Of the more than 600 Chuck E. Cheese locations worldwide, fewer than 50 restaurants still have the quarter-century-old “Studio C” animatronics design using these floppies. Other restaurants have a version of the show that uses contemporary technology, while some do not have animatronics. (Ars Technica has a story on using Chuck E. Cheese’s floppy disk with a more detailed breakdown of all paleotechnology).
Eventually, Chuck E. Cheese plans to ditch the animatronics entirely and focus on new screen-based entertainment (plus an even more retro approach: a live human dressed as a mascot). The review was first announced in 2017but restaurant renovations are an ongoing process, and it may be a year or two before the last of the animatronics are removed.
Tom Persky is the owner of floppy.com, the largest provider of floppy disks still standing. His business has a few arms: You can buy blank disks through him or send your old floppy disks in for transfer to more modern storage media. Persky will also program the drives for bulk-order customers, and he confirmed to BuzzFeed News that Chuck E. Cheese was a long-time customer. He said that 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As for why the restaurant still uses floppy disks, Persky told BuzzFeed News that floppy disk technology, while outdated, is actually extremely reliable. “If you’re looking for something very stable, not really hackable, it’s not internet-based, it’s not web-based,” Persky said. “It’s pretty fancy for what it does.”
Press representatives for Chuck E. Cheese confirmed the network’s use of diskettes with BuzzFeed News. However, they were very cautious about what other information they were willing to share, and a few days later we were told that the company would not be participating in this story officially.
However, a seasoned Chuck E. Cheese employee, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak for the company, echoed Persky’s sentiments.
“Floppy disks work surprisingly well. The animatronics, lighting, and timing data for the show are all on the floppy disks,” the employee told BuzzFeed News. “I’ve seen some of the new Studio C Chuck E.’s run on flash drive/SD card combo. 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 are likely to remain in use for some time in other domains, such as medical devices. While the thought of this might make you nervous, Persky insisted that 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. “Another is if your medical device fails.”
