of Chuck E. Cheese’s floppy disk with a more detailed breakdown of all the paleotechnology).
Eventually, Chuck E. Cheese plans to eliminate animatronics entirely and focus on new screen-based entertainment (plus an even more retro approach: a live human in a mascot costume). The review was first announced in 2017But restaurant renovations are an ongoing process, and it may take a year or two before the last animatronics are removed.
Tom Persky is the owner of floppydisk.com, the largest floppy disk provider still in existence. His business has a few branches: you can buy blank disks through it or send your old floppy disks to be transferred to more modern storage media. Persky will also program the discs for bulk order customers, and confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Chuck E. Cheese was indeed a long-time customer of his. He said he is sad because he will lose the company as a customer.
As for why the restaurant still uses floppy disks, Persky told BuzzFeed News that floppy disk technology, while dated, is actually extremely reliable. “If you’re looking for something very stable, really non-hackable, it’s not Internet-based or network-based,” Persky said. “It’s pretty elegant for what it does.”
Chuck E. Cheese’s press representatives confirmed the chain’s use of floppy disks with BuzzFeed News. However, they were very cautious about what other information they were willing to share and a few days later told us that the company would not be officially involved in this story.
However, a seasoned Chuck E. Cheese employee, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company, echoed Persky’s sentiments.
“The floppies work surprisingly well. The show’s animatronic, lighting, and timing data are all on the floppies,” the employee told BuzzFeed News. “I’ve seen some of the new Studio C Chuck E.’s running on a combination of flash drive and SD card. But usually the newer setups cause problems with things and it’s easier to keep the old stuff running.”
Even after Chuck E. Cheese phases out floppy disks, they will likely continue to be used for some time in other domains, such as medical devices. While thinking about this may make you nervous, Persky insisted it’s a good thing. “Why don’t you use USB? Well, let’s just say your life depends on it,” he said. “If you have a choice between a USB drive or a floppy disk, choose the floppy disk every time.
“It’s one thing if your animatronic bear doesn’t smile on cue,” he continued. “It’s another if your medical device fails.”
