National Escape Game Chains bring consistent quality experiences to new players all across the country. Some franchised and others corporate-owned, National Chains help to ensure the growth of our genre by exposing new players to a recognizable brand name with each expansion into new locations. For the purposes of our consideration, Escape Authority looked to chains with locations in at least three different states in an effort to truly recognize those brands with a far-reaching impact on our industry across the country.
Escape Authority is honored to announce our 2019 Keys To Greatness – Best National Chain winners:
The Basement
(Sylmar, CA / Las Vegas, NV / Kansas City, MO)
Longtime readers are certainly familiar with The Basement – a constant benchmark of quality and innovation set in a dark and tormented world. Edward Tandy, its main antagonist, wears many hats: serial killer, psychotic genius, sadistic cannibal – and add to that list owner of several buildings. Then burn the list. Edward has been quite busy in recent years, and not just with evading the police; he’s quietly been expanding his Tandy Compound outside The Courtyard of his blood-soaked California grounds and into multiple new states. The Basement’s twisted game can now be challenged in Sylmar, CA, Las Vegas, NV and Kansas City, MO, offering an even greater chance for eager, innocent victims to be exposed to some of the greatest Escape Games in our industry, before ultimately getting captured, caged and consumed.
Be sure to read our full reviews of The Basement, The Study and The Elevator Shaft.
5 Wits
(Foxborough, MA / West Nyack, NY / Albany, NY / Syracuse, NY / Buffalo, NY / Plymouth Meeting, PA / Arlington, VA)
5 Wits is the ultimate National Chain for family entertainment. With Scenic and Story that rival Disney-quality attractions, and Puzzles that offer a not-too-impossible challenge, this is a brand that instantly appeals to young and old alike. Moreover, each 5 Wits location is situated in major shopping centers full of high volume foot traffic. What results is significant exposure to new players – many of whom have likely never heard of an Escape Game (type experience) before. 5 Wits raises the bar for just what an interactive game-based attraction can be, and in turn inspires new generations of players to get hooked on the genre each and every day.
Be sure to read our full reviews of Espionage, 20,000 Leagues, Drago’s Castle, Deep Space and Tomb.
The Escape Game
(Nashville, TN / Pigeon Forge, TN / Atlanta, GA / Jacksonville, FL / Orlando, FL / New Orleans, LA /
Cincinnati, OH / Chicago, IL / Minneapolis, MN / Dallas, TX / Austin, TX / Houston, TX)
When it comes to National Chains, none can compare to the invariable level of quality The Escape Game continues to exhibit. One of the more rapidly expanding brands of our genre, each and every new location The Escape Game opens is corporate owned, guaranteeing a standing quality across the board in a way no other brand can match. At The Escape Game, consistency is key – meaning whether you visit in their Nashville HQ, or Orlando or Chicago or Dallas or anywhere in between, the level of quality – from puzzles to scenic to guest service – will always remain the same. With fourteen venues (many of which are in prime tourist locations) and growing, currently spanning eight different states, The Escape Game introduces new players to the genre on a regular basis, through top notch games that will unquestionably leave guests immediately wanting more.
Be sure to read our full reviews of Playground, Mission: Mars, Prison Break and Gold Rush.
Congratulations to our winners of the first ever Keys To Greatness – Best National Chain award!
With nearly 1,000 games played across the site, being picked as one of the best three in the country is a well-earned honor to truly be proud of!
With so many deserving games worthy of recognition, our goal is to ensure these Keys To Greatness awards are attainable to all – not just those with blockbuster budgets that might be otherwise out of reach. As such, it’s important to note that with just one exception, a given game can only win in a single category – but every game will still be qualified to win the coveted Keys To Greatness – Best Game award on June 2, 2019.
*Although the games I’ve personally designed are consistently very highly rated by both enthusiasts and newer players alike, I cannot in good conscience nominate an attraction I created. As such, those games and the venues that call them home have been intentionally omitted from consideration for any Keys To Greatness award.
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