What XP Factory does

XP Factory plc is an AIM-listed UK holding company operating two experiential leisure brands: Escape Hunt, positioned as the world's no. 1 escape game brand with a 5-star rated catalogue of 27 unique gaming experiences spanning traditional escape rooms, VR immersive adventures, City Hunts, and Digital/Play at Home games; and Boom Battle Bar, the UK's first competitive socialising venue combining activities such as Axe Throwing, Augmented Reality Darts, Shuffleboard, and Crazier Golf with licensed bars, street food, and live sports. The group operates a 69-venue network (4 hosting both brands) across the UK and internationally through a hybrid owner-operated and franchise model, with technology infrastructure including a proprietary software platform for Escape Hunt operations and third-party integrations with Roller (booking platform), Square/PayPal (payments), and Chatbot.com (AI chatbot).

The company's revenue model combines consumer-facing venue admissions and food and beverage sales (primarily Boom Battle Bar) with licensing income from 26 franchised Escape Hunt venues and franchise Boom Battle Bar sites, plus e-commerce gift voucher sales. Customer segments include consumer groups (friends, families, social outings), corporate clients for team-building events, and nightlife consumers. Group revenue reached £28.2 million in FY2025 with 13% year-on-year growth, though management has guided FY2026 EBITDA to £5-6 million reflecting pressure from rising wage and national insurance costs and weak Boom Battle Bar like-for-like sales (-7.2% over 13 weeks to 28 December), partially offset by Escape Hunt like-for-like growth of 6.4%.

Corporate strategy has centred on building a dual-brand experiential platform through the 2021 acquisition of BBB Franchise Ltd and organic rollout (18 Boom Battle Bar venues opened in 2022, first international site in Dubai in 2023). A £10 million revolving credit facility from Barclays (October 2024) underpins the next phase of venue expansion. The board includes operators with backgrounds at KFC, Pret A Manger, PwC, and TruFin, with James van den Bergh appointed Non-Executive Chairman in February 2026 to reinforce capital allocation discipline.

Name

XP Factory

Legal name

XP Factory plc

Website

https://xpfactory.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

XP Factory plc is an AIM-listed UK experiential leisure operator running two brands — Escape Hunt (escape rooms, VR, City Hunts) and Boom Battle Bar (competitive socialising venues with bars and activities) — across 69 owner-operated and franchised venues in the UK and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Leisure Entertainment

NAICS

Amusement Arcades (713120), Amusement Arcades (71312), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Escape Room Games & Mystery Puzzle Boxes Retail (CRALALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coin-Operated Entertainment (Pinball, Crane/Claw, Jukebox, Darts/Billiards) (MPAEAJAF), Amusement/Redemption Arcade Machines (Ticket & Prize) (MPAEAJAD)

Keywords

• Experiential leisure venues
• Escape room entertainment
• Competitive socialising
• Leisure franchise operations
• Immersive adventure experiences

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Venue admissions and experience fees: Revenue from customers paying to participate in escape rooms, VR immersive adventures, City Hunts, and Digital/Play at Home games at owner-operated venues
2. Food and beverage sales: Boom Battle Bar venues generate revenue from licensed bars, instagrammable cocktails, drinks, and BOOM BITES street food, live sports and music
3. Franchise fees and royalties: 26 franchised Escape Hunt venues internationally and franchise Boom Battle Bar venues generate franchise fees and ongoing royalties
4. Gift vouchers and gift boxes: Customers can purchase gift vouchers and gift boxes for experiences through the company's e-commerce platform
5. Venue entertainment activities: Revenue from activities including Axe Throwing, Augmented Reality Darts, Shuffleboard, Ping Pong, Pool, Beer & Prosecco Pong, Crazier Golf and more at Boom Battle Bar venues

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

XP Factory operates a network of 69 experiential leisure venues under two consumer-facing brands: Escape Hunt (escape rooms, VR immersive adventures, City Hunts, and Digital/Play at Home games with 27 unique experiences) and Boom Battle Bar (competitive socialising entertainment including Axe Throwing, Augmented Reality Darts, Shuffleboard, and Crazier Golf, with licensed bars and street food). The group combines owner-operated venues with an international franchise model, and also sells gift vouchers and gift boxes online through its brand websites.

Product overview

XP Factory operates as a holding company for experiential leisure brands, comprising two core brands: Escape Hunt (world's no. 1 escape game brand) and Boom Battle Bar (UK's first Battle Bar). The portfolio also includes sub-products such as City Hunts, Digital and Play at Home Games, and VR Immersive Adventures under the Escape Hunt brand. The company operates 69 venues (with 4 hosting both brands), offering social entertainment experiences with licensed bars and hospitality in prime retail or leisure locations across the UK and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Escape Hunt: The world's no. 1 escape game brand. 5-star rated immersive adventures where teams leap into new worlds and take on pulse-racing missions against the clock. Features 27 unique gaming experiences across traditional in-venue Escape Room format, City Hunts, and Digital and Play at Home games.
• Boom Battle Bar

Products and services

• Escape Hunt The world's no. 1 escape game brand offering 5-star rated immersive adventure experiences for teams and groups. The Escape Hunt catalogue of 27 unique gaming experiences spans traditional in-venue escape rooms, VR immersive adventures, City Hunts (outdoor street adventures), and Digital/Play at Home games. Operates 49 venues worldwide (23 owner-operated: 20 UK plus Dubai, Paris, Brussels; 26 franchised internationally).
• Boom Battle Bar The UK's first and only Battle Bar — an entertainment battleground of competitive gaming offering multiple activities under one roof including Axe Throwing, Augmented Reality Darts, Shuffleboard, Ping Pong, Pool, Beer & Prosecco Pong, and Crazier Golf, combined with licensed bars, cocktails, street food, live sports, and music. Operates 27 UK sites (11 owner-operated plus franchise locations), with the first international site opening in Dubai in 2023.
• City Hunts Outdoor adventure experiences under the Escape Hunt brand where customers take to the streets with action-packed gadgets to solve puzzles and complete missions in real-world city settings.
• Digital and Play at Home Games Location-neutral gaming experiences under the Escape Hunt brand that allow customers to enjoy escape game challenges remotely from home, extending the 360-gaming offering beyond physical venues.
• VR Immersive Adventures Virtual reality immersive gaming experiences offered at Escape Hunt venues, providing an alternative to traditional physical escape room formats.
• Gift Vouchers and Gift Boxes Gift vouchers and gift boxes for Escape Hunt and Boom Battle Bar experiences purchased through the brand e-commerce platforms, available to individual consumers via the websites and through the Roller booking platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Escape Hunt achieved 6.4% like-for-like sales growth while Boom Battle Bar experienced 7.2% like-for-like sales decline
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Roller (Roller Networks Pty LTD, Roller Networks USA Inc., Roller Networks Limited)coreTechnology or IntegrationRoller provides an all-in-one cloud-based booking platform (the Roller Platform) that enables XP Factory to deliver a better guest experience for bookings and gift vouchers through websites, by telephone or in person at sites. XP Factory is the data controller with Roller as data processor.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dave & Buster's: Dave & Buster's is a US-headquartered publicly-listed chain of entertainment centers combining arcade games, sports viewing, food, and beverages. Broad incumbent peer given the entertainment venue plus F&B model and 'eat, drink, play' positioning, though primarily operating in North America rather than directly competing with XP Factory in the UK.
• Topgolf: Topgolf is a global sports entertainment venue chain combining tech-enabled golf gameplay with food, beverage, and event hosting. Broad incumbent peer to XP Factory given the overlapping multi-activity entertainment venue model and licensed F&B layer, though focused on golf and operating at significantly larger scale internationally.
• Hollywood Bowl: Hollywood Bowl is the UK's largest ten-pin bowling operator with over 60 venues across the country and an LSE listing. Broader incumbent peer given the shared leisure venue format and UK geographic focus, though narrower activity mix than XP Factory's multi-experience offerings.

Direct peers

• The Escape Game: The Escape Game is a US-headquartered escape room operator with multiple venue locations offering immersive adventure experiences. Direct peer to Escape Hunt in the escape room category with comparable immersive format, content library approach, and multi-venue operator model.
• Flight Club: Flight Club is a UK-founded social darts venue chain offering multi-player darts experiences with cocktail bars and food. Direct peer to Boom Battle Bar's Augmented Reality Darts and broader competitive socializing concept within the UK experiential leisure market.
• All Star Lanes: All Star Lanes is a UK boutique bowling, cocktails, and American diner chain offering private hire and events. Direct peer to Boom Battle Bar given the bowling-centric activity base, cocktail bar revenue layer, and UK venue network targeting group entertainment and celebrations.
• Puttshack: Puttshack is a tech-enabled indoor mini golf and entertainment venue chain with locations in the US and UK. Comparable to Boom Battle Bar given its multi-activity entertainment format combining tech-driven gameplay with bar and food, and competitive socializing positioning targeting similar customer occasions.
• Roxy Ball Room: Roxy Ball Room is a UK bowling and competitive socializing chain offering bowling, darts, beer pong, shuffleboard, and cocktail-led hospitality. Closely comparable to Boom Battle Bar given shared activity mix, UK venue base, and target customer of groups, parties, and casual socializers.
• Lane7: Lane7 operates UK bowling and competitive socializing venues with cocktail bars, darts, shuffleboard, karaoke, and street food. Directly comparable to Boom Battle Bar given overlapping activity mix and UK-focused venue base targeting group entertainment.

Regional players

• Tenpin: Tenpin is a UK-based ten-pin bowling and family entertainment centre operator with around 50 venues across the country. Regional peer comparable to the bowling and group entertainment elements of Boom Battle Bar, operating primarily within the UK rather than across XP Factory's international footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/plc_xp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about XP Factory