“What is the future of the escape games industry?”
We frequently hear this question and, over time, we’ll continue to address this.
Often, we address the pervasive belief that the haunted house industry will subsume the young room escape industry.
So… Will haunted houses consume escape games?
In short… No.
According to CNBC, in 2013, the haunted house industry consisted of 2,500 attractions worldwide, driving $300 million in business.
That $300 million was a tiny portion of the $7 billion in spending driven by Halloween that year.
And Halloween, along with the haunted house industry, is ultimately seasonal.
Like pumpkin spiced everything, the haunted house industry has fallen off the cultural radar by Thanksgiving. It has to make money fast.
While its future is uncertain, the room escape business is not a seasonal attraction. It has a lot more potential, as long as its stewards, the individual escape room operators, take actions to help the industry thrive.
There aren’t a lot numbers yet for the escape room industry, but I am betting that worldwide escape rooms are already rivaling the haunted house industry, if only because their doors are open year-round. We have well over 300 companies listed on our map, and that number grows on a weekly basis.
Additionally, if everyone wanted to experience horror all of the time, there would be a lot more big budget horror films and television shows.
The horror niche is real. There’s good money there. It’s not a juggernaut.
Haunted houses & escape rooms
Horror escape rooms & haunted houses with escape rooms are a thing. They’re going to thrive.
They’re important: their future is pushing one another to achieve more.
Haunted houses can teach escape rooms how to build incredible, detailed, and durable environments for players to explore.
Escape rooms can teach haunted houses to build experiences that engage more than a fight or flight response.
Both industries can and will push one another forward. Neither will consume the other.
was comparing my map to yours and noticed one that was missing –
https://breakoutknoxville.com/ – really, really good rooms based in Knoxville TN – you already have their branches in Chattanooga, Lexington and Louisville listed – best games in Knoxville and Knoxville area has some good games
(one day you should do the TN loop of Nashville, Knoxville and Sevierville/Pigeon Forge – some very good games – although Escape Game Knoxville is quite weak)
Happy Thanksgiving Rex
Thanks Rex! A trip to TN is absolutely on our radar. I’m hoping we get there sometime in 2016.