What Escape Live does

Escape Live is a UK-based escape room and immersive entertainment company founded in Birmingham in January 2015, operating five physical venues across England (Birmingham, Chelmsford, Coventry, Southend-on-Sea, and Stratford-Upon-Avon) with a portfolio of more than 15 themed rooms. The portfolio includes licensed intellectual property such as the official Peaky Blinders escape room and the Horrible Histories Mystery Museum, alongside original themed rooms (detective, horror, heist, fantasy, sci-fi, history) and a self-claimed "world's first" Shakespeare escape room in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The Birmingham flagship operates a 1920s speakeasy bar and accommodates up to 41 players in a single session.

Beyond physical rooms, the company runs a multi-format product surface: asynchronous online escape games purchasable globally through the website, synchronous "Live Hosted" 60-minute Zoom sessions with a remote game master, and outdoor city exploration games (e.g., "The Hunt for Watson") using an interactive digital map and on-hand games master. The technology stack is conventional — a game management and booking system, Zoom integration for live games, Worldpay for payment processing, and the Buzzshot platform for opt-in customer photo sharing.

The business is direct-to-consumer, with bookings taken via the company website, phone, and walk-in. Revenue is generated primarily through per-person pay-as-you-go pricing (£20-£22 standard, £22 for premium experiences like the Time Machine) and one-time online game purchases (£15-£25). Ancillary revenue streams include gift vouchers valid for 12 months, corporate team-building packages with custom pricing, celebration events, Christmas party packages, and a loyalty card (50% off the 4th visit). Customer segments are horizontal: individual consumers, corporate enterprise clients (logos include Jaguar, NHS, NatWest, Deloitte, DHL, Tata, Sainsbury's, and sports teams), and the education sector.

Name

Escape Live

Legal name

Escape Live Ltd

Website

https://escapelive.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Escape Live is a UK-based escape room entertainment company operating five physical venues across England with 15+ themed rooms, plus online, live-hosted, and outdoor game experiences serving consumers, corporate groups, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Escape Room Entertainment

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play) (THAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gaming Café/Bar Hybrid Venues (Food & Beverage + Competitive Play) (MPAFALAD)

Keywords

• Escape room entertainment
• Immersive puzzle experiences
• Corporate team building
• Online escape games
• Themed adventure games

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Onsite Escape Room Bookings: Revenue generated from physical escape room experiences at 5 UK venues. Customers pay per person or per booking to participate in themed escape rooms lasting 60 minutes. Prices range from £20-22 per player for standard games.
2. Online Escape Room Games: Digital escape room experiences sold as one-time purchases, playable remotely via web platform. Games like Sherlock Holmes Grand Debut, Project S.L.E.I.G.H, Rogue Agent, Escape the Jungle, Magic School, and Pirate Plunder are available at £20-25 per game.
3. Gift Vouchers: Gift vouchers sold for escape room experiences, valid for 12 months from purchase. Vouchers can be extended for £20 within validity period.
4. Corporate Events & Team Building: Private hire and team building packages for businesses, including exclusive venue access and corporate event hosting.
5. Outdoor Game Experiences: Outdoor escape game experiences such as The Hunt for Watson, priced at £15 per person for groups of 2-8 people.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Escape Live operates physical and virtual escape room experiences across five UK venues (Birmingham, Chelmsford, Coventry, Southend-on-Sea, Stratford-Upon-Avon) and online. Players solve themed puzzles in 60-minute immersive experiences, with separate offerings for individual consumers, corporate team building, and celebration events. The portfolio includes over 15 physical escape rooms plus online and outdoor game formats.

Product overview

Escape Live is a UK-based escape room and immersive experience company operating five physical venues across the country. The company offers four distinct experience types: Onsite Escape Rooms (physical themed rooms at Birmingham, Coventry, Chelmsford, Southend, and Stratford-Upon-Avon venues), Online Escape Games (asynchronous digital games playable anywhere), Live Hosted Games (60-minute Zoom sessions with a Game Master), and Outdoor City Exploration Games. Their onsite portfolio spans over 15 different physical escape room themes including licensed properties like Horrible Histories and Peaky Blinders. The business model combines core escape room experiences with ancillary services including corporate team building packages, celebration events, Christmas party packages, gift vouchers, and a loyalty rewards program. Online games are sold as digital products through their shop, including Sherlock - The Grand Debut, Project S.L.E.I.G.H, Rogue Agent, Magic School, Escape the Jungle, and Pirate Plunder.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Onsite Escape Rooms Physical escape room experiences played at one of five UK venue locations (Birmingham, Chelmsford, Coventry, Southend-on-Sea, Stratford-Upon-Avon). Players are locked in themed rooms and must solve puzzles, find clues, and escape within 60 minutes.
• Online Escape Games Virtual escape room experiences playable from anywhere in the world. Players log in on their own devices, share screens, and solve puzzles together asynchronously. No time limit to complete the game once started.
• Live Hosted Games 60-minute synchronous online escape room experience played via Zoom where a Game Master hosts the session and controls an award-winning physical room in real-time. Advance booking required.
• Outdoor Escape Games City exploration escape experience using an interactive digital map and on-hand games master. Players explore outdoor environments solving puzzles and completing challenges.
• Corporate Team Building

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Breakout Games: Multi-location US escape room operator with franchise model. Comparable multi-venue physical escape room business with standardized themed rooms and corporate event packages, with international expansion potential.
• The Escape Game: Largest US-based escape room chain with 10+ locations. Comparable theme park-style escape room experience design, licensed/own-IP game content, and corporate team-building focus, though operating primarily in North America.

Direct peers

• Escape Hunt: UK-origin escape room operator with a franchise model and multiple UK and international sites. Closest publicly-traded peer offering similar physical escape room experiences plus licensed and branded game content for consumer and corporate clients.
• Clue HQ: UK-based escape room operator with multiple venues across the Midlands, North West and South East. Directly comparable multi-venue, multi-room operator serving both consumer and corporate team-building segments, often in the same regional markets as Escape Live.
• Locked In Games: UK regional escape room chain operating multiple venues. Comparable multi-site operator serving consumer and corporate bookings in the UK market with similar themed room and team-building offerings.
• The Great Escape: UK escape room operator with multiple venues. Comparable business model operating themed physical escape rooms and corporate team-building experiences across multiple UK cities.
• Hint Hunt: London-based escape room operator with multiple themed rooms. Directly comparable in physical escape room experiences for both consumer and corporate bookings, with similar content refresh cadence and team-building packages.

Regional players

• Enigma Escape Rooms: UK-based independent escape room operator. Comparable themed room offerings for consumer and corporate segments, though focused on specific UK regional markets rather than a multi-region platform like Escape Live.

Others

• Jackbox Games: Party/social game publisher whose multiplayer games (Drawful, Push The Button) compete for the same group entertainment occasions (parties, corporate team building, remote group activities) as Escape Live's online escape rooms.

Emerging players

• Sherlock: The Official Live Game: Licensed Sherlock Holmes escape room experience in London. Comparable in leveraging a major IP (Sherlock Holmes) for a themed escape room offering, but with a single location versus Escape Live's 5 venues.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EscapeLiveUK
• Xx.com/escapeliveuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/escape-live

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Escape Live