A new virtual reality experience is coming to Walnut Street in Center City
Players will wear motion sensors and headsets as they explore distinct virtual realities. It’s just the latest in a string of experience based businesses opening in Philadelphia.
A new virtual reality experience is coming to Center City where players will wear motion sensors and headsets as they explore new worlds and engage in fights.
The 6,800-square-foot site is set to open in April at 1712 Walnut Street, according to Rob Cooper, CEO and founder of LOL Entertainment, which is a partner behind the project. The site was formerly Coda nightclub.
LOL Entertainment, which operates the Museum of Illusions in Philadelphia, is working with virtual reality game business Sandbox VR, to open four entertainment venues in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Washington D.C.
“Partnering with Sandbox VR to transform this historic Walnut Street space into a cutting-edge virtual reality destination shows our commitment to Philadelphia’s growth as a hub for innovative entertainment,” said Cooper in a statement. “We’re particularly excited to join the thriving Rittenhouse retail hub and create new jobs in the neighborhood where our company’s story began.”
The new Sandbox VR location has been leased out for 10 years, according to Cooper, who leads a company that invests in experience-based entertainment venues and also operates them.
It’s the latest in a string of experiential businesses opening in Philadelphia. A Formula One racing simulator is taking over the former West Elm location on Chestnut Street this year. Other venues that have recently opened include Puttshack, which offers mini-golf, drinks and food, and opened in May at the Shops at Liberty Place, as well as Beat the Bomb which opened in October at 1218 Chestnut Street.
At the new Center City site, the space will be divided into four distinct areas that can each host up to six players at a time. Tickets cost around $55 per person, per game, which typically last an hour.
Sandbox VR has launched nine different virtual reality options so far. One, for example, is based on Squid Game, the popular Netflix show, and others are zombie-themed.
Cooper expects the space to employ up to 25 workers, with a mix of full-time and part-time employees. Wages start at $17 an hour for part-timers.