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Happy Escape Industry News Day! π February is upon us, and this month is home to both "National Puzzle Day" and "Valentine's Day". So, it's the season of love, but it's also as good a time as any to work through your enormous to-play pile of at home escape rooms. Yep, we have one too! This time of year is always a little lighter on new escape room openings, but we're delighted to see plenty of exciting new experiences popping up around the world. Elsewhere in the escape room industry, we're seeing more "best of 2023" roundups, from Morty App, to Thinky Games and beyond. Last but not least, if you're heading to Transworld Room Escape Show next month, do drop in and say hello at the Buzzshot booth!
Mairi
Editor of Escape Industry News
P.S. If a friend has forwarded you this email, please consider subscribing! |
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Enigmarch is set to return next month Enigmarch, the monthly puzzle 'creating' challenge is set to return next month, in March 2024. Whilst this challenge covers puzzles of all kinds, it's a particular popular way to create and share escape room puzzles. |
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Morty App Has Published 2023's Top Rooms According to Reviewers According to their latest blog post, "the Morty community logged over 300,000(!) experiences and 200k ratings across 79 countries. As a result, making it on this year's list was incredibly competitive." Using these reviews, the Morty team have compiled a list of the very best. |
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β’ ESCAPETHEROOMers have released their Bullseye awards of their favorite games from 2023.
β’ The world's smallest escape room... is a coffin!
β’ Work on the ER Champ 2024 has begun, as reported by organizers Lock Me.
β’ An "Escape Room Owners Field Trip" has been organised for London, UK. Tickets are now on sale here.
β’ In a continuation of the new series by Attractions Magazine, their latest escape room review covers Edge Escape.
β’ "XP Factory, Escape Rooms and the Competitive Socialising Boom", the newest article from Blooloop interviews the CEO of XP Factory.
β’ Breakout, one of the biggest escape room groups in the US, have teased a new escape room which, if the teaser is to be believed, is an exciting IP!
β’ "Escape Room Lobby Design Musings", the latest post from Room Escape Artist covers dos and don'ts.
β’ Transworld Interactive Entertainment Show seminars are now live.
β’ ER Champ have listed some of the experiences from last year's competition for sale.
β’ Buzzshot have published some top tips for starting the year right for your escape room business. Not quite an escape room but... β’ ThinkyCon, a convention for puzzle videogames is looking for speakers.
β’ Thinky Third Thursday has published a new issue, covering GOTY for videogames from 2023.
β’ PostCurious has published their favourite games from 2023, read them here.
β’ From Puzzlvaria: 2024 Mystery Hunt, Part 0: A Puzzle, an Anecdote, and some Meta-Thoughts (not Meta Thoughts)
β’ London's Journey to the End of the Night is seeking volunteers. |
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π Upcoming Dates for your Diary |
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π Recent Doors Unlocked |
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πΊπΈ β’ 4 Dreams Escape is opening this month with one room, The 4 Dreams, in Seattle, WA.
β’ Camp Hearne has opened a WWII themed escape room, The Barracks, in Hearne, TX.
β’ Escape Bellaire has opened a new location with two rooms in Bellaire, MI.
β’ Escape Room Era have opened a new room, Principle's Office, in Anaheim, CA.
β’ Mastermind has opened a new wizard themed room in Little Rock, AR.
β’ The Escape Game has announced they're opening a new location in Brooklyn, NY.
β’ Trapology Boston has opened a new room, Witching Hour, in Boston MA.
β’ Wish House Parks has opened a new escape room, Haunted Baby Dolls, in Burbank, CA. π¨π¦ β’ SWT Lyceum Theatre has lauched a pop-up escape room, Silver Scream, in Gull Lake, SK. π¬π§
β’ Cannock Chase have opened a new room, The Bunker, in Wallsall.
β’ Cluetopia has opened a new room, Dr Duplicate's Clonemageddon in Ipswich.
β’ CypherQuest have opened a new room, Enigma Academy: The Wizard's Trials in Boston.
β’ Escape From The Room have opened a new room, Old Maid Milly, in High Wycombe.
β’ Escape Games have opened a new room, Quarantine, in Middlesborough.
β’ Escape Ipswich has opened a new room, The Renaissance Genius Da Vinci, in Ipswich.
β’ Escape Plan LIVE have opened a new room, Seance: Reborn, in Chatham.
β’ Escape Room HQ have opened with two rooms in Swindon.
β’ Exit Rooms has opened with one room, Victoria's Christmas Challenge, in Cambridge.
β’ Mission Classified has opened with a new room, Operation Hercules, in Grimsby.
β’ Other Worlds Escape has opened a new room, The Seaside, in Portsmouth.
β’ Pressure Point have reopened their room The Mayflower Dagger in Ashford.
β’ Room Lockdown has opened two new rooms at different sites in London.
β’ The Great Escape Game has opened a new room, Soul Searchers: The Curse of Grimstone Lane in Leeds.
β’ The Panic Room has opened a new room, Lab Rats, in Gravesend.
π¦πΊ/π³πΏ
β’ Adventure Rooms has opened a new room, Mafia - The Golden Ring in Melbourne, Australia.
π© Have we missed an opening near you? Reply to this email and let us know!
A shout out to the resources & individuals who were a huge help this month: Escape the Review (UK), Rich Bragg, (USA), Morty App (USA), ERA Mag (Australia)
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Last month in Podcasts, Radio & Live Shows
Cager Express: Escape Break
"Escape Break featuring Beth Divel and Tatiyana Abarro: Southern California's premier escape room podcast show. We recap fun rooms, interviews and bizarre topics!" β’ Escape Break: Get To Know Beth Jan 11
β’ Escape Break: Getting To Know Tati Jan 18
β’ Escape Break: Getting to Know Ky Jan 25 Escape This Podcast
"A show thatβs a mix of escape room puzzles and tabletop role-playing." β’ Bonus: Even More Mysterious Jokes! Jan 10
β’ Bonus Episode - Verboten by Jay Borsom Jan 17
β’ Bonus: On The Tip of My Tongue Jan 23 Live from the CodeBar
Live from the CodeBar is a twice-monthly podcast about Armchair Treasure Hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, Escape Rooms as well as ARG's and puzzle subscription boxes. β’ CodeBar Live Show 42 - Who Killed Ickey? Jan 11
β’ What happened to "The World's Greatest Treasure Hunt" Teaser Jan 26 Reality Escape Pod
"Your hosts David Spira & Peih-Gee Law explore immersive gaming from all angles. Our guests have made awesome stuff: ARGs, puzzle hunts, tabletop games, and of course, escape rooms." β’ Special Release Bonus Episode S6E3: Going Viral with Christine Barger Jan 12
β’ Peek Behind the Curtain with Spoilers Club Jan 18
β’ The Mind Behind the Who Killed Ickey Treasure Hunt, John Bromels Jan 24 The Infinite Escape Room
"The puzzling podcast where a gaggle of geographically diverse chums come together, have a drink - and work together to solve a home made escape room of the ears.β" β’ The Infinite Escape Room clip show! 2023βs best bits Jan 7
β’ Maus Trap Jan 21
β’ Disney horrors and frozen heads at the Haus of Maus Jan 27
These podcasts may not have released new episodes this month, but are well worth checking out:
β’ Locked in a Podcast
βLocked In a Podcastβ is an escape room themed podcast from the team at The Panic Room. Alex & co will take listeners on an exciting journey through the world of escape rooms.
β’ Life is an Escape Room "The Life Is An Escape Room Podcast explores how the skills you gain playing escape rooms with intention will make you more successful in all aspects of your life." |
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February's puzzle is a little wink to the 'season of love' around Valentine's Day, and is a well known (but perhaps not well remembered) riddle from Jane Austen's "Emma". What single word are our 18th century heroines looking for in this riddle? My first displays the wealth and pomp of kings,
Lords of the earth! their luxury and ease.
Another view of man, my second brings,
Behold him there, the monarch of the seas! Tweet us your answer at @escapeindustry |
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