© Escape Experience

The entertainment business has been severely impacted by the pandemic, but there’s a new emerging trend in the form of virtual escape rooms that’s bringing much needed entertainment to families that have been separated by lockdowns and travel restrictions.

With companies having to close theme parks, and laying off thousands of workers - entertainment businesses and events have faced the most difficult year for trading in a century.

But with VOD services and online gaming going mainstream, people’s habits are changing, and instead of heading to venues, they’re now exploring virtual escape room experiences with family and friends as an alternative way to have fun.

Escape Experience, one of the leading businesses that has developed virtual escape rooms, has seen a surge in online demand, bringing together players from around the world to experience real-life storytelling with the aim of getting people out of their daily grind.

Speaking this week about the popularity of virtual escape rooms, Michael Rowland, Founder of Escape Experience who observed the shift in consumer habits said, “At first, people were just excited to have a fun activity to play together with friends and family online. We sent emails to all of our former in-person guests to let them know about the new services we were offering during lockdown and how they could help support our business by playing with our staff online.”

“Later, it became clear as more cities across the globe became completely locked down, virtual customers were using our virtual experience for family reunions - an excuse to corral the family, the friends and the loved ones who might be scattered all over the world.”

Escape Experience has also seen big demand from virtual clients in the corporate space,  providing a fun way for employees to interact from home across multiple virtual experiences - sometimes with up to 300 participants. Some of their most popular experiences include preventing nuclear war where you and your teammates have to find a way to stop a missile launch before it’s too late, as well as a C-Block prison break challenge, where you have to lead your avatar to escape before the guards return.

With more lockdowns anticipated, could ‘virtual escapes’ become the replacement for theme parks, watching films at the cinema and in-person meet-ups?