Game devs need to make entertainment venue LED campaigns (think DND and solo gaming combined)

:gaming: Gaming

So there's this concept in NYC called 1000Boxes. Its a really cool designed in-person concept that unfortunately falls flat because its basic pub trivia and a one-time experience.

Here's what's so interesting about their business model: they sell the unique hardware they created as a fixed fee to entertainment venues (ie. bars, arcades) that are interested and they collect monthly licensing fees based on if these venues continue to use the product. The game itself is a software product that can get constantly updated within the locations that use them. They sell the hardware for 135k and 15k a month for licensing (I think this is really badly priced, but stick with the concept).

It's a huge upfront cost for these venues. In the 1000Boxes concept, not only are they charging that price but you also have to install a giant LED screen which runs somewhere around 30,000 and you need a host for the game which is presumably 10-20 an hour. In return, customers pay $50 for basically a trivia session and there are 16 players per game.

Now that you're up to speed, why haven't game devs (as far as I know) not done anything in this space? A rough concept I was thinking of right away was a game dev whips up an immersive multiplayer host-driven campaign which anybody can play at a venue ideally with friends or even solo. Venues can charge $80 for an hour thirty of playtime. Host that runs the game gets paid 10-20 an hour. The core concept could be that people come weekly to a venue to experience this with their friends. Even someone solo could experience and appreciate the company of a host. Venues run a model where they want people to come to their location to eat food and drink which is perfect after a fun play session with friends.

Because it's software, depending on the success of the campaign there could be updates that make groups want to come back. On top, this experience could have branching pathways (a main quest, side quests etc.) that creates more playtime. Every group can have a physical save file card as a cute thing that hosts input to get back to that groups session. Game devs get hardware and licensing fees and they are heavily incentivized to make a smash hit.

This concept in theory could literally be the next Dungeons and Dragons. What do you think?

Posted Jun 29, 2026, 11:37 PM UTC

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