The Great Escape Game
The Great Escape Game operates multi-location, themed immersive escape room and live-action adventure venues in Sheffield and Leeds, UK, including a Royal Armouries Museum partnership, serving general consumers, corporate team-building clients, and celebration groups with proprietary set designs, on-site bars, and a Gameshow Allstars sub-brand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSheffield, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Great Escape Game does
The Great Escape Game is a privately held, founder-owned immersive entertainment operator headquartered in Sheffield, United Kingdom, with a second city-centre venue in Leeds and an additional partnership site at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. Founded in 2015 by Hannah and Peter after they encountered escape rooms while travelling in Asia, the company designs and operates themed, live-action escape room experiences across genres including horror (Abducted: Chapter 2, No Hope in Hell, The Curse of Grimstone Lane), adventure and family (King Arthur's Secret), thriller (Run), magical live-action (Wizards of Time), and museum-integrated boss-battle (RA/ID), with set builds produced by an in-house creative team employing prop designers with Alton Towers pedigree.
The underlying product stack consists of physical sets, props, puzzles, and interactive game-master monitoring, with motion-triggered wand technology for the Wizards of Time experience and augmented-reality darts in Dungeon Darts. Core revenue is generated per-person/per-group ticket sales (£17-£25 per person depending on group size and game), supplemented by on-site bar and kitchen service (pizzas, cocktails, cocktail masterclasses), private venue hire for corporate events and birthday parties, gift voucher pre-sales, and a new Gameshow Allstars sub-brand operating as a TV gameshow-style activity bar in both cities. The company sells direct-to-consumer via its own website booking engine (Adyen/Roller payments), with telephone-based corporate sales and a Sheffield Business Runners community sponsorship.
The customer base is broadly consumer-focused (thrill seekers, families, students, couples, hen/stag parties, friend groups) with a corporate team-building segment (Google, BBC, Coca-Cola, Red Bull referenced) and dedicated meeting spaces at the Sheffield Generation 2 site. The company is privately funded by founders with no external institutional investment identified, incorporated across two UK private limited entities (The Great Escape Game Limited and Great Escape Game (Leeds) Limited), with a self-reported team size of 11-50 employees and brand recognition claims including TripAdvisor #1 for fun and games in both cities and Best Bar None awards in 2019.
The Great Escape Game firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Great Escape Game
- Legal name
- The Great Escape Game Limited
- Website
- https://thegreatescapegame.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Great Escape Game operates multi-location, themed immersive escape room and live-action adventure venues in Sheffield and Leeds, UK, including a Royal Armouries Museum partnership, serving general consumers, corporate team-building clients, and celebration groups with proprietary set designs, on-site bars, and a Gameshow Allstars sub-brand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Great Escape Game industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Escape Room & Immersive Entertainment
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (713990)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play) (THAAAAAD)
Keywords
Where The Great Escape Game is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sheffield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
The Great Escape Game business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Escape Room Tickets: Per-person and per-group ticket sales for escape room experiences. Pricing varies by group size (2-9 players) and specific game. Additional extras include VIP packages, game personalisation add-ons, and food/drink packages.
- Venue Hire and Private Events: Private venue hire for corporate events, birthday parties, and special occasions. Includes dedicated meeting spaces, bar access, and catering options at the Sheffield Generation 2 site.
- Food and Beverage: On-site bar and kitchen at Sheffield and Leeds venues, serving pizzas, cocktails, and other beverages. Sunday free pizza promotions and cocktail masterclasses generate additional revenue.
- Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for escape room experiences, providing prepaid revenue and driving future bookings.
- Gameshow Allstars: The UK's first TV gameshow activity bar concept, offering competitive drinking/social games experiences. Opening in both Sheffield and Leeds locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Abducted: Chapter 2 - Per-person pricing by group size |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | King Arthur's Secret - Per-person pricing by group size |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Run - Per-person pricing by group size |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RA/ID Royal Armouries Museum Experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wizards of Time Live-Action Adventure |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | No Hope In Hell Horror Experience |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Curse of Grimstone Lane (Soul Searchers) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | General Escape Room Pricing (starting from) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | June Offer |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Great Escape Game product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Great Escape Game operates physical venues in Sheffield and Leeds (plus a partnership location at the Royal Armouries Museum) where it designs, builds, and runs themed immersive escape room experiences, live-action adventures, and horror attractions for consumer groups and corporate clients. Each experience uses in-house built sets, props, puzzles, and a game master–monitored format, with durations typically 60–100 minutes for groups of 2–9 players.
Product overview
The Great Escape Game operates a multi-location escape room and immersive experience platform with venues in Sheffield and Leeds. The core offering consists of themed escape rooms with various difficulty levels and horror ratings, including family-friendly options like King Arthur's Secret and intense horror experiences like Abducted: Chapter 2 and No Hope in Hell. The company has expanded beyond traditional escape rooms to offer live-action adventures (Wizards of Time), augmented reality attractions (Dungeon Darts), and museum partnership experiences (RA/ID). Additional offerings include on-site bars and kitchens, cocktail masterclasses, gift vouchers, and venue hire for corporate events and celebrations. The product portfolio spans adventure, horror, magical, medieval, and supernatural themes across multiple UK locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gameshow Allstars: UK's first TV Gameshow Activity bar - a nightlife attraction featuring drinking games and competitive entertainment, located in Sheffield and Leeds.
Products and services
- Wizards of Time Live-action magical adventure where players become trainee wizards, cast spells with motion-triggered wands, and navigate a wizarding school with a character-led narrative and multiple possible endings. Exclusive to the Sheffield venue.
- Abducted: Chapter 2 Horror escape room where players investigate a sadistic killer's lair, crack cryptic codes, and escape before becoming the next experiment. Available at both Sheffield and Leeds venues with a 25% escape rate.
- King Arthur's Secret Family-friendly medieval escape room where players unravel mysteries in King Arthur's castle, evade Merlin's magic, and discover secrets of the legendary king. Available at the Leeds venue only.
- Run
Quantifiable outcome
- Abducted: Chapter 2 has a 25% escape rate, indicating high difficulty and replay value
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Great Escape Game
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Great Escape Game technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
The Great Escape Game partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Gameshow AllstarscoreGameshow Allstars is the UK's first TV gameshow activity bar concept, created by the team behind The Great Escape Game. After successful launch in Sheffield, it is expanding to Leeds. It offers competitive gameshow-style entertainment where guests drink, eat, and compete in games to find the champion. Described as the #1 rated nightlife attraction in both Sheffield and Leeds.
- Royal Armouries MuseumcoreStrategic partnership with the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds to create RA/ID, Yorkshire's first escape room featuring a boss-style battle. The experience incorporates a puzzle-trail through the museum's galleries, with the escape room finale hidden on one of the floors. Adam Lumb (Head of Commercial and IP at Royal Armouries) stated this is part of a series of planned projects to expand the museum's entertainment offering. The experience is space-themed, with players joining the fight to protect Earth from cosmic chaos, studying historic objects and solving puzzles to maintain balance between good and evil forces.
- Hannah Duraid (Managing Director)coreHannah Duraid, Managing Director of The Great Escape Game, collaborated with Royal Armouries Museum to bring the RA/ID experience to life, combining the museum's collections with The Great Escape Game's immersive set builds and gameplay.
- Sheffield Business Runners CommunityminorAn internal community group organised by The Great Escape Game connecting local Sheffield businesses through running and networking activities. Provides networking calendar, social events, and business support among members. James from Steelcity provides custom T-shirts; Leanne from Sheaf Designs provides design services.
- Alton Towers Prop DesignerscoreThe company employs prop designers who have worked on projects for Alton Towers, producing Hollywood-quality set designs for their escape rooms. These designers create sets comparable to major theme park attractions.
- Gameshow AllstarsminorGameshow Allstars is promoted through The Great Escape Game's website and blog, cross-marketing between the two entertainment brands.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Great Escape Game competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Immotion Group: Publicly listed immersive entertainment operator offering VR and experiential attractions in venues across the UK and internationally. Broader incumbent in the immersive out-of-home entertainment category with overlapping customer base.
- Hollywood Bowl: UK-listed family entertainment operator (bowling, amusements, food & beverage). Broad incumbent competing for the same discretionary group entertainment spend in regional UK locations.
- Tenpin: UK national family entertainment centre operator (bowling, escape rooms, karaoke, bars). Broad incumbent offering overlapping escape room experiences within a multi-attraction venue format; not specialist but competes for the same group/entertainment spend.
Direct peers
- Clue HQ: UK escape room operator with multiple venues offering themed escape room experiences including horror formats. Closest direct UK competitor to The Great Escape Game's premium positioned, multi-game venues in major cities.
- Escape Hunt: UK-originated, now internationally listed escape room operator with both franchised and owned venues offering premium themed escape room experiences. Direct competitor in product category, business model (ticketed immersive experiences), and target customer base.
- Sherlocked: London-based premium escape room operator known for high production-value, cinematic themed rooms. Comparable on immersive set quality and premium pricing.
- Puzzlescape: UK escape room operator with multiple themed games. Direct competitor in product category and customer segments (friends, families, corporate team building).
- Houdini's Escape Room Experience: UK-based escape room operator offering themed immersive escape experiences. Direct competitor in product category and target market (groups, families, celebrations).
- Locked Rooms: UK escape room operator with multiple themed rooms across London venues. Direct competitor offering themed escape experiences for groups, corporate bookings, and special occasions.
- Tick Tock Unlock: UK escape room operator with multiple venues. Direct competitor in the same product category, serving similar group and corporate customers with themed escape experiences.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Great Escape Game social profiles
Digital presenceThe Great Escape Game financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Great Escape Game leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
The Great Escape Game funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Great Escape Game M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Great Escape Game
What does The Great Escape Game do?
The Great Escape Game operates physical venues in Sheffield and Leeds (plus a partnership location at the Royal Armouries Museum) where it designs, builds, and runs themed immersive escape room experiences, live-action adventures, and horror attractions for consumer groups and corporate clients. Each experience uses in-house built sets, props, puzzles, and a game master–monitored format, with durations typically 60–100 minutes for groups of 2–9 players.
Is The Great Escape Game a public or private company?
The Great Escape Game is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Great Escape Game founded?
The Great Escape Game was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Great Escape Game based?
The Great Escape Game is headquartered in Sheffield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Great Escape Game make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Escape Room Tickets are the primary driver. The others are venue Hire and Private Events, food and Beverage, gift Vouchers and gameshow Allstars.
Who are The Great Escape Game's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Immotion Group, Hollywood Bowl and Tenpin. Direct peers are Clue HQ, Escape Hunt, Sherlocked, Puzzlescape, Houdini's Escape Room Experience, Locked Rooms and Tick Tock Unlock.
Does The Great Escape Game have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Great Escape Game.
What industry is The Great Escape Game in?
The Great Escape Game's product category is Escape Room & Immersive Entertainment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAAAD, Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play). Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7990.