A new interactive gaming venue moving to Disney Springs, Level99 is built around mental and physical challenges, unique games, group efforts and artwork, says the company’s CEO.
“We’re not an escape room. Matthew Duplesey, founder and CEO of Level 99, will eventually become a two-storey 45,000-square-foot area where Walt Disney World’s NBA Experience attraction was occupied.
This format will earn around 60 rooms with groups of 2-6 people, including the task.
“It can be very physical, almost obstacle course style. It’s working with friends in a very visceral and practical way,” says Duplessie. “Or maybe it’s a mental game,” solving logic puzzles, etc.
The assignment takes 1-4 minutes. You can repeat the room multiple times, or the group can move to another room.
“It’s a wild challenge of not knowing what to expect from the next thing,” says Duplessie.
“You train the dojo in one room at a ninja training dojo, then move to the hall of a mirror art installation in another room and you’re up into space in the next room,” he says.
The History Center pays homage to famous residents and former theme parks
It has a mature atmosphere with a sit-in restaurant and bar in its centre.
“Our sweet spot, our target for designs, is young adults. Ages 21-39 are like the peak of our demographic curve,” says Duplessie. It’s also motivated by tweens, teens and older people, he says.
“But these games are not for kids and aren’t built on their own. This is not where you have your 7th birthday party, because it’s a little more difficult than that,” he says. “The game is difficult. They are mentally difficult. They are physically tough.”
The level 99 elements, especially the lack of screens and their reproducibility factors, impress Bob Rogers, the founder of BRC Imagination Arts, a California-based experience design company.
“These are things that make people do things together as a group, and most of the time they compete with the situation and the setup rather than compete with each other,” says Rogers.
“These are really well-made, simple ideas,” he says.
“The big thing is that they’re not just screens, they’re people who enjoy people,” he says. That’s why people leave their homes and socialize. This is a concept that has been a hit during the pandemic, he says.
Level 99 has venues in Natic, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Locations in West Hartford, Connecticut and Tysons Corner, Virginia are scheduled to open this year.
The expansion is in the corporate game plan, and Duplessie likes the make-up of the Disney Springs crowds.
“It’s a great combination of local traffic and holiday traffic. It’s people who are socially, mentally and physically active. They want to go outside, do something, see something,” he says.
“I think our experience is a huge contrast to the all-day theme park experience,” says Duplessie.
A rare photo of Walt Disney auctioned in March
The Level 99 game does not have licensed characters or intellectual property.
“We design all of these games ourselves,” says Duplessie. “These are special games developed by the Level 99 team and can only be reached here.”
Players will be engaged in a one-on-one duel and accumulate stars to achieve the challenge by spying on symbols hidden in venue artwork selections.
“You’re accumulating some of your real world prizes. You’re making t-shirts and free food. You’re accumulating these stars to raise your leaderboard,” says Duplessie.
The venue regularly changes some games, which raises factors for reproducibility.
“It’s about 30 hours of gameplay to beat this venue with your highest level achievement,” says Duplessie. “It’s more than just one trip.”
Level 99 “may be able to build all these classics in Orlando and stand for a lot longer for tourists and overnight business,” says Rogers.
The time frame for the Disney Springs location has not been announced. Changes to the exterior of the building have begun. The silver ribbon-like beams etched in basketball images have been removed. But the big screen remains, Duplessie says.
The NBA Experience opened there in August 2019 with hoop-related activities and products. It was closed in Spring 2020 at Walt Disney World for pandemic purposes. About 18 months later, Disney said the NBA experience would not resume.
Located in the West End section of Disney Springs, the site was previously the location of Disney Quest, an interactive attraction owned by the company. It was closed in 2017 and the building was demolished.
“I liked Disney Quest. says Duplessie, who has 25 years of experience in thematic entertainment, including Disney’s design and consulting gigs as a vendor. Regular updates to games and increased capacity are two benefits for Level 99, he says.
“It’s a very different approach,” says Duplessie.
Please email dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Bluesky: @themeparksdb. Thread account: @dbevil. X Account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
