clueQuest
clueQuest is a London-based immersive entertainment company founded in 2013 that designs and delivers spy-themed escape room experiences across physical, VR, outdoor, and at-home print formats for consumer, corporate, and educational customers primarily in the UK.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What clueQuest does
clueQuest is a London-based immersive entertainment operator founded in 2013 that designs and delivers spy-themed escape experiences across physical, virtual, outdoor, and at-home formats. The company runs five physical escape rooms at its King's Cross venue (IAMAI, PLAN52, Operation BlackSheep, Revenge of the Sheep, cQ ORIGENES), two VR experiences (Beyond Medusa's Gate, Escape The Lost Pyramid), three Glitch Hunters outdoor missions across London, Canterbury, and Brighton, and a Print+Cut+Escape (Spy Papers) catalog of ten printable at-home puzzle games unified by a recurring Mr Q / Professor BlackSheep narrative. The underlying technology is a hybrid physical-digital architecture: physical rooms and paper-based puzzles are paired with an online multimedia game system delivering video, animation, and live-action content, with the print catalog also playable remotely via Zoom.\n\nThe business operates on a direct-to-consumer model with primary revenue from in-person escape room bookings, supplemented by print game sales (via own website and Amazon marketplace at £15-£23 per title), corporate team building packages, gift vouchers, and venue/meeting hire. Customer segments include friends and family, birthday and Hen/Stag Do celebrants, corporate teams, school groups, and outdoor adventure seekers. The company has no institutional investors, no subsidiaries, and manages all operations with a 1-10 employee team.\n\nScale indicators include 28,710+ Spy Papers copies sold, 1,200+ player ratings on the print catalog, and strong review scores across Google (4.9 from 2,200+ reviews), Facebook (5.0 from 5,100+ reviews), and TripAdvisor (4.7 from 1,300+ reviews). Operating geographies are limited to UK domestic (London, Canterbury, Brighton), with international shipping unavailable for physical print games. Industry recognition includes TERPECA 2023, Bullseye Awards for Best Print-N-Cut Game (2020) and Best Adventure Theme (2022), Morty 2023, Players Choice 2024, and TripAdvisor Travelers Choice 2025.
clueQuest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- clueQuest
- Legal name
- clueQuest Ltd.
- Website
- https://cluequest.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- clueQuest is a London-based immersive entertainment company founded in 2013 that designs and delivers spy-themed escape room experiences across physical, VR, outdoor, and at-home print formats for consumer, corporate, and educational customers primarily in the UK.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
clueQuest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Immersive Entertainment / Escape Room Experiences
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play) (THAAAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Escape Room Games & Mystery Puzzle Boxes Retail (CRALALAM), VR & Immersive Esports/LBE Venues (VR Arenas, Sim Racing Pods) (MPAFALAE)
Keywords
Where clueQuest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
clueQuest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Live Escape Room Bookings: Physical escape room missions at London venue. 60-minute immersive spy-themed experiences for groups of 2-8 players. Includes IAMAI, PLAN52, Operation BlackSheep, Revenge of the Sheep, and cQ ORIGENES rooms.
- Print+Cut+Escape Games: Print-at-home or print-and-post puzzle games. Players purchase downloadable PDFs or physical printed kits. Includes standalone games and bundle packages. Available via website and Amazon marketplace.
- Outdoor Adventures (Glitch Hunters): Location-based outdoor escape games in London, Canterbury, and Brighton. Self-guided city exploration missions with puzzle solving and narrative elements.
- Corporate Team Building: Team building packages including escape room experiences, virtual team building, meeting spaces, and venue hire for corporate groups.
- Gift Vouchers and Merchandise: Gift vouchers for escape room experiences and printable puzzle games. Available as instant digital delivery or physical gift-wrapped packages.
- VR Experience Sessions: Virtual reality escape room sessions including Beyond Medusa's Gate and Escape The Lost Pyramid with immersive 3D environments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Print@Home Games - £15 per game |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Print&Post Games - £20 per game |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Wrapped Option - +£3 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Family Fun Bundle - £39 (Print@Home) / £60 (Print&Post) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Variety Bundle - £39 (Print@Home) / £60 (Print&Post) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Trilogy Bundle - £39 (Print@Home) / £60 (Print&Post) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Everything Bundle - £110 (Print@Home) / £160 (Print&Post) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
clueQuest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
clueQuest designs and operates immersive spy-themed entertainment experiences, including live escape room missions in its London venue, at-home Print+Cut+Escape (Spy Papers) printable puzzle games, GPS-based Glitch Hunters outdoor city adventures across multiple UK cities, and VR escape room experiences. Offerings are sold both to consumer groups (friends, families, celebrations) and to corporate clients for team building and event use.
Product overview
clueQuest is a London-based immersive entertainment company offering uniquely spy-themed escape experiences. The portfolio consists of three core product lines: (1) Physical Live Escape Room Missions at King's Cross (IAMAI, PLAN52, Operation BlackSheep, Revenge of the Sheep, cQ ORIGENES) and Virtual Reality escape rooms (Beyond Medusa's Gate, Escape The Lost Pyramid); (2) Print+Cut+Escape (Spy Papers) home puzzle games including the Original Trilogy (Stolen IQ, Alpha Brain System, Humanity 2.0) and standalone titles (timeQuest, Mechanics of the Heart, Prison of Memories, Survival Escape Training, Operation E.G.G., Codename DAD, Falling Star); and (3) Outdoor Glitch Hunters adventure missions in London, Canterbury, and Brighton. Additional services include corporate team building, meeting spaces, venue hire, and special occasion packages. Total games sold exceed 28,700 copies. Rated 4.9/5 on Google reviews with 2,200+ reviews. Operating since 2013.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Glitch Hunters: Outdoor city adventure missions where players explore real locations while solving puzzles and completing missions in various UK cities including London, Canterbury, and Brighton.
- Spy Papers
Products and services
- Live Escape Room Missions Themed, game-master-operated escape room missions delivered at the London venue for groups of players seeking an immersive in-person puzzle experience. Suitable for friends, families, tourists, corporate groups, and special occasions.
- Print+Cut+Escape (Spy Papers) At-home hybrid physical-digital puzzle games that players print, cut, and solve using an accompanying online platform. Targets puzzle enthusiasts, escape-room fans playing remotely, gift buyers, and corporate gift purchasers.
- Glitch Hunters Outdoor Missions Outdoor, location-based adventure missions played across UK city centres, blending puzzle-solving with exploration. Targeted at groups, tourists, and special-occasion bookers wanting a non-venue-based immersive experience.
- Virtual Reality Escape Rooms Virtual reality escape room experiences delivered via VR hardware at the venue or online, providing an immersive, technology-driven alternative to physical escape rooms for consumer and corporate groups.
- Corporate Team Building & Venue Hire A bundled corporate offering for businesses seeking team-building experiences, off-site meetings, employee engagement events, and venue hire, with optional catering and corporate gifting add-ons delivered at the London venue and virtually.
- Special Occasion Packages Themed packages tailoring clueQuest's escape room, VR, and outdoor mission formats for birthdays, hen and stag dos, school trips, kids parties, Christmas parties, and tourist groups.
Quantifiable outcome
- 28710 Spy Papers games sold
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use clueQuest
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
clueQuest technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
clueQuest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
clueQuest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Escape Live:
- TeamBuilding HQ: Corporate team-building experience provider with multiple activity formats. Comparable to clueQuest's corporate offering through shared B2B team-building customer segment, though not a direct escape room competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Sandbox VR: Global VR entertainment venue operator with multiple locations. Comparable to clueQuest's VR escape room offerings, but operates as a broader VR entertainment brand across multiple game types, not specialized in escape rooms.
Direct peers
- Hint Hunt: London-based live escape room operator offering multiple themed rooms for groups. Direct competitor in the same London market with similar per-booking business model targeting friends, families, and corporate groups.
- Escape Hunt: UK-headquartered escape room franchise with multiple sites including London. Directly comparable business offering themed escape experiences for consumer and corporate segments, with broader multi-site footprint than clueQuest.
- AIM Escape Rooms: Escape room chain with London presence offering themed puzzle rooms for groups. Direct competitor in same product category, similar business model, and overlapping corporate team-building use cases.
- The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience: London-based immersive experience operator running themed adventure games for groups. Comparable venue-based, themed-puzzle business model targeting similar leisure and tourist customer segments in London.
- Outdoor Escape Rooms (UK): UK operator of location-based outdoor city adventure games. Directly comparable to clueQuest's Glitch Hunters offering with similar self-guided city exploration format and target tourist/consumer segment.
Emerging players
- Meow Wolf: US-based immersive art and entertainment experiences that combine narrative, puzzles, and themed environments. Comparable in delivering story-driven immersive entertainment, though at much larger scale and with broader thematic ambitions.
- The Puzzle Mill: UK-based publisher of at-home printable puzzle and escape room games. Directly comparable to clueQuest's Print+Cut+Escape product line in format, target customer, and digital/physical hybrid model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
clueQuest social profiles
Digital presenceclueQuest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
clueQuest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
clueQuest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
clueQuest 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 clueQuest
What does clueQuest do?
clueQuest designs and operates immersive spy-themed entertainment experiences, including live escape room missions in its London venue, at-home Print+Cut+Escape (Spy Papers) printable puzzle games, GPS-based Glitch Hunters outdoor city adventures across multiple UK cities, and VR escape room experiences. Offerings are sold both to consumer groups (friends, families, celebrations) and to corporate clients for team building and event use.
Is clueQuest a public or private company?
clueQuest is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was clueQuest founded?
clueQuest was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is clueQuest based?
clueQuest is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does clueQuest make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Live Escape Room Bookings are the primary driver. The others are print+Cut+Escape Games, outdoor Adventures (Glitch Hunters), corporate Team Building, gift Vouchers and Merchandise and VR Experience Sessions.
Who are clueQuest's main competitors?
Others on record are Escape Live and TeamBuilding HQ. Sandbox VR is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Hint Hunt, Escape Hunt, AIM Escape Rooms, The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience and Outdoor Escape Rooms (UK). Emerging players are Meow Wolf and The Puzzle Mill.
Does clueQuest have an API?
No public API is recorded for clueQuest.
What industry is clueQuest in?
clueQuest's product category is Immersive Entertainment / Escape Room Experiences. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAAAD, Family Entertainment Centers & Indoor Amusement (Arcades, Trampoline Parks, Indoor Play), with a secondary code of CRALALAM, Escape Room Games & Mystery Puzzle Boxes Retail. Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7900.