How long does it take to build a new escape room?

A lot has changed in the escape room industry in the last years. When we started our escape room business, back in 2015 we didn’t know how games will develop in the future, we just had predictions. It went further and further into technical elements, more detailed decoration, professionality and even movies set design. We decided to follow up with the tendency, and because of that, the time it took us to build a new game was always longer than the previous one.  It’s also a natural process – we always want our new game to be quality wise better compared to the previous one. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more fun, but most likely yes. 

New location, new challenges!

In our previous location, the longest we need to plan, develop and build the game was around 6 months all-together with the Dragon Cave. That was definitely a huge step forward for us, compared to the previous rooms, and we could also see that with the general cost of it and working hours we needed to prepare everything. At that time, we had less people on board, constructing the games, which changed recently after our relocation.

Starting from the concept

The first step to do a concept of an Escape Room is to choose a game theme. This needs some thorough consideration. Which topic suits us? Which topic is interesting and exciting for a broad group of people? Which topics are already in your city? Which topic is unique ? Which topic is possible to create authentically?

After choosing the game theme we try to prepare a detailed plan of the game. That includes puzzles which we would like to have, the way we will split and decorate the room etc. It’s not such a long process, but it always evolves with time. The small details will change, some things will be added, some left away. During the construction process there will be another adaptation. The game will most likely be a bit changed during the first weeks of operating.

The Witch Hut - construction time

Our newest game took us, like always the longest. All in all, it was around 3000 working hours to finish everything. Except what we are legally obligated to do with professional companies (electricity wires, walls constructions and emergency light), we can proudly say, we do everything on our own (within our team), and we order only necessary materials for the construction. So all the puzzles, electronic devices and their programming, decoration is done by us, to make sure it’s unique and you will not find it anywhere else.

We try to put more and more effort into all the details, come up with something completely new, and/or put some worldwide existing ideas on a higher level. To give some example, a specific special effect which players experience during the game for about 15 seconds, took us 2 weeks to prepare! 

Mummified - construction time

Just because the game takes place in the Sarcophagus, it doesn’t mean it didn’t take us long to prepare it. The number of puzzles is like in a standard game. It’s definitely a different concept, and the communication between the team members will be tested during the whole game. Excitement, surprises, magic and beauty – it’s all there.

Dragon Cave 2.0 - construction time

That is where the craziness reaches the top. The room will be larger than all of our rooms in the previous location combined, so the construction takes forever. We spent already more than half a year on it, and still cannot be sure when we are going to be done. We promise… it will be worth the wait !  

Two more games to come

We will reveal more information in the nearest future, but in total there will be 5 games at our new location. We want to make sure to give you the top-quality product, so please be patient. Like we say in our industry ‘construction never ends ;)’

How long does it take to build an escape room ?

It depends on the size of the room, the quality and the number of people working on it. I would say that a qualitative escape room, built from start to finish in a unique and original way, is a 3-6 month full project for 3 people (who are familiar with the subject and have all the required knowledge). Probably longer, certainly not shorter ;)