The funding round will accelerate its global expansion to transform the retail experience
Electric Gamebox, the immersive group gaming platform reinventing how video games are played, announced its $11 million Series A2 funding round last week, bringing total investments in the company to over $25M. Led by Philian, with participation from Brookfield Asset Management through its Retail Revitalization program, Index Ventures, and ActivumSG, this round will support the company’s bold expansion in the US and UK including 100 new locations over the next two years and 1,000+ locations by 2026.
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Brookfield will leverage its expansive real estate portfolio to bring Electric Gamebox to its retail locations and position them as the destination of choice for consumers seeking entertainment, hospitality and retail. Over the next year, Electric Gamebox will be opening locations at Oakbrook Center, Chicago; The Woodlands Mall, Houston; Fashion Place, Salt Lake City; Victoria Gardens, LA/San Bernardino; and Ballston Quarter, Arlington.
Co-founded by CEO Will Dean, founder of popular obstacle race Tough Mudder, and CFO David Spindler, founder of Tough Mudder Bootcamp, Electric Gamebox delivers hyper-immersive games in interactive digital smart rooms, or ‘Gamebox’ gaming pods. The Gameboxes – which can host two to six players for experiences lasting between 15 and 60 minutes – feature a range of cutting-edge technologies such as projection mapping, touch screens, patent-pending Lidar and 3D motion tracking as well as surround sound, all without the need for headsets.
The experience is part of a new genre of group entertainment where teams are put through a series of different games and challenges that can only be successfully completed through collaboration. Electric Gamebox currently has six accessible and intuitive games, designed by the company’s in-house game studio with plans to release additional games in 2021. The company’s content library drives high satisfaction (NPS 80%) and strong repeat rates (20%). New games will be released monthly, so groups can return to the experience and take on fresh challenges each time they visit.
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“We are thrilled to be working with such legendary investors to accelerate our expansion and further our mission to bring people together through shared play; changing the way people think about video games,” said Dean. “We aim to elevate immersive entertainment to the next level, with 1000+ units playing 100+ games in the next 5 years. The future of retail is experiential and we can’t wait to be a part of this transformation.”
Originating in Central London in October 2019, Electric Gamebox now has locations in Essex and Manchester in the UK, and Dallas. The Dallas venue has seen huge success since it opened in December 2020, despite COVID-19, welcoming 10,000+ customers. Electric Gamebox delivers a COVID-safe experience, with each booking occurring in a private Gamebox, full sanitization between groups and staggering arrival times to limit customer group interactions.
“Electric Gamebox is redefining and reinventing the retail experience with immersive social adventures that cater to the modern consumer,” said Ben Holmes, Venture Partner at Index Ventures.
