Sandbox VR Names a 10,324 sq ft Times Square Site Its 100th Venue and First in New York City

Location-based VR company Sandbox VR announced on October 15 that it is opening its first New York City venue at 777 7th Avenue in Times Square, and that the site is its 100th location worldwide, according to the company's press release and Auganix. The release set the opening for October 23.

What's inside

The 10,324-square-foot venue has six private VR rooms. Groups of up to six players wear headsets, haptic vests and motion sensors, and can see and touch one another inside the game. There are also two party rooms and a bar, and each group gets a personalized highlight video afterwards.

• Games: 12 experiences, led by Deadwood Origins, the fourth game in Sandbox VR's own Deadwood zombie series, which launched on September 25 in the US, Canada and Hong Kong.
• Licensed titles: Stranger Things: Catalyst and Squid Game Virtuals, made with Netflix, and Age of Dinosaurs, made with London's Natural History Museum.
• Hours: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, per the venue page.

The venue is a partnership with JLG Ventures, a New York hospitality and entertainment investor that lists it as a flagship in its portfolio. JLG co-owner Carolyne Chan said the group plans "more locations across New York City."

The numbers behind it

Sandbox VR says the first three Deadwood games have sold more than 2.66 million tickets and brought in more than $140 million. Across all its games, the company says it has sold more than 6 million tickets and welcomes more than 150,000 guests a month. A later October 27 release put lifetime sales at $300 million across 100 locations in 13 countries. These are company figures, and Sandbox VR has not broken out how the 100 venues are counted.

Check your opening date

The October 15 release promised 20% off for bookings made by October 22. Sandbox VR's venue page, checked on October 31, instead offers "pre-opening savings" of 20% on bookings through October 30, which suggests the opening moved. RePlay Magazine reported on October 27, citing The VR Collective, that the venue had opened. Sandbox VR has not publicly confirmed a revised date, so visitors should go by the date on their booking.

The company's next announced opening is a second Greater Miami venue at The Falls on October 30, a smaller franchise site with four rooms.