“ We’re evolving the [escape room] experience towards something that’s more theatrical, with puzzling, gaming, and immersive art all together.”

Magnifico is currently (as of November 2025) the top escape room in the world, as voted on by experienced escape room enthusiasts. For 2.5 hours, we were transported to another world where magic is real and anything is possible. This game was a culmination of Escaparium’s signature style: epically sized and meticulously built sets with large-scale puzzles that involve the whole team, and meaningful stories told through both gameplay and theatrical moments featuring live actors.

Jonathan Driscoll and Sacha St. Denis are the owners and driving force behind Escaparium, in Laval, Canada (just outside of Montreal). Since their previous appearance on REPOD, they’ve cemented their spot as one of the top companies in world. Last year, in 2024, they captured the #1 and #3 spots on the TERPECA rankings, with their games Magnifico and Forgotten Cathedral, respectively. Wardrobe for Sale ranked at #14, and Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen ranked at #37 in the world.

It’s clearly not a fluke. Escaparium is consistently creating world-class games, year after year, and when they’re not busy opening new games, they’re renovating and remodeling old experiences. Rain Corp. has been given a make-over into Ctrl Alt Reboot. They are also overhauling their lobby once again, creating an immersive bar experience featuring a crashed space ship.

Jonathan and Sacha joined us to talk about their new games, what’s driving them, and where they’re getting inspiration. My biggest takeaway from this conversation was that they are very involved in the escape room community and industry. They are constantly traveling and playing games. They attend every convention. For them, it’s always about the details. If even one small detail inspires their next idea, Jonathan says it’s gold. That’s the mindset they instill in their whole team as well.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, Buzzshot, and COGS. We truly appreciate your support of our mission to promote and improve the immersive gaming community.

Topics Discussed in this Episode

• 00:00 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 03:20 Magnifico’s Circus: The Journey and Evolution
• 08:23 Pricing and Business Strategy
• 12:32 Costuming Challenges and Lessons
• 15:00 Rebuild of Rain Corp. Into Ctrl Alt Reboot 
• 22:48 Sponsor Break: Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 24:21 Escaparium’s New Game: Escape Plan
• 29:38 Escape Room Travel: Business or Pleasure?
• 31:50 Facing Fears in Horror Games
• 33:58 Tourists Trends in the Escape Room Industry
• 36:34 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 38:43 Plans for an Upcoming Lobby Enhancement
• 43:14 Merchandising Success
• 46:03 Sponsor Break: Cogs By Clockwork Dog, Interactive Show Controls
• 47:29 Public Speaking Challenges
• 54:43 Escaparium’s Road Map
• 57:51 Building a Strong Team
• 01:01:56 Credits

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Got a question or thought for the podcast? You can submit a voice recording by calling the Room Escape Artist not-so-hotline that always goes straight to voicemail (551-227-7273).

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Escaparium Website
• TERPECA 2024
• Actors as Puzzles in Escape Rooms
• REA Reviews of Escaparium
  • Magnifico
  • The Final Stop (V2)
  • The Forgotten Cathedral
  • Wardrobe for Sale
  • Bernie Block
  • The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen
  • Tyranno Industries
  • The Blind Tiger
  • The Golden Jubilee
  • Alice and the Mad Hatter’s Mad Hat’s Hat
  • The Wizard Four and the Book of Black Arts
  • The Wizard Four and the Rise of Lord Thulsa
  • The Family
• REA Articles Featuring Escaparium
  • Escape Rooms As A Performer’s Medium – The Player’s Perspective
  • Escape Rooms As A Performer’s Medium – The Owner’s Perspective
  • The Importance of Feeling Seen in Escape Rooms
  • Defining “Premium Escape Rooms” & Why It Matters
• Jonathan’s RECON Remote 25 Talk

• Magnifico Soundtrack

About Jonathan Driscoll and Sacha St. Denis

Instagram: @escaparium

Jonathan Driscoll is the proud co-owner of Escaparium (and Ezkapaz), one of the world’s top escape room companies, based in the Montreal area. Along with his wife, Sacha St. Denis, he started Escaparium from scratch in 2016, growing it into a leader in immersive entertainment. Through hard work, learning from mistakes, and a relentless drive for innovation, Jonathan has built a powerhouse 15-person team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of escape room design.

Sacha St. Denis is a creative designer and hospitality innovator who loves bringing ideas to life through storytelling, design, and experience. She specializes in creating immersive spaces and concepts that make people feel something — such as a themed cocktail bar or an imaginative escape into another world. Sacha is hands-on, detail-driven, and a little obsessed with turning wild ideas into something real (and unforgettable).

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