Sandy Hook Arcade Center closing its doors Aug. 31

The Sandy Hook Arcade Center, a pop-up arcade created by two dads in Newtown, Conn., in the wake of last year's elementary school shooting, will close its doors in August, according to a post on the group's Facebook page.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we are announcing the closing of the SHAC on Saturday, August 31," the post reads. "What an amazing experience it has been for us to meet you all. Thank you for playing the games, volunteering your time, making generous donations and having fun with us. Your smiles, laughter and gracious words meant the world to us."

"When we launched the [arcade] it was with the intention of a three month run during the winter and spring months," co-founder Andrew Clure told Polygon in an email. "The structure of the arcade (free play, volunteer, donations, generous sponsors) was not meant to sustain a business long term. We were happy to be able to stretch it out to the end of the summer. It was fun and rewarding ... and a tough choice to make the final decision to close the doors. We are happy that so many people enjoyed it and the positive impact it made on the community."

The not-for-profit Sandy Hook Arcade Center opened its doors to the people of Newtown in February. The group's original goal was to stay open for three months, offering a place for families to come together, to play arcade, console and pinball games as a community and "to heal and begin to move forward."

The Newtown arcade is named after the nearby elementary school where 20 students and six staff members were killed in a mass shooting last December.

The arcade was the brainchild of two Newtown area dads, Andrew Clure and Scott Cicciari. With the help of donations and community contributions, the pair took over a retail space and filled it with family-oriented games that could be played for free.

For more on the Sandy Hook Arcade Center, read Polygon's report from the arcade's opening weekend.