There is a new game in town, and it’s fast becoming the most popular.
Activate, the world’s first active gaming experience, opened in London at The O2 just three months ago following huge success in North America and Canada, and is now taking London by storm.
In fact, it has proved so popular that is it now the number one best-performing Activate out of 60 in North America, Canada and Dubai, the attraction has welcomed more than 50,000 visitors through its doors since it launched just before Christmas, and is already ranked at number 5 on Tripadvisor’s ‘Fun Activities and Games in London’. Its popularity has led the Activate team to identify four more UK locations to launch in by June – including Oxford St.
Testing physical and cognitive skills, Activate brings together interactive technology, agility, physical ability and problem-solving in 12 dynamic rooms across 10,000 sq. ft on the upper level of The O2.
Activate’s popularity reflects the global soaring trend for competitive socialising – which has grown at unparalleled levels over the past five years.
According to Mintel, the market research company, more than two thirds of the population took part in some form of competitive socialising last year, up from just over half before the pandemic, and property firm Savills’ research has shown that the number of competitive socialising venues in the UK has risen by 40 per cent to nearly 600 since 2018.
Activate has been brought to the UK by We Do Play, one of the UK’s leading experiential leisure groups and the company that founded the Boom Battle Bar brand and launched the hugely successful entertainment experiences: Flip Out indoor adventure parks and Putt Putt Social.
Rich Beese, co-founder of We Do Play, said: “The launch of Activate at The O2 has been a huge success. We knew it was going to be popular, but we have been overwhelmed by its success in only the first couple of months.
“We Do Play has been leading the way in the world of competitive socialising for many years and we have been keen to maintain our position as a pioneer. By bringing Activate straight from North America to London shows how dedicated we are to be constantly evolving the experiences that we are creating in the world of competitive socialising and entertainment.
“Our rollout of Activate across the UK is going to be huge. We want to bring this incredible experience to as many places as possible in the country. 2025 is going to be a big year for Activate.”
Prices are £22.50 per person off peak and £28.50 per person peak for 60-minute sessions with groups between two and five people. The minimum age to participate in Activate is 6 years old. Activate games are designed for adults and may be challenging for children under 10 years. An adult must be present at the facility throughout the entire gaming experience for children between 6 and 13 years old.
https://playactivate.co.uk/activate-at-the-o2
