“We don’t fear spoilers because a good room has more to offer than just the set that you saw in a photo. It must be something that you feel also.”

When most people think of an escape room, they think of puzzles, padlocks, with maybe a light narrative slapped on top. When Rémy Strobbe and the team at Live Cinema created Zone 51, however, they thought: okay, but what if instead of solving puzzles, you were inside a movie?

Rémy is the co-founder and creative director of Live Cinema, based in Paris, France. He joins us on REPOD to talk about Zone 51, a jaw-dropping 120-minute experience set across 550 square meters, 25 rooms, 3 live performers , and a cinematic globe-spanning story. David calls it “one of  the most remarkable experiences that I have seen in the immersive world.”

Zone 51 begins the moment you walk through the door. Indeed, for those unaware, they might be convinced that they’re here to watch an actual movie. As you can see, the set is absolutely gorgeous.

Rémy talks candidly about the difficult journey to creating this game. Amongst their troubles, they had a construction partner go bankrupt mid-build and take €80,000 with them, and a pandemic that halted production for over a year. He also shares the secrets behind the tight pipelining schedule that makes this project financially feasible.

I especially loved hearing Rémy talk about their philosophy on marketing and allowing players to record their games. Live Cinema leans into sharing striking visuals. As Rémy put it, a good experience has more to offer than just what you see in a photo. And those photos are spectacular.

Zone 51 is currently bookable in French, with limited English sessions available by email. English availability is expected to expand by fall 2026 — which happens to align perfectly with the Escape Immerse Explore Paris Tour. Zone 51 (review coming soon) will be on the Tour, along with a few other games from the same creators at Lock Academy. If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining us on the Tour, if it hasn’t already sold out!

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We are immensely grateful to our sponsors this season: REA Patreon Backers, PG’s Playhouse, and Buzzshot. 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: RECON – The Reality Escape Convention
• 04:34 Story Meets Mechanics
• 06:29 The Initial Vision for Live Cinema
• 09:37 Zone 51 Explained
• 10:49 Cold Open in a Movie Theater
• 14:34 Filming the Prologue
• 17:50 Sets and Immersion Detail
• 19:52 Safety and Effects Knowhow
• 21:19 Sponsor Break: Buzzshot, Escape Room Marketing Software
• 24:22 Pacing the Adventure
• 25:43 Pipelining and Timing Tech
• 29:33 Using Adaptive Difficulty
• 30:43 Translating the Game into English
• 33:42 Actors Versus Comedians
• 35:21 Sponsor Break: Room Escape Artist Patreon – Bonus Episodes, Spoilers Club & More
• 37:44 Hiring and Training Cast
• 41:54 Building the Zone 51 Team
• 44:49 Marketing with Visuals
• 46:57 Sponsor Break: PG’s Playhouse – Puzzles, Pals, and Trivia
• 48:24 Future Plans for Live Cinema
• 50:48 Puzzle Books
• 51:51 What Comes Next?
• 55:57 Credits
• 57:26 Beta Testing Pressure

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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

• Live Cinema Website
• Paris Escape Room Tour

About Rémy Strobbe

Instagram: @livecinema

My name is Rémy. I’m 33 years old, and before working in the escape game industry, my first job was designing puzzles for a toy called Inside3.

I’ve been in the escape game industry since 2015. I first worked as a game master at a venue called Leavin Room, which has since closed.

In 2016, I joined Lock Academy as a game designer, where I created the three latest rooms: The Exam, Revolt at Lock, and L.A. Confidential.

I then co-founded Live Cinema with my two partners, Laurent Ifrah and Nicolas Prevost. The project started in 2022 and officially launched in early 2026

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