CA-SANDBOX-VR
3.9.2024 15:01:35 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Sandbox VR, the world's premier destination for premium location-based virtual reality experiences, is announcing significant growth milestones of its franchise program. The company saw 60% growth in franchise deals in Q2 with plans to open 280 new franchise locations in the next four years. This announcement comes on the heels of opening their 50th store on August 15. Located on the Gold Coast, the new location is the first Sandbox VR in Australia, expanding its global presence to four continents and nine countries.
Since opening its first store in Hong Kong in 2017, Sandbox VR has rapidly grown its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program. Today, its global locations see over 100k players monthly. In 2023, the company topped 1.2M tickets sold and has seen a 33% year-over-year increase in 2024 ticket sales. Sandbox VR’s corporate locations—37 in total—hit a revenue milestone with an average store topping $1.9M annually.
Sandbox VR's franchise program launched in 2019 for international markets and opened up for US territories in April of this year. In those four months, 33% of available Sandbox VR US franchise territories have been claimed by new and existing franchise partners. Franchising has been instrumental in making Sandbox VR the fastest growing location-based VR startup globally, and this US momentum signals continued rapid growth. Limited opportunities for prime locations and territory exclusivity are still available in the US.
“When I started building Sandbox VR, I set out to build the future of entertainment. I never would have succeeded without the right team of people helping me build the world's most immersive experiences using bleeding edge virtual reality technology,” said Steve Zhao, CEO and founder of Sandbox VR. “As we set our sights on expanding globally, we know it’s critical to work with the right partners. We are thrilled to announce the 50th Sandbox VR location in collaboration with our franchise partners, Bao Phung and Keith Le, and look forward to working with passionate franchise partners from around the globe to open hundreds more in the next four years.”
“We considered a different location-based virtual reality company when it came to exploring our franchise opportunities but ultimately determined that we wanted to partner with Sandbox VR, the leader in the category,” said Bao Phung, Owner of Sandbox VR Gold Coast. “Partnering with Sandbox VR was the most advantageous and strategic decision for our business, allowing us to introduce Australia to immersive games you can’t play anywhere else on the world’s most immersive full-body VR platform. The Gold Coast, which attracts 13 million visitors annually, is the natural choice for our first location. We look forward to introducing locals and visitors alike to a whole new reality.”
Sandbox VR’s UK and Ireland franchise partners, VR Entertainment Group, are proof of the strength of the Sandbox VR franchise program. Since launching their first store in London in July 2022—and their second in Birmingham a year later—they have surpassed the $10M revenue milestone. In London alone, VR Entertainment Group has seen a 16.8% increase in guests year-to-date and projects their 2024 revenue to top $5M.
“I believe our success is due to the strength of our partnership with Sandbox VR,” said Andy Scanlon, co-founder and CEO of VR Entertainment Group. “Their world class VR, brand, and wider corporate team, with our local expertise and determination to build Sandbox VR into the leading immersive entertainment brand in the UK & Ireland, has led to a nexus delivering truly amazing experiences for our guests.”
Sandbox VR is creating the future of entertainment by building the world’s most immersive experiences using proprietary virtual reality technology. Their patented motion-tracking system, which captures the movements of a player’s entire body, combines with high-quality haptics to provide players with unprecedented realism and complete immersion that’s not possible with home VR or other location-based VR platforms. Guests’ own bodies act as their game controllers; all they have to do is step into the virtual world and participate in the action unfolding all around them.
All Sandbox VR experiences—eight in total—are developed by in-house AAA gaming studios in Hong Kong and Vancouver, led by game industry veterans and are specifically designed for groups to play as social experiences. Teams of up to six freely roam and explore virtual worlds together, while relying on each other to succeed.
For more information and to make reservations, please visit sandboxvr.com. To learn more about Sandbox VR franchise opportunities, please visit https://franchise.sandboxvr.com/.
ABOUT SANDBOX VR
Sandbox VR is the world's premier destination for premium, location-based virtual reality games. The company has created the world’s most immersive full-body VR platform and boasts exclusive games, including original and branded experiences, such as Squid Game Virtuals, created in collaboration with Netflix. Now operating in 50 locations and attracting over 100k players monthly, Sandbox VR is rapidly growing its global footprint with thriving corporate-owned locations and a robust franchising program. The company has been recognized as one of Fast Company’s 2024 Most Innovative Companies and is the 129th fastest growing company in America on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list. Sandbox VR is headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices in Hong Kong and Vancouver. The company’s latest round raised over $37 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Gobi Partners, and Craft. Individual investors include Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Kevin Durant and Will Smith.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240903348064/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Hitachi Announces Strategic Partnership With Anthropic to Strengthen "Lumada 3.0" Through Frontier AI19.5.2026 02:00:00 CEST | Press release
Combining Hitachi’s 110+ years of domain expertise with frontier AI will advance safe real-world deployment of physical AI and strengthen customer AI transformation Deploying advanced AI across all business processes for approximately 290,000 employees to enhance productivity at scale Developing 100,000 AI professional talent and co-creating new HMAX solutions leveraging proven outcomes from Hitachi’s “Customer Zero” approach Establishing the “Frontier AI Deployment Center,” a global organization spanning North America, Europe, and Asia with an initial team of 100 experts Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, "Hitachi") today announced a strategic partnership with Anthropic PBC (“Anthropic”), a global leader in AI safety research and trusted AI models, to further strengthen the “Lumada 3.0” business model. As artificial intelligence evolves beyond cyberspace to directly influence real-world systems—otherwise known as physical AI—demand is rapidly growing for the safe and seamless deployment of AI i
Moore Nanotechnology Systems (Nanotech) Will Be Acquired by Shibaura Machine Group to Form a New Ultra-Precision Machine Tool Organization18.5.2026 21:36:00 CEST | Press release
MOORE NANOTECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS (“Nanotech”), today announced that it is being acquired by an affiliate of SHIBAURA MACHINE CO., LTD., an industrial machine-tool manufacturer headquartered in Japan. Founded nearly 30 years ago by Len Chaloux and Newman Marsilius III as a standalone subsidiary of the Moore Tool Company, Inc., Nanotech has become a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of state-of-the-art ultra-precision machine tools and associated processes for the production of advanced optical and reflective components. “As the world’s markets continue to develop, finding the right strategic partnerships is essential,” said Mark Boomgarden, President and CEO of Nanotech. “Partnering with Shibaura allows us to combine the true competencies of both organizations under one management team - affording both companies the ability to scale resources and invest on a global stage like never before.” Co-owner Newman Marsilius IV shared, “Moore Nanotechnology Systems grew to a p
First Guests Arrive at Four Seasons Resort and Residences Red Sea at Shura Island from 20 May, as Red Sea Global Launches First JV Resort18.5.2026 20:06:00 CEST | Press release
RSG and Kingdom Holding Company bring first joint venture-developed resort at The Red Sea to market Red Sea Global (RSG), the regenerative tourism developer, has reached a major milestone as Four Seasons Resort and Residences Red Sea at Shura Island welcomes first guests from 20 May, marking the first joint venture-developed resort within its portfolio to enter the market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260518349628/en/ An aerial view of Four Seasons Resort and Residences at Shura Island, set along the shoreline with clear views of the Red Sea. Developed in partnership with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), the launch represents a shared milestone for both organizations and marks a new phase in RSG’s development model, highlighting the growing role of institutional and private sector partnerships in scaling Saudi Arabia’s luxury tourism sector. “With Four Seasons preparing to welcome guests, we are significantly
Belkin Advances Towards Carbon Neutrality in Scope 3 Emissions18.5.2026 18:10:00 CEST | Press release
The company’s 2025 Impact Report highlights its continued progress in emissions reduction, circular design, and responsible packaging Belkin, a leading consumer electronics brand for 40 years, published its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting key achievements and reaffirming its commitment to corporate responsibility. Having achieved carbon neutrality in scope 1 and scope 2 emissions in 2025, the company continues to advance toward scope 3 carbon neutrality through enhanced life cycle assessment capabilities and improved supplier and logistics data collection. In 2025, Belkin calculated 131 product carbon footprints across its portfolio, surpassed 21.6 million PCR products sold, and has achieved a 95% reduction in single-use plastic packaging since 2019, reflecting continued progress in carbon reduction and responsible product design. “As we continue to make progress against our sustainability goals, we are taking deliberate steps to reduce our impact,” said Steven Malony, CEO of Belkin.
Infobip Named a Leader in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Communications Platform as a Service18.5.2026 16:25:00 CEST | Press release
Recognized for Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute Infobip is excited to share that global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip has been recognized as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Communications Platform as a Service. Check back for a complimentary copy of the full report soon! In Infobip’s view, this recognition reflects what the company has spent 20 years building: a communications platform that stays focused on what customers actually need and evolves as markets change. Infobip believes that recognition in a fast-moving market comes not from chasing trends, but from disciplined execution and a clear long-term vision. As Infobip marks its 20th year of operations, the company thinks the shift to agentic AI represents the most significant transformation in customer communications in our history. Infobip believes enterprises need a partner that empowers them to move from campaigns and rigid workflows to autonomous, goal-driven interactions, while r
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom