First, the big live game experience trend was escape rooms, in which a group of people solve a series of hidden puzzles to get out of a locked room.
Then, the next big trend was ax throwing, in which a group of friends or co-workers ... well, it's right there in the name. You figure it out.
Could live game shows be the next big trend in entertainment experiences?
A Minneapolis company called Game Show Battle Rooms is hoping that's the case.
"It's very unique," says David Sauer, the chief executive officer of Game Show Battle Rooms. "We're one of the only game show experience companies. You don't have to win your way on our show. You can just come down and play a show."
Game Show Battle Rooms is a live, fully contained game show experience in which groups of friends, families and co-workers compete in teams in several competitions based on classic TV game shows. The Dallas location set to open sometime in mid- to late June on Alpha Road in Farmers Branch will be the company's fourth space. The company has locations in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Kansas City, Missouri.
"We've been looking in Dallas for over a year, but we couldn't find the right space," Sauer says. "We're super excited."
The Dallas version of Game Show Battle Rooms will have three rooms in which groups of contestants will compete in games such as Match Up Wars, in which players try to guess their fellow contestants' answers to fill in the blank prompts, and the price guessing game What's That Cost? and Spin & Solve complete with a giant wheel and a puzzle board.
"It's very interactive with professional lighting too," Sauer says. "The winner gets to take a picture with the giant trophy for bragging rights."
The experience is produced just like a television game show with a producer who organizes and preps the contestants, professional lighting and life-size game show props and interactive media.
"It's family friendly and competitive," Sauer says. "So it's a very exciting experience. Our mission is to make sure you have an unforgettable time with your family, friends and coworkers."
Sauer says Dallas just feels like a logical fit for Game Show Battle Rooms. The news also follows the announcement that the long running CBS daytime game show The Price is Right is doing a live tour that will come to Dallas sometime this summer with its most beloved pricing games in honor of its 50th anniversary.
"Obviously, it's a large metro area for a lot of potential for people who love game shows," he says. "So we feel good about the market. There's a lot of corporates in Dallas and we do a lot of team building events. So we thought we could build a lot of team corporate building groups and families to our game show too."